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Michel Lestwick

Instructor Wallace

ENGL B1B

6 October, 2018

Much to Teach About Nothing

William Shakespeare did not intend for any of his poems to be read or even published,

However, today his poems have been published and have become some of the most well-known

poems in English literature. Shakespeare’s plays and poems have become so well known that

quotes from his stage plays such as “to be or not to be” are so well known that if anyone were to

hear the phrase they would almost certainly know to attribute it to William Shakespeare. With

being so well known William Shakespeare is taught in many classrooms across America, his

material from Hamlet to the well-known Romeo and Juliet are used in from junior-high to high

school and even to college classes for so long. Although Shakespeare see’s many of his material

used to teach students young and old his writing was not always so welcome in classrooms. In

1932, Henry W Simon, a Columbia PH.D., stated that Shakespeare “did not appeal to the

interests of modern students” and “Did not deal well with contemporary problems” (Frey). What

about Shakespeare makes it so worth being taught for so long in so many classrooms? Despite

the flaws in Shakespeare’s writing, such as his lack of modern appeal and not dealing with

modern problems, His impact on language still gives his work a place in the school system.

Though, not to the degree it is now.

Shakespeare’s impact on the English language has already given him a roll in our society

that cannot be ignored. When Shakespeare composed his plays, the English dialect was always
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showing signs of changing and evolving due to exploration of the language and the impact of

war which would cause change. Many modern phrases in the English language have been coined

by Shakespeare and are still used today, phrases such as hoodwinked, tongue-tied, and in a pickle

have all appeared first in the works of Shakespeare. Though early on this could have been seen

as Shakespeare simply making up words, today these phrases have become common part of the

English vocabulary. It makes sense that somebody who’s works have managed to etch their

diction into our modern vocabulary is taught prominently in class rooms. Though one could

argue that it’s not how many words are used but how they are used. The original and witty ways

that Shakespeare used language, combined with the drama and emotion displayed through the

characters in his plays helps his work connect audiences to this day.

Shakespeare’s depictions of people in his characters do a great job of exhibiting the

human nature that modern readers today can still connect to even if they were written years ago

and the older setting they’ve been placed in. The way Shakespeare’s wrote characters a

like Macbeth or Hamlet made them seem sympathetic even though they did terrible things

throughout the course of the play. Jelena Marelj goes over the book “Shakespeare's Sense of

Character: On the Page and from the Stage.” That’s written to “(Investigate) the relationship

between actor and character, between actor and audience, and between characters in plays”

showing that Shakespeare’s characters have the depth to be analyzed so deeply. The issues the

character’s struggle with while written for a different time period and in a different setting are

themes that people can still relate to. When Claudio had thought Hero cheated on him in Much

Ado About Nothing before the wedding the feeling of betrayal he felt for what he thought had

happened aren’t contained to the play or to the time period. Being cheated on by a significant

other in a relationship is still something that happens in the modern day and those feelings can
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still be understood by a contemporary audience. Through his characters Shakespeare shows

themes such as love, loss, death, and courage that can still be felt by audiences who view his

work today.

With Shakespeare’s contributions to education and literature it would make sense that he

should be taught in almost every classroom at least at one point in each grade right? Well

despite his importance Shakespeare’s presence in our educational may be a bit bigger than is

necessary. People have noticed that following the work of a single author so closely may not be

very beneficial. Valerie Strauss in her article “Teacher: Why I don’t want to assign Shakespeare

anymore (even though he’s in the Common Core)” speaks her mind on the issue of the lack of

diverse literature being taught in other classes that focus mainly on teaching Shakespeare. As the

title of the article states she no longer teaches Shakespeare as she believes that only following

canon established by a single man from a single culture will “promote the notion that other

cultural perspectives are less important”. The focus on Shakespeare also seems to devalue the

work of other authors who contribute worthwhile to literature as well such as George Orwell or

Mark Twain, though author’s such as these are taught in classes as well they are not given as

much attention as Shakespeare who is taught in grades as high as college. In an article by Mari

O’Meara, a 12th grade English and Film Studies teacher at Eden Prairie High School in Eden

Prairie, Minneapolis, titled “Why We Shouldn’t Study Shakespeare” She talks about how she

gives her students the chance to prove why they shouldn’t have to study Shakespeare “Students

offer subjects ranging from racism, sexual content, misogyny, religious issues, plagiarism, to the

difficulty of Shakespearean language, the importance of a global curriculum, and even the

authorship debate as reasons to not study Shakespeare”.

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As much as Shakespeare’s command over the English language captivates listeners and

readers, and as dynamic and real as most of his characters feel. It seems Shakespeare does not

need to be taught as much in classrooms as he is, though that is not to say he does not need to be

pulled out entirely as some people feel. Striking a balance between focusing on Shakespeare and

focusing on other writers for a wider diversity of literature in the classroom is important. For

Shakespeare to be a topic of discussion in education as far as college may be excessive when

other important authors have contributed as well.

Word Count: 1040

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Work Cited

Frey, Charles H. Experiencing Shakespeare: Essays on Text, Classroom, and Performance.

University of Missouri Press, 1988.

Marelj, Jelena. “Shakespeare’s Sense of Character: On the Page and From the

Stage.” Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 66, no. 4, Winter 2013, pp. 1523–1525. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1086/675210.

O'Meara, Marie. “Why We Shouldn't Study Shakespeare.” Folger Education, 6 Aug. 2015,

teachingshakespeareblog.folger.edu/2015/08/06/why-we-shouldnt-study-shakespeare/.

Strauss, Valerie. “Teacher: Why I Don't Want to Assign Shakespeare Anymore (Even Though

He's in the Common Core).” The Washington Post, WP Company, 13 June 2015,

www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/06/13/teacher-why-i-dont-want-

to-assign-shakespeare-anymore-even-though-hes-in-the-common-

core/?utm_term=.0d5f011a0e53.