Making Shakespeare Fit: His Place in Our Classrooms

William Shakespeare occupies a well-established, principal role in the English literature classroom around the world. The following seeks to explore the current form and content of his presence in that environment, in order to develop an approach to teaching Shakespearean plays that suits the particular needs of students today living through a transformative period in education due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to do so, literary theory, English second-language perspectives, and the digital age is explored. The roles and responsibilities of both teachers and students are defined, and a practical and complete approach is put forward which encompasses the vast array or sporadic research which has accumulated over many decades. A case study is carried out and observations are drawn from such in order to arrive at an approach to teaching Shakespearean plays in the High School English classroom which is both realistic and forward-looking.