Hirsh stated that we need to remember that Shakespeare intended for his work to be a play performed by actors and not just analyzed in classrooms (140). One of the best ways to do this is to have the students see a live action play. However, it could be very difficult to find the money, time and resources to do this during school time. It might be even harder to require students to go after school or on weekends. One of the common solutions to this problem is to watch recording of a play or a movie adaption. By using these resources, it becomes easier for students to visualize the play and understand the meaning.
I like the idea of having a video tape performance of a play. Since there could be a number of obstacles in seeing a play, this is a great idea to do. I remember when I was studying Macbeth in high school and our teacher showed us a couple of important scenes from a well-known acting troupe. Before my teacher showed us the scene, we would read it out loud in different parts. The combination of reading and watching it on the television made the play easier to understand. One of the benefits of having a video recorded play is that a teacher can pause the video to discuss parts of the play.
Another important resource to use in the classroom when teaching Shakespeare is using movie adaptations. Unlike the video recorded play, the movie might not be exactly like how Shakespeare had intended. One example of this is Romeo + Juliet. This movie was made in the 1990s and was set in modern day Los Angeles. However, the play still uses the basic plotline and the original Shakespearean language. Another popular adaption of Romeo and Juliet is West Side Story. This story is set in the 1950s in a New York neighborhood where Hispanic and Caucasian gangs come between two star-crossed lovers. One of the dangers of using film adaption is that students might not understand the connections at first. I saw West Side Story when I was eight years old and I did not know it was an adaption of Romeo and Juliet until I was in high school. I feel the best way to approach a movie adaption is to spend time discussing the play first and then watch the film. This allows students to engage prior knowledge while watching the film/play and expand their understanding of the play.
I like the idea of using film in conjunction with Shakespeare. Different adaptations are easily found and, like you said, are often more convenient (both money and time wise) to use. I like the movie "She's the Man" with Amanda Bynes and it's a play on Shakespeare's "The Twelfth Night."
ReplyDeleteI would also be interested in trying to find theatre productions in the area that students could go to on their own (for extra credit, perhaps) to enrich their learning about Shakespeare and his plays.
I love the idea of using film with Shakespeare because as Erin mentioned there are a lot of modern movies based on Shakespeare plays, which would be fun to use in the classroom. Some renditions of Shakespeare plays are really dry, or really outrageous so it's important that you find media that helps your lesson rather than hurts it. I know I have watched movies in the classroom that have either completely confused my understanding of the work, or completely turned me off from it. Not to mention the fact that half the time what we watched on the movie isn't even tied in to the lesson. Recently I got points off of an exam for mentioning something that happened in the movie version that we watched in class, rather than in the text... Why show the movie if I'm not supposed to utilize it?! Our students will ask that some question if we're not careful!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of using films in the classroom. There are so many great film adaptations for every kind of book. These will be especially useful for those books which students don't understand. i remember in school we use to read then whatch then read then watch, just to make sure we knew what we were talking about when it came to the books. It really helped a lot of students including myself.
ReplyDelete