Making Shakespeare Appealing

This is the working draft of my paper. As I continue to work, I am hoping to bring in more textual analysis and also some psychological studies about the research that is being done on the psychological and social needs of adolescents. I know it isn't perfect, but it provides a decent framework of where I want to go as I continue to research and write.

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Mallory Brugger

Dr. Burton

English 382

5 November 2012

Making Shakespeare Applicable

            Shakespeare’s Othello contains many lessons that are applicable and important for secondary students to understand. Lessons like trust, honesty, and communication are important at every stage of life, and especially important during the formative years of middle and high school. As well as being valuable and instructional to students, educators would do well in becoming comfortable with these themes and the emotional needs that their students have.

            Teaching Shakespeare in schools is important for many reasons. One reason is because Shakespeare is so prevalent in pop culture. I was on Facebook the other day and witnessed the following conversation: “Dad: ‘To be or not to be; that is the question.’ Zach (little brother): ‘Wasn’t that Yoda who said that?’” This conversation alerted me to a disconnect that exists between these “mysterious words” and their source. At least the younger brother was aware that there was some significance to the words. That’s a start. And if the disconnect wasn’t bad enough, the first comment is, “oh sad day… need to set that kid down with some Shakespear!” “Shakespear” without an “e.” It seems like the woman who commented also could have used some Shakespeare knowledge under her belt.

            Secondary students often complain about having to study Shakespeare, and some of the complaints are ones that I have voiced myself from time to time. The plays seem long and threatening, the language is hard to understand, it is hard to follow the plot, or visualize the scene, or the play doesn’t “read well” because it is a struggle to remember who is speaking. Once students finally feel like they are grasping it, the teacher them opens up new directions and ways of thinking and suddenly a passage that was starting to become clear is complicated again. Educators teaching Shakespeare have to be careful to find the balance between opening new horizons and information overload.

            So what is the balance? One Shakespeare educator, Dianne Madsen counseled, "Students need to come away from reading any Shakespeare play with a deeper appreciation of his insight into human nature. Shakespeare was the greatest of all psychologists! He was a genius in knowing what people will do in virtually all situations. He understood why people act the way they do: what they fear, what they want, and these insights can be useful in the lives of your students. Find ways to help students relate these play to their own lives, their own insecurities. 'This above [all] to thine own self be true.'"

            Secondary education is an age of finding yourself, and figuring out where you fit in among the many different social groups. Many of Shakespeare’s characters struggle to find their place. Othello struggles to reconcile the differing messages he is receiving, Desdemona has to try and convince Othello that she is true, and Hamlet struggles to come to terms with his mother’s marriage to his uncle.

            This essay will focus on two of Shakespeare’s most well-known (and most often taught) plays, Othello and Hamlet. Both have men of tremendous potential who allowed others to poison their lives. One of Madsen’s goals in teaching Shakespeare was “to help [students] understand themselves and others better” and I think that is an excellent point. Shakespeare’s works provide great insight into human nature, and educators are missing a valuable opportunity to help students relate to literature if they allow Shakespeare to slip by.

            One of the most prevalent themes in Othello is that of trust. High school students are no stranger to the idea of trust, because they are interacting with each other in a trusting environment daily. They are not unfamiliar to the ups and downs of relationships, and so they understand the complex feelings of jealousy that Iago voices in the opening lines of the play. He says, “Nonsuits my mediator; for ‘Certes,’ says he, / ‘I have already chosen my officer.’ / And what was he? / … One Michael Cassio … That never a squadron in the field, / Nor the division of a battle knows.” Iago at this point in the play seems to be voicing common concerns, he feels that he is more qualified for the military position than Michael Cassio is, but there is nothing that he can do about it, especially as he is now under the command of Cassio.

            Hamlet has a similar experience. After seeing his father’s ghost, Hamlet allows the vision to consume his thoughts. He becomes more and more fixated on destroying his uncle and ruins Ophelia’s life, and his own, in the process. Both Hamlet and Othello can be blamed for the death of the woman they love. Hamlet’s obsession with his uncle is ultimately his demise, although unlike Othello, he brings this destruction upon himself instead of being destroyed through the actions of another character.

            When teaching this to a secondary audience the teacher can share alternate experiences of characters who allowed themselves to be destroyed because of the actions of other people (King Lear, for example, allowed his pride to get in the way of what was truly happening) or ask the students to do the same. Hamlet chooses to let his rage consume him, and Othello is not a play about a lost opportunity as much as it is about Iago’s choice to let the lost promotion destroy him, and ultimately many of the characters around him. Iago’s choice to turn his anger into a mechanism to destroy the lives of Cassio, Othello, Desdemona is a example of rage taken too far. This is an opportunity to present to students that their actions influence people other than themselves. It is an extreme example, but also leads to a discussion about communication.

            Hamlet never talks to his uncle about the situation, and the only conversation he has with his mother is far less than complimentary (EXAMPLE COMING SOON). It is impossible to predict the ending of the play had Hamlet chosen to “talk it out” (and it could be that doing that would have left readers with a less “satisfying” and potentially juvenile ending), but there is a good chance that things could have turned out differently.            

            Othello’s case is much more blatant. If Othello had talked to Desdemona and actually listened to her, there is a good chance that she would have remained alive. But maybe that is Shakespeare’s point. Perhaps he is illustrating the most extreme cases in order to warn his readers of the dangers that follow lack of communication.

            In order to be successful, educators need to be aware of the problems that are facing their students. They need to appreciate the social pressures and needs that students have and find a way to make the literature appeal to those problems. Educators who take the time to address the issues of trust and communication through the literature they teach in an engaging way will find that their students are more receptive and will help their students realize that Shakespeare is more than just Old English and complicated sonnets. They will find that the Bard really can apply to their lives and even help them find solutions to their problems.