Imagine one day walking into your English classroom and hearing that you will not be allowed to read Shakespeare in the English class anymore. Imagine hearing that “you are too young” or hearing that “the text is too hard for you to understand.” What it would feel like to lose the experience of reading Shakespeare and how much Shakespeare can really teach you? Well, what if you had a say? Shakespeare should be kept in the schools curriculum since Shakespeare’s dramas portray real world situations, adaptability/relatability and relevance. Reading Shakespeare is a wonderful experience and can teach you a variety of life lessons. Reading plays like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of The Shrew, etc. teach you not only knowledge, but lessons that will impact you in your future or even now. Shakespeare gives you a “form of truth” and shows you what it is like in the real world to experience things such as, love and happiness, but can also show you the bad side of the world …show more content…
“He‘s one of the few writers we still have in common”, so not only Shakespeare plays will still mean the same over a variety of countries, but Shakespeare’s text can be translated or wrote differently for certain beliefs and still have the same meaning (Petri 347). For instance, if a certain country or religion believes in something they might want to edit the play to go with that one certain belief so that way there is less violence and more romance or more violence and less romance. Shakespeare’s plays will always have the same core will always have the same meaning as another country with a different belief. Sometimes the text might not even be changed for a country, but what is modern at the moment, “Nothing could seem more natural to us than the rebellion of teenagers, which explains why Romeo and Juliet fit easily into twentieth-century pop culture.” ( Marche
In ninth grade, we are required learn about Shakespeare and read one of his plays, Romeo and Juliet. Some people say that ninth graders should be required to learn about Shakespeare but others disagree and say that learning Shakespeare is irrelevant and that there’s more important things to learn about other than a book about two teens that fell in love at first sight. Shakespeare should not be in the ninth grade curriculum because there are more important things and events to learn about other than Shakespeare, such as the Holocaust but there are also reasons why Shakespeare should be in the ninth grade curriculum.
For as long as people today can remember there has always been Shakespeare in the classroom. Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest playwrights of all time and deserves to be presented as so, however his work is very old and as times have changed so has English. Teens don’t understand his work and struggle through these units in school. The least that should be done is changing a few allusions for an easier and deeper understanding for young minds. Teachers always talk about giving their students the tools that they need to succeed and this update is one of those necessary tools. In the words of Sir Winston Churchill, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change
Shakespeare is a very old and classic type of literature which is great if you like that kind of writing. Although these reads can be very interesting and stimulate the brain I do not think that students should have to or be forced to read these pieces. The first reason is that most students have trouble reading these pieces because of the language they use throughout the writing which leads to not understanding the work. Another reason that students shouldn’t have to read Shakespeare is that these writings can be very inappropriate at times which is sometimes not suitable for a school environment. The final reason students should not have to read Shakespeare pieces is the fact that most students aren’t going to be excited about reading these pieces of literature.
Should Shakespeare be taught in the 9th grade curriculum? Shakespeare was a writer and an actor. Shakespeare lived from 1564-1616 and wrote 38 plays, poems, and sonnets. If you ask students if Shakespeare should be taught, most will say Shakespeare shouldn’t be taught. Shakespeare shouldn’t be taught in 9th grade curriculum because his plays were made to entertain and not to study, they’re difficult to understand, and lastly, he is irrelevant.
Do you think Shakespeare should be taught in schools? If you say no, then let me tell you why you are wrong; most people believe that Shakespeare shouldn't be taught because it’s hard to comprehend or that doesn't relate to us, the readers. But in reality, it gives us a new perspective on how people must have lived back then or on how they responded to situations that we might never have to go through in our lives. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, we are introduced to two young adults that are enemies but they fall in love to show that love is blind and that is true love might exist ( even though they moved on from their previous crushes, Rosaline and Paris ) , this gives me the first situation I want to talk about, which is the problems teenagers or people in general have to deal with and those are love and relationships or commitment . People who say that it doesn't relate to us, please let me explain why it wrong; first, everyone, who has been in a relationship will know that relationship aren't always perfect because you will have problem, arguments, and obstacles.
