Shakespeare

"To become intimate with Shakespeare in this way is a great enrichment of mind and instruction of conscience. Then, by degrees, as we go on reading this world-teacher, lines of insight and beauty take possession of us, and unconsciously mould our judgments of men and things and of the great issues of life ."

~Charlotte Mason, Volume 4, Book 2, p. 72

Why Study Shakespeare?

While Shakespeare is widely considered the greatest English playwright of all time, the reasons to read his works with our students go far beyond his renown. As students repeatedly encounter his rich and varied vocabulary, unique word plays, and complex sentence structure, they develop their own linguistic capability to both understand and craft beautiful language. More than that, in Shakespeare's grand plays, students are exposed to the full human condition in all its folly, frailty, and grandeur, recognizing the myriad ways in which humans are tempted to sin and the outcome of succumbing to these temptations. In the pages of a Shakespeare play, we see the fruit of jealousy, deception, envy, strife, love, passion, candor, war, friendship, leadership, betrayal, wisdom, foolishness, and more, thus allowing students to grapple with the questions at the heart of The Great Conversation.

There is much wisdom to be gleaned from "seeing" the deeds against which the Bible warns played out in the lives and hearts of Shakespeare's nuanced characters and compelling plot lines. While the student's relationship with Shakespeare grows and changes over the course of their education (and life!), beginning Shakespeare in the late elementary years allows students many years to become familiar with the challenging language, building familiarity and comprehension year-by-year and allowing them to fully engage with the works in their upper years. As well, studying multiple plays a year offers opportunities to compare and contrast characters, settings, plot, and language while moving between multiple types of plays (tragedies, comedies, histories, and romances). If a student reads three plays each year for nine years, they will have read twenty-seven of his thirty-nine plays! 

And, as if all these reasons were not enough, there is the sheer enjoyment of immersing oneself in a good drama, waiting to see how its twists and turns play out, discerning who are the good guys vs. the bad guys, and falling in love with an imaginative cast of characters and creatures.  Shakespeare is just plain fun!

"A year ago I could not have believed that boys would have read Lytton’s Harold, Kingsley’s Hereward, and Scott’s Talisman with real pleasure and zest or would study with understanding and delight Shakespeare’s Macbeth, King John and Richard II; but experience has shown us we have underrated the abilities and tastes of the lads we should have known better.” 

-Excerpt of a quote by Headmaster of A. in A Philosophy of Education, Charlotte Mason, p. 52

How To Study Shakespeare?

Too Long, Did Not Read Version

1. Read child-friendly narrative version of the play (Lamb's or Nesbitt versions) - 2 weeks

2. Read scene(s) from term's Shakespeare play - 10 weeks

3. Enjoy Shakespeare!

At SCHOLA Fellowship, we believe Shakespeare is meant to be enjoyed as a play, rather than a literary "exercise". Before reading the term's play together as a class, we read a narrative version of the play written specifically for children, such as Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare or the Edith Nesbitt versions, over the first two class meetings. Once the students are familiar with the play's setting, cast of characters, and story arc, they read through one or more scenes from the play in class each week, pausing at intervals to narrate what's been read.  The kids love the challenge of reading the complicated Shakespearean language, growing in fluency week by week, year by year. Our instructors do not make themselves the "showman of the world" while leading Shakespeare, such as by leading an analysis of the text, diving into syntax, or providing excessive commentary. The play speaks for itself while the children have ample time to "digest" what they've read and glean from it that which is fitting for their intellectual growth and knowledge. That's it - simple, straight-forward, engaging interaction with the "thing" itself, as Charlotte Mason would say.

Additional Resources:

Why We Read Shakespeare in a Living Education • Sage Parnassus 

How the Teach Shakespeare - Simply Charlotte Mason 

The Joy of Shakespeare • Sage Parnassus 

Some Studies in the Formation of Character (Volume 5) by Charlotte Mason

Towards a Philosophy of Education (Volume 6) by Charlotte Mason