Boring Shakespeare?

[Theland]

With so many kids in dire need of numeracy, literacy, I.T. & scince skills in order to procure employment, would it not be beneficial to leave the teachng of Shakespeare for kids who wish to study his works rather than it being compulsory? The time saved could be better spent.

[emmie]

seeing how so many seem unable to string two sentences together without saying innit, perhaps a little Shakespeare might not go amiss.

[NOX]

Errr no, Shakespeare isn't boring, it's wonderful, it just needs teaching well, and how many more IT consultants does the world actually need anyway?

[emmie]

it doesn't ^^

[LazyGun]

Not sure I fully understand your point Theland. Firstly, it is likely, I would have thought, that those studying Shakespeare are probably doing well academically anyway;

And second, is studying Shakespeare a large and time consuming part of the curriculum anymore? What would not be a good idea would be to ditch everything seen as peripheral to such things as numeracy, IT etc.

Finally, Shakespeare covered just about every human relationship and situation in his works, and was responsible for some of the most apt and memorable phrases in the english language. I would say his works are part of our cultural DNA...

[Prudie]

Is Shakespeare compulsory? I'd have thought it was taught far less than it used to be.

[Duncer]

I agree to a point; why teach it to people who can barely speak English, and that's not an EDL rant against immigrants, more a reflection of standards in so many British schools today.

Having said that, when taught well it is truly enlightening, but I would contend that seeing it on stage makes a world of difference to the appreciation of the man.

I was made to study Willie Wobbledagger in Belfast and thought he was okay at best, until a rather liberal English teacher called Hayden McKenzie took us out for the night, bought us a few drinks, treated us like adults and took us to The Tempest in the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. I read the Bard entirely differently after that.

Still prefer Hardy though.

[Bambiagain]

You could say that of any school subject at all that children find boring (including maths and English language). Perhaps the way of teaching Shakepeare could be livened up - seeing the plays staged is so much more fun than reading them - but to produce well-rounded adults they need to learn more than just the basic 3 Rs at school.

I quite agree that basic literacy and numeracy are vitally important and too many young people leave school without the skills they need for life having been properly instilled in them, but I do think that in many cases the teaching needs to be improved. Children need stimulation, without which they will not be keen to learn. And those that remain illiterate and innumerate won't benefit from any subjects that test their intellectual skills.

[Duncer]

"You could say that of any school subject at all that children find boring"

Perhaps if I had seen "Physics Live on Stage" I might have rectified my only "O" Level failure?

[Sqad]

All excellent posts and they really are the stock answers of the academics and philosophers..............I am not being sarcastic.

I found Shakespeare boring...bloody boring..Richard the 2nd taught badly.

I feel that it would be more appropriate to analyse and teach 2 popular pieces of work....excellent prose....

Only Fools and Horses

Porridge.

there would be a lot to discuss and learn from in those 2 pieces in my opinion.

[tonyav]

I found Shakespeare boring at school, and absolutely of no use to me on leaving school or since.

[Duncer]

Chaucer was worse!

[tonyav]

LOL, Duncer the Millers tale was interesting !

[Infomaniac]

^^ How sad - you've clearly had bad experiences and it isn't surprising that has put you off. Some of the plays may be difficult but his sonnets are fantastic. It is a shame if you can't appreciate them, but then it is all a matter of personal preference, and if you hate it, you hate it.

[Bambiagain]

Duncer, I meant that you could suggest cutting out subjects that schoolchildren find boring. Which tends to include the essentials like Maths and English.

[Infomaniac]

^^ Disagree with the comment about Chaucer too. Most people only know the Canterbury Tales (which I think are fantastic) and haven't read any of this other writings. Great stuff!

[Duncer]

"if you hate it, you hate it."

Don't hate it, just prefer Donne and Marvel.

[Infomaniac]

I love Donne too.

[Duncer]

If we had but world enough and time.......

[LazyGun]

@Sqad - I would be quite happy for them to find room to include "Only Fools and Horses" and "Porridge" on the curricula, alongside Shakespeare :)

You may well be right regarding the academics / philosophers thing - but the works of Shakespeare can be seen in modern day movies - some of the themes explored in his better known works are still valid today. Romeo and Juliet in particular seems popular with moviemakers :)

[Infomaniac]

Now don't be coy!