Get out of his way. Really. Shakespeare wouldn't be SHAKESPEARE if he needed us to sell him.
I used to think it was my job to convince my students that they should love Shakespeare before they read one line of his work. I was wrong.
By all means, prep your students with background information (young men played the female roles). Give them a basic working vocabulary ('thee' = objective 'you', not 'the'). Have them discover their own understanding of the difference between a tragedy (lovers kept apart by death) and a comedy (lovers end up married).
Then, just let them read, listen to, and see the sonnets and plays.
Three pieces of advice ...
Don't hide Shakespeare's low sense of humor. Come on--a guy named 'Bottom' gets turned into an 'ass'? Very funny, William. A young man brags--lies!--about his 'pump' being 'well-flowered'? Yes, dears. That means what you think it means. But you know what? Your students will get past these silly--and it's okay to be silly!--visual and verbal puns more quickly than you anticipate.
Help them appreciate the sheer beauty of some of his language. Who else but Shakespeare combines the silly with the sublime so seamlessly? All teachers have favorite passages from the plays they teach--celebrate them, even if they've never been applauded by Harold Bloom--and let your students find their own.
My students began to enjoy Shakespeare much more when I finally shut up and let him do the talking. I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to figure that out. :)
I used to think it was my job to convince my students that they should love Shakespeare before they read one line of his work. I was wrong.
By all means, prep your students with background information (young men played the female roles). Give them a basic working vocabulary ('thee' = objective 'you', not 'the'). Have them discover their own understanding of the difference between a tragedy (lovers kept apart by death) and a comedy (lovers end up married).
Then, just let them read, listen to, and see the sonnets and plays.
Three pieces of advice ...
Lead your students to the realization that Shakespeare's characters deal with universal human conflicts--even those teenagers experience! Are you mad that your Dad or Mom remarried too quickly? Ever had a friend 'stab you in the back'? Do you suspect your boyfriend or girlfriend of cheating? Ever felt like you were going crazy? Shakespeare's characters cope with these situations and more.
Don't hide Shakespeare's low sense of humor. Come on--a guy named 'Bottom' gets turned into an 'ass'? Very funny, William. A young man brags--lies!--about his 'pump' being 'well-flowered'? Yes, dears. That means what you think it means. But you know what? Your students will get past these silly--and it's okay to be silly!--visual and verbal puns more quickly than you anticipate.
Help them appreciate the sheer beauty of some of his language. Who else but Shakespeare combines the silly with the sublime so seamlessly? All teachers have favorite passages from the plays they teach--celebrate them, even if they've never been applauded by Harold Bloom--and let your students find their own.
My students began to enjoy Shakespeare much more when I finally shut up and let him do the talking. I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to figure that out. :)
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