Keywords
Shakespeare in urban classrooms, Phoenix Academy Hamlet unit, cultural capital through classics
Preview
If you happened to walk by my classroom the day I told my students we were going to be reading a Shakespeare play, you would have witnessed a revolt. Perhaps the word “revolt” seems strong, but their reactions were also unexpectedly strong— swearing, storming out of class, slamming the door, a chair or two being knocked over in the process. They were furious, and frightened, about the prospect of reading Shakespeare. “We can’t understand Shakespeare,” “I don’t even read,” “Miss, Shakespeare is boring,” “This has nothing to do with us!” I heard phrases like these, peppered with profanity of course, as students lamented their fate in having to engage with the works of the difficult-to-read-Bard. The students were rebelling against what they deemed the harsh dictums of a tyrannical leader.
Recommended Citation
Pearce, Tara
(2017)
"To Read or Not to Read the “Classics”: Teaching Hamlet,"
The Utah English Journal: Vol. 45, Article 2.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/uej/vol45/iss1/2