Leaving a Charlotte Shakespeare production of Macbeth the other night and hearing my two oldest talk about what they loved about the production on the drive home, I realized just how thankful I am that we all have such a heart for Shakespeare. Ten years ago, I found Shakespeare so intimidating and the thought of teaching it so very daunting.
I first tasted Shakespeare through a Charlotte Mason conference and decided to embark upon teaching it to my kids. We started small and I learned right along with them.
Jim Weiss, a wonderful story teller, has several Shakespeare for Children stories on CD. The Taming of The Shrew has become my daughter’s favorites Shakespeare play because of this. He keeps the richness and authenticity of the writing in a fun, story telling and engaging way. My children listened to these cd’s at night as they went to sleep.
Bruce Coville has several beautifully illustrated children’s books on Shakespeare. It is a good way to get the taste of the story line while reading aloud with your kids. We checked out all of his books from the library. (Just the ones on Shakespeare, not his others.) I really like Charles and Mary Lamb’s rendition of Shakespeare stories. Although without the beautiful illustrations, the storyline is well done. These are good to read before seeing on the stage. As your kids get older, No Fear Shakespeare is helpful as it gives a side by side modern translation.
Pick out some of the famous quotes from Shakespeare’s speeches as you listen. At Macbeth, it was neat to hear some famous quotes that I didn’t even realize were from Shakespeare. For example, “What’s done is done.” It is also fun to hear some that you do know are his. “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.”
“If music be the food of love, play on.” William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
or
“No legacy is as rich as honesty.” William Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well
or
“But, O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes! William Shakespeare, As You Like It
We gleaned more of Shakespeare on a more personal note; We celebrated his birthday, discovered his poetry, learned about him as a man, and recognized the words he invented. He was just a man with all faults and frailties. From what we have read, he wasn’t a very good husband or father. But he had a brilliant mind. I have a favorite living book biography for kids but cannot put my finger on the name just now, however, there are several at our library which are good. I will update this when I find it.
My oldest and I seriously love Shakespeare’s insults. Our favorite is, “Thou art a foul, undigested lump.” (Be sure to say that in an English accent and pop your ‘p’ at the end 🙂 ). Click here to get insulted.
It is also fun to see the words and phrases Shakespeare invented… such as ‘All the world’s a stage’ or puking, bedazzled, jaded, and zany.
The Charlotte Shakespeare had a workshop after the play.
Christian Casper, an actor and professor who played Macbeth, gave a few good tips when reading Shakespeare:
- 1- Pay attention to clues that Shakespeare wrote. For example, he read part of this famous speech by Macbeth. I put in bold the words Christian mentioned as clues to time.
Macbeth:
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
- 2- Pay attention to words to emphasize when reading these lines. For example, emphasizing the ‘and’ in “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow”. Or “out, out brief candle.”
- 3-Reading the last word of every line will often give you the meaning of what Shakespeare is saying.
The very best way to fall in love with Shakespeare is to hear it. I have tried reading his plays to myself and just do not get most of what I am reading. However, I do understand much of it when I hear the inflection and the story line on stage and between the characters. Read it out loud with your kids. Discover meaning together.
Find the avenues to hear Shakespeare live locally. (Be sure to determine age appropriateness.) The Charlotte Shakespeare offers free productions with just a minimum suggested donation. They tend to present Shakespeare in a modern day setting but keep to the rich original text. We see them every summer. They do one outside on the green uptown. Everyone brings blankets or chairs and fun food to eat while watching. They also offer workshops for kids before the show. Go to everything you can and meet the actors when you are able. After The Taming of The Shrew, we all met J.R. Adduci ( “Bobby” from the Morris Jenkins commercials ), who played Petruchio, and sat next to his beautiful wife during the production.
Christian Casper did the workshop following the performance of Macbeth. He even had a volunteer come up and do a reading with him on stage. Take advantage of this!
If nothing else, just go and see the works of Shakespeare live. I promise you will fall in love with him too.
“For some must watch, while some must sleep So runs the world away” Hamlet Act 2 Scene 2
What is Macbeth about?
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