How to Plan to Read a Shakespearean Play
Prepare Students When Reading Shakespeare by Exploring Context
Mar 29, 2009
The first Shakespearean play a student often reads is either "Romeo and Juliet" or "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar". Students face many challenges when beginning to read Shakespeare, and some feel it’s a similar experience to learning a foreign language. However, teachers can provide students with background information related to language, cultture and plot that will help immerse students into the Elizabethan era.
Interpret Archaic Language in Advance
The different language found in Shakespeare’s plays makes the text at first appear inaccessible to teenagers. Yet, it’s easier to decipher this language than they expect. Before beginning the play, you can provide students with a list of common words and phrases used in Elizabethan theater. If time permits, you could have students go on a web quest to discover these terms and learn their modern translations. Then, have students complete a fun activity that allows them to practice using these archaic words in a modern context. The following words appear often in Shakespeare’s plays:
- "anon" : soon
- "prithee" : please
- "hence" : here
- "wherefore" : why
Study Inverted Word Order
The unique syntax can confuse students as well. If you show them that Shakespeare’s sentences often follow a similar pattern of inverted word order, students can apply this understanding to all of Shakespeare’s plays. Consider the following examples.
“Forget not in your speed, Antonius/To touch Calpurnia” (Act I, Scene 2, line 8)
Do not forget to touch Calpurnia in your haste.
“For this time, I will leave you.” (Act I, Scene 2, line 315)
I will leave you for now.
“Brought you Caesar home?” (Act I, Scene 3, line 1)
Did you bring Caesar home?
“And fearful, as these strange eruptions are” (Act I, Scene 3, line 81)
These strange events are fearful.
These sentences can be taught in advance and out of context so that students may analyze and familiarize themselves with unique sentence structures.
Experience the 17th Century
There are many ways to introduce students to 17th century England. Consider one or more of the following:
- show an introductory video
- present a diagram of the Globe Theater
- share odd facts and trivia about Elizabethan England (such as only members of royalty were permitted to wear purple silk)
- assign a Web Quest to groups of students, each with a different question to explore about the culture, clothing, speech, or favorite pastimes of Elizabethans
- read Shakespearean sonnets and interpret the poetry, searching for common themes
- introduce the characters of the play
Introduce Themes in Shakespeare's Play
You can create a strong segue into the reading of the play by conducting a discussion of timeless universals such as greed, love, aspiration, and competition. Students will agree that these qualities are timeless; they exist in human nature and are, therefore, prevalent in history, present in modern times and likely to exist in the future. Similarly, they are universal and can be applied as easily to those living in Italy, Africa and New York City.
Take your time introducing Shakespeare. Help students acclimate to the language of Shakespeare and indulge in the study of Elizabethan era. These topics can be easily explored with student-directed research and inquiry, rather than a teacher-led lecture format.
You may want to allow students to work in pairs or groups while conducting research with the understanding that they will ultimately share their findings with the entire class. When students are presenting information, you may want to develop an FAQ sheet from the shared details and encourage students to use it as a sort of reference guide while they read the actual play
 |
