On 8 November 1623, Shakespeare’s first folio was published. Within it were some of his most famous - and now most-often-taught - works, including Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night.
Four hundred years later, with the exception of those taking international qualifications, every 16-year-old in the country is required to study at least one Shakespearean text at GCSE.
For some, this is a symptom of obsession with the literary canon and a sign that our English curriculum needs to move on.
However, I see Shakespeare’s longevity on English specifications as proof of the quality of his time-tested narratives, which are still as relevant today as they ever were.
Here are three teaching strategies that can help to communicate that relevance to students.
Showing Shakespeare is still relevant
1. Explore the nature of conflict
The entry-level “but why Shakespeare?” exercise is to read aloud the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet.
Get those desks pushed back and divide the class into two groups. Put on some moody music (my personal favourite is Fearless Soul by Harry Gregson-Williams). Tell each group separately that the group opposite is their mortal enemy. They’ve slaughtered their family and their friends, and they hate them more than anything.
Instruct the two groups to advance towards each other. They should think about how they might move, and where they might look. How would they make themselves appear bigger to seem unafraid? How might they intimidate their opponents?
Now, read the first few lines of act one, scene one. This is an unbridled scene of gang warfare and it speaks to the pointlessness of a grudge held by higher powers, acted out by those on the ground.
This isn’t just relevant Shakespeare, it’s a vital conversation we need to engage our young people in on a regular basis.
2. Start a conversation about race
Do not shy away from questions of race in Shakespeare: the playwright occupies a fascinating middle ground between displaying typical attitudes of the time (associating black with evil and so on) and being a pioneering voice for the colonised (for example, giving “savage” Caliban in The Tempest some of the most beautiful lines of verse).
Othello, a popular A-level text, is an obvious example of one that we can use to explore these questions further. The protagonist, Othello, is a powerful black general whose story raises some complex issues.
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To use this text to interrogate ideas about race in 2023, you could provide students with production shots showing where directors have taken risks with the casting of the play.
In 1997, for instance, director Jude Kelly cast the white actor Patrick Stewart in the role of Othello, while all other cast members were played by black actors (you can find images on Google).
Clint Dyer’s 2022 production at the National Theatre is another example. Posters from past productions were projected on to the stage, including Laurence Olivier in blackface, playing the role of Othello. The aim was to deliberately critique previous production decisions.
Considering how directors’ choices have changed through the years is a fascinating way into talking about the racial divides that still exist in society today - issues that have arguably never been more prevalent to our students.
3. Discuss consent
A slightly less well-known narrative is the problematic storyline of Cymbeline.
During act 2, the character Iachimo breaks into the bedroom of another character, Imogen, while she is sleeping. He surveys her body and spots a birthmark upon her breast. Iachimo correctly believes that if he shares his knowledge of this birthmark, Imogen’s fiancé will assume he has known her “intimately”.
This is a pertinent way into conversations about consent. Has a crime been committed here? Is it illegal or immoral to watch someone if they are unaware? How should we feel about the character of Iachimo?
Pair students up and have them experiment with how to stage Iachimo’s invasion of the room: first he notes down details of the interior, then he takes a bracelet from the sleeping girl’s wrist, then he invades her space and notes the appearance of her body. How does his pace and his intention change at each stage?
This predatory behaviour will spark students’ interest and outrage, provoking crucially important conversations about personal safety and boundaries.
Ultimately, Shakespeare is only as outdated as we allow him to be. His plays’ narratives force audiences to confront dilemmas that apply as much to 2023 crowds as they did to Elizabethans: is what divides us more powerful than that which makes us alike? What does discrimination look like? When should we speak out and when should we remain silent?
To keep these questions at the forefront of our teaching practice is to keep our students connected to both our literary past and to today’s society.
Hetty Steele is an English teacher and author of How to get a 9 in Shakespeare, published by John Catt Educational
