Views & Opinion


Enabling all learners to develop a love of Shakespeare


Comment by MADDIE SHORT, Programmes Lead, Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation Boring. Stuffy. Irrelevant.


We all know what Shakespeare looks like when it goes wrong.


It’s become a cliché to hear adults complain about their experience of learning Shakespeare.


But with the right approach – one that remains conscious of the needs of the young people in the room – Shakespeare can be a genuinely thrilling part of the school experience.


Tip 1: make it relevant Shakespeare’s stories are built on timeless themes. From the love-


hate duality of Romeo and Juliet, to the violent ambition which drives Macbeth, these stories centre big themes that young people instinctively get.


Over the years, we’ve heard from a school in Birmingham who used a Shakespearean tragedy to explore the violent crime that was all too common in their neighbourhood; we’ve seen students who used Shakespeare’s plays to explore and overcome their own challenges in the classroom; we’ve found students whose understanding, and love of, Shakespeare has grown exponentially through an opportunity to connect with his universal themes.


The challenge is helping students grasp these themes through Shakespeare’s Elizabethan poetry. This can be tricky, we can all find Shakespearean language intimidating.


The solution isn’t necessarily to strip back the original language, reframing the bulk of the text into modern English. While some of our Theatre Festival schools do simplify the language, there’s much to be said for tackling Shakespeare’s words head-on.


So much of the brilliance of Shakespeare’s plays lies in the force of his language and the emotions it can summon. Consider Hamlet’s famous ‘To be or not to be’ speech. It could be translated directly into modern English but you’ll likely find the text robbed of much of its feeling. We find that young learners enjoy a challenge, albeit the challenge must be achievable. The best way to support young people in understanding Shakespeare’s language is by speaking his words, working together to decode passages which at first aren’t clear, and demonstrating the relevance of the stories to their own lives.


Tip 2: start small, build big


It can be tempting to dive straight into a scene, especially for teachers who’ve already got the Shakespeare bug. We use scaffolding - something that’ll be familiar to most teachers reading this, to start small and focus on producing energy (and laughter) in the room. Because of this, young people can connect with each other, and Shakespeare, incredibly quickly – and if you can make the Shakespearean classroom a place for laughter and energy, a love of the subject becomes a real possibility.


Tip 3: support every learner to achieve their best Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation’s pedagogy centres on a belief that young learners are curious. In every school, we find children who


April 2024


enjoy playing, learning and experimenting with new thoughts and new ideas.


What is an achievable challenge depends on the young people participating. As a teacher, take a second to look around the room. What will the young people here enjoy? What will they struggle with? What’s ambitious for them?


Give them the tools and encouragement they need to achieve their very best, whatever that looks like, for example:


• Make sure everyone feels a part of the story. Not every student in your cohort will feel comfortable taking on stacks of script, but there is a place for every young person to have a role. Consider how the wider court of King Lear would react to his irrational behaviour, or how other magical creatures in the forest would observe the hijinks of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.


• Find a theme that your young people can connect with. If your students aren’t clicking with the story so far, but you know the class have been enthralled by the study of pop art or Henry VIII, elsewhere in the curriculum; how can you bring this into your study and performance of Shakespeare, and bring these stories to life for everyone in the group? Find what your young people are interested in, and support them to reimagine the Shakespeare play for this company, at this point in time.


• Experiment with the language. It’s definitely worth exploring Shakespeare’s original language, but that doesn’t mean you can’t compare it to modern English and let your students use their creativity to write their own monologues.


Tip 4: play’s the thing


Shakespeare’s stories connect with young people. But for many, seeing Shakespeare’s stories as a static text, something to be studied from afar, turns them away from his wonders early on in their school life. We understand from our experience working with young people just how exhilarating Shakespeare can be when efforts are made to make the texts accessible.


Over 24 years engaging children in schools and theatres, we’ve found people work best by doing and performing, building a connection to and love of, these stories. Every workshop we run is devised with this in mind: how can we make this story accessible? How can we make it fun? And how can we make this experience enriching for our young learners? Working together, whether in a play or performing the text in your English class, all young people – from those who attain above national expectations, to those who struggle to learn with more ‘traditional’ teaching methods – will find their teamwork and resilience skills improve. Learning about the trials and tribulations of Shakespeare’s characters instils empathy and confidence.


So, dive in, take on the Shakespeare challenge. Expose your young people to Shakespeare’s works in every way you can. Show your children that the stories of Shakespeare are the stories of all human life. And give your young people a chance to connect with the many and varied worlds he created.


If you can help to reimagine Shakespeare for your students, you’ll find every child can relish the opportunity to engage with his works, love the stories, and grow as young citizens. Because when young people develop a love of Shakespeare, we know what that looks like. Joyous. Exhilarating. Transformative.


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