Teaching Shakespeare: Bringing the Bard to Life in the English Classroom

If you’ve ever thought that someone has had ‘too much of a good thing’, or that something is ‘extraordinary’, then you’ve used language first said by Shakespeare. His influence on the English language, and cultures across the world is so great that it’s no surprise that many say that he is the most quoted writer of all time.  Teaching the words of the Bard covers not just language, but politics, social sciences, spirituality and psychology.

Look at this quote from King Lear, in which the Fool, a loyal servant of the King discusses whether he should run away from a dangerous situation:

But I will tarry. The fool will stay.

And let the wise man fly.

The knave turns fool that runs away;

The fool, no knave, perdie.

It’s no surprise that students would find this difficult. The Fool is saying that he will not run away, and so he’s actually not acting like a fool by doing this. It’s a complex idea, discussing themes like loyalty, bravery and the roles different people play in society.

The biggest problem with Shakespeare is that his English is a very different language to modern English. Intricate vocabulary, poetic language, and archaic expressions that make little sense even to native speakers can be overwhelming for learners who are still grappling with the basics of English grammar and vocabulary.

Cultural differences also play a significant role in understanding Shakespeare's works. His era was vastly different from today's world, and the system of government, the ways men and women behaved towards each other, and a whole host of societal norms may require additional explanation for students from diverse cultural backgrounds. In fact, you could do an entire course to explain Shakespearean society without ever reading one of his plays.

Here are a few ways you can break it down for students.

Guessing games

A simple approach is to incorporate games that involve understanding Shakespearean language. For example, students can play word association games where they match modern-day equivalents to archaic words used by Shakespeare. This not only enhances vocabulary but also fosters critical thinking skills as they decipher the meaning behind his poetic language.

For example:

As you can see, many Shakespearian words can be guessed from context, just as you teach students to do every day when reading modern English.

Role plays

Another effective activity is to have students take on the roles of Shakespearean characters in a role-play activity. This not only helps them understand the language and context of the play but also encourages creativity and active participation. Students can immerse themselves in the world of Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet, exploring their motivations and dilemmas through improvisation. You don’t even need to have read Shakespeare with your students to do this. The great thing about Shakespearian role plays is that they’re totally flexible to your students, their level, and your preferred way of setting up role plays. Here’s an example for you.

Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest love stories of all time, but it also covers themes that all teenagers can relate to, like rivalries between different groups and how to settle disagreements. Show students this summary video which sets the scene for the whole play and ask students to write their own scripts for the situations described by the presenter. Have students think about the kind of language they’d use in social situations like these, where two groups of young people are talking to each other on the street, before a figure of authority like a police officer interrupts them. They could even think about how they’d deal with a situation like this in their own language before moving on to English. This helps students not just to converse in English, but also to understand the different registers they can use. Finally, show students the opening scene from a modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, such as Baz Luhrmann’s version with Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes, or the Spielberg remake of West Side Story to see how Hollywood brings Shakespeare to the modern world.

As we’ve seen, it’s generally accepted that Shakespeare was a great writer of complex works that are just as relevant today as they were 400 years ago. Teaching Shakespeare is both a reward and a challenge, but if you do decide to take the plunge, try to make it fun and relevant to your students.