Teaching Shakespeare

Everyone knows how hard it is to read Shakespeare. Our spare times, we would always resort to page flippers rather than old English texts. For some people, old English is more than just excessively convoluted diction: it seems as if it is completely irrelevant to their lives at all. If reading Shakespeare is so boring and difficult, then why is it mandatory to read at least one of Shakespeare's plays in high school?

The answer is quite simple: he allows us to understand who we once were and who we currently are. Simply put, our experiences have not changed. For the issues and topics that we see today, he saw during the 1600s. The only thing that is different is how he expresses what he sees. He uses old English. We speak in modern English. Now this is where some people get frustrated and quit.

Our goal for this project was to empower students to see the beauty in Shakespeare’s writing, as well as see how relevant his works are for modern society. Further, engaging with Shakespeare helps us appreciate the beauty and flexibility of the English language. We have carried out a Winter and Spring teaching session at the Public Library :)