Studying Shakespeare

Pupils have to study at least two Shakespeare plays between the ages of 11 and 16. In the light of this, there is a number of things worth bearing in mind. Pupils should be given the opportunity to tackle varied and challenging texts - the perceived 'difficulty' of Shakespeare should not put you off, or them. Shakespeare's plays and verse present such opportunities for rich and varied classroom tasks, that they offer real benefits to pupils if taught positively.

Are there any particular key areas I should try to convey to pupils?

There are so many possibilities that it is difficult to isolate just one or two key areas, but a couple that are worth exploring with pupils are:

the way Shakespeare's language combines with the drama/action. He often simultaneously manages to: - embody the thought processes of the character through powerful imagery (Macbeth's 'My mind is full of scorpions ...'); - drive the action forward by taking the character into a new level of understanding (Lady Macbeth's instruction to her husband: 'Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under't ...').
the way forceful ideas are introduced, revisited, developed, reviewed and played with within the text. For example, the way the idea of 'sleep and death' is explored in Macbeth through the images and through what actually happens (Lady Macbeth sleepwalking). Or the association between sickness and the state of England in history plays (Falstaff catches a cold on coronation day and dies; the state of England under Henry IV is often referred to as 'ill').

The best teaching of Shakespeare contains:

The examination of the plays as scripts for performance;
The exploration of his ideas;
An appreciation of his language;
The setting of the plays in their historical and social context.

The main considerations when approaching Shakespeare are to convey story, character and theme. These elements are all present in current television soap operas and can be accessed through comparisons, and by exploring them as separate issues, before placing them in the context of Shakespeare's texts.

Teaching Shakespeare to pupils - particularly pupils who have little or no previous experience of the playwright - can be a daunting prospect. Use any means at your disposal to access the text - through story, character or theme. This will ensure that pupils are engaged before approaching the text itself.

The Drama Workshop 'A First Encounter With Shakespeare' gives a detailed lesson plan of a drama workshop based on an extract from Hamlet. The workshop aims to engage pupils with the story - and themes - of Hamlet prior to approaching the text. It also helps pupils to appreciate the rhythm and poetry of Shakespeare's language, thus demystifying and overcoming one of the biggest hurdles for pupils and teachers alike. The lesson plan for this workshop, A First Encounter with Shakespeare, is available as a free download.

Arts On The Move has published four Shakespeare adaptations:

Love Me Tender - a soap opera version of the first half of Romeo and Juliet;
Three Murders, A Suicide and a Near Miss - a comedy melodrama version of Othello;
Hamlet - The Murder Mystery - told from the perspective of Horatio being interviewed by the police;
The Rise and Fall of Lord Macbeth - a one-act version which retains much of the imagery and tone of the original.

Each of these plays for schools has been written with the specific intention of providing an accessible, yet fictionally accurate, version of a Shakespeare text. These can all be purchased in the Arts On The Move shop.

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