While reading Hamlet, the ideas Shakespeare was trying to convey were analyzed a bit more critically due to the absence of everything being presented to you. Trying to visualize the setting, the movements and actions of the characters allows one to grasp the concepts in a much broader perspective. It was a good experience to try to understand one of the most poetic writers of all time, and I look forward to digging deeper into Shakespeare in the near future.
In the article on the Bard’s birthday, is Shakespeare still relevant?, The author Alexandra Petri, says that “High school students are forced to consult books like “No Fear Shakespeare”.” What she's saying is that students in high school are being forced to learn and know about Shakespeare. Furthermore, it's believed to say that for high school students don't think that it is relevant for them to know about Shakespeare. “Why do we keep dragging class after class, kicking and screaming, through the wilds of “Romeo and Juliet”(Alexandra Petri 373). Alexandra explains that students are taught the poems and plays when the students don't understand the language. Furthermore, students won't pay much attention to the work. So the real question is if people believe he's relevant to high school
Shakespeare is Important William Shakespeare’s plays are being made into box office film hits at an incredible rate. Films such as Much Ado About Nothing with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, Hamlet with Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, Othello with Laurence Fishbourne and Henry V with Kenneth Branagh have been seen by a surprising number of teenagers. Often they have not understood it all, or even half of it, but they have been affected by the powerful characters and by the Shakespearean magic which has affected audiences around the world for centuries. They want to know more, they want to understand, and what better motivation can any teacher ask for than that students WANT? That alone is sufficient reason for any English teacher to start a course in Shakespeare.
No matter how different we think that we are, as a human race, the feelings that are brought out in Shakespeare's plays bring us together in spirit.
In September of 2008, Professor Michael Mack gave a speech to college freshmen at the Catholic university of America about his opinions on the importance of reading Shakespeare. Mack forges an effective argument that though reading Shakespeare is troublesome, it is well worth the effort through his use of counterclaims and rhetorical devices.
As students we can concur with you that the works of Shakespeare are some of the most challenging that we are obliged to study in school. He does not seem to use English at all and his works are almost always lengthy and tragic. However, you can benefit from reading and understanding his writings. The fact that you as a student dislike Shakespearean Literature is something that we are well aware of. As you get more involved in reading his works though, you will be able to developed sharpened comprehension skills, better understanding his style of writing and you feel a sense of fulfillment.
Many remakes have been made of Shakespeare’s originals, with many modern day versions to express new views and interpretations on the story. Romeo is a persistent romancer and flirt rather than a lover faithful until death. Hamlet is an uncertain over thinker, and Lady Macbeth, in the public press, is an ambitious female politician who will stop at nothing to gain her own ends. However, these appropriate changes to the characters and stories, put an interesting interpretation on the modern life.
In today’s world the quality of the art form called writing is said to be somewhat diminishing, it is important for English literature to keep some studies of classic literature, such as Shakespeare. I think well rounded education must have a strong foundation in both modern and classical literature, for the foundation in classical literature, an in-depth study of Shakespeare’s works would be more than sufficient. Not only was Shakespeare so skilled in his writing that he has become a significant point in the history of literature, but a majority of his works were written on such basic human themes that they will last for all time and must not be forgotten.
Another prominent reason why students should be required to read and study Shakespeare is because of the old English language he uses and the diction he created. The unique and intricate choice of words allows for his audience to pull apart different meanings. Shakespeare’s style of writing has students diving into the story on another level. Furthermore, his language allows students to create their own opinions and translations of the text. “Studying Shakespeare doesn't have to be solely ‘exposure to great literature.’
The Benefits of Studying Macbeth For many years, high school students have been required to read books that they do not believe are worth reading, but there are many reasons, that are beneficial to students, as to why reading in school is valuable to students. In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, tragedy is brought upon Scotland when Macbeth deems it necessary to become king and kill anyone who may come into his path of being crowned king and retaining the throne of Scotland. This play has many reasons why students should study it. Macbeth should be continued to be studied because it has many examples of figurative language, character development, and themes still relevant to today.