Humanities Honors Program

Shakespeare: the greatest mind in English literature, the worst for the classroom. He’s been our pop culture for centuries, but it’s a struggle teaching his work.

I remember being a freshman in high school reading Romeo and Juliet. I’ve been captivated by Shakespeare’s vivid language and ideas since. As much as I loved the story, and Shakespeare, I knew my classmates were frustrated with it and didn’t like it.

As a fourth-year college student, I still think about my experience with Shakespeare in freshman year. My teacher summarized scenes and had us (the students) read the text out loud. Everyone was confused and our teacher’s succinct summaries were not enough for us to grasp his language. Although I was animated as we read the play, I couldn’t understand it.

I’ve realized that simply summarizing the happenings of a Shakespeare play is not useful because it’s the same as reading an online book summary in lieu of reading the entire book. Hence, teachers must help students decipher the meaning of Shakespeare’s words rather than giving them the main idea in each scene.

Before starting a play, teachers must demystify who Shakespeare is. Many students think that he was always a literary scholar, not that he was an entertainment icon in his era. Peter Sawaya, a retired high school teacher, explains "I would begin by teaching the history of theater because I wanted them to know that Shakespeare is primarily a playwright". Providing background information on Shakespeare’s era engages students in his work and guides their understanding and interpretations.