Blog Post #14: Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet is an absolute staple in any high school classroom, for many obvious reasons. Shakespeare, of course, is one of the greatest writers in the English language and central to the Western canon. I couldn’t imagine not teaching Shakespeare—his insights into the human condition, witty dialogue, and beautiful language. In addition to the moral lessons of choice vs. fate, and the tragic tale of young love, Romeo and Juliet is a subtle satire upon the infallibility of the religious habit as Friar Laurence makes fatal errors in judgment continually. I think it is an easy choice to utilize in the secondary classroom because the plot is fairly simple and straightforward, which provides students an opportunity to focus on the language and development of characters.

This past quarter I took Shakespeare with Weller and I had the opportunity to think about the ways I would teach this text. One aspect I think often goes unlooked in the secondary classroom is that it is a play, therefore, to be enjoyable it must be performed. When I first read Romeo and Juliet my freshman year of high school all we did was read the play. I don’t even think my teacher mentioned that the play was actually enjoyable to see performed, and we never watched any film. This was a huge miss for me. The only concept I grasped in high school is that entertainment has come a long way since Shakespearean times.  But I was wrong. When Shakespeare is taught correctly, I think students can actually connect with Shakespeare’s humor and drama. 

But is Romeo and Juliet the end all be all when it comes to exposing our students to Shakespeare? Is there perhaps another Shakespearean play that would do a better job of introducing high school students to Shakespeare? As educators, can we do more with Shakespeare than simply have our students work through the same boring character analyses and plot diagrams? Could the humor and strong female character in Much Ado About Nothing intrigue young readers in the same fashion? Can Hamlet’s themes of mortality, family, lies and deceit, and revenge resonate with the students in our classroom? Sadly, I do not have an answer for any of these questions. But I do look forward to seeing how tomorrow’s presenters decide to teach Romeo and Juliet.