— ADVERTORIAL —
Teaching Shakespeare
in Middle-School
Wherefore, forsooth?
SUSAN GLAZIER, ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL, WESTMINSTER SCHOOL
W illiam Shakespeare died more than
400 years ago. His language seems
archaic, if not downright foreign.

Most of his characters and plots were bor-
rowed. What possible appeal could his works
have for middle-school students today?
Although the Bard was an inveterate bor-
rower, his dazzling language and fascinating
characters transformed musty histories
and half-forgotten legends into fresh, excit-
ing stories. As Marchette Chute wrote,
“Shakespeare told every kind of story –
comedy, tragedy, history, melodrama,
adventure, love stories and fairy tales – and
each of them so well that they have become
immortal.” Shakespeare’s stories shine past
the boundaries of time and culture. Modern
writers and film makers continue to adapt
his plays because they touch on deeply
meaningful relationships and life challenges.

Think of The Lion King (Hamlet), West Side
Story (Romeo and Juliet), Throne of Blood
(Macbeth) or 10 Things I Hate About You (The
Taming of the Shrew).

Inseparable from his stories are the char-
acters whose personalities drive the plots.

Events don’t just happen to the protagonist;
they spring from his or her own character.

Romeo’s romantic fancy leads him to crash
a party at the Capulet’s home, where he falls
hard for his enemy’s daughter. Juliet’s pas-
sionate nature catches fire and, from a bright
but forbidden beginning, their impetuous
love spirals ever downward into darkness
and death. Macbeth, an honored general,
meets three weird sisters who foretell an even
more glorious future. Macbeth’s deep-seated
ambition is ignited by their prophesy, explod-
ing into murder, tyranny, and ultimately,
despair. Even in a romantic comedy, such as
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the fickleness of
young lovers is translated into a madcap night
of love turned topsy-turvy. This intertwining
of character and fate rings true to our minds
and hearts. These people seem real to us, and
we believe the things that happen to them.

Of course, any lover of language must
embrace Shakespeare’s genius. His elo-
quence, originality and skill in poetry are
unsurpassed. Not only does his imagery
capture reality in startling and vivid detail,
but the words and phrases he invented still
course through modern English.

But how can we expect 12, 13, and 14 year
olds to embrace him? Because Shakespeare’s
breakthrough revelation of his characters’
multi-faceted inner lives corresponds pro-
foundly with adolescents’ most pressing
developmental challenge. Just at the time
when children are striving to transform
into young adults, when they are seeking to
define their own personhood distinct from
their peers and independent of their par-
ents, Shakespeare shows them that each
person is not a single entity represented by
an impermeable façade (cool guy, rich girl,
brainiac, nerd), but comprises many con-
flicting, and even unknown, parts.

By revealing characters with complex
inner worlds, Shakespeare demonstrates the
crucial process of self-discovery. Witness
Hamlet, who is buffeted by so many conflict-
ing thoughts and emotions that he becomes
nearly incapable of the action that his situ-
ation demands of him. Hamlet appears to
others as a madman, to himself as a coward
and to his audience as completely vulnerable.

That may be the most perfect description of
an adolescent we can find! Shakespeare’s
characters make it clear that the transfor-
mation young people seek is only possible if
they are willing to look within and discover
and express their own complexity.

That doesn’t mean Shakespeare is an easy
sell to middle-schoolers. At Westminster
School, where classics form the heart of the
literature program, students are introduced
to Shakespeare gradually. In younger grades,
they gain familiarity with Shakespeare by
watching older students perform one of his
plays (a traditional part of Westminster’s
K-8 drama program). In their required sum-
mer reading, rising 7th graders read Lamb’s
Tales from Shakespeare, followed by an early
school-year enrichment class highlighting
Shakespeare’s life, plays and sonnets. Then
they begin study and rehearsals for their
own Shakespeare play.

As they master the language and strive to
bring to life a unique and challenging char-
acter, each student finds new depths and
broader scope for expression of their own
personality. Through studying and perform-
ing Shakespeare, these youngsters discover
the value of giving up a protective façade
in order to discover the real, multi-faceted
person they have the potential to be.

Citations Mabillard, Amanda. “Why Study Shakespeare?”
Shakespeare Online. August 2000.

Fitzsimmons, Declan. “Shakespeare’s Characters
Show Us How Personal Growth Should Happen.”
Harvard Business Review. January 2017.

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