A recent Facebook posting to mark the 450th birthday of the Bard pondered the scenario ”If Shakespeare had Twitter…” making the point that @billyshakes1564 could provide a great commentary on modern-day life, with words of wisdom to pen on everything from selfies to sport. A quick look at some other ideas online showed how teachers around the world are shaking up Shakespeare with the help of digital media… What about you?
Teachers interviewed in an Edutopia report argued that raps, podcasts, and short films were perfect vehicles for teaching some of Shakespeare’s plays, showing them to be “gritty and alive”. (Peggy O’Brien, Washington DC). Author Russell Scott Smith reminds us that Shakespeare was the “16th-century equivalent of a remix artist” because most of his plots were apparently borrowed from other authors, or written in collaboration with them. He would have related to today’s participatory culture, in which students simultaneously create and consume art.
Having students perform is the key to learning Shakespeare effectively, and several video and audio tools can enhance this for today’s learners. “Once you perform a scene, you really understand it.” (Robert Young, Washington DC). Filming Shakespeare scenes as short videos and then posting them online ensures students grapple with various interpretations of a scene and use the words and subtext to get to its “emotional core”. (John Cabat, New York). Using You Tube can turn homework assignments into works of art that anyone might download, watch, and maybe even enjoy. (Type “Shakespeare English project” into YouTube’s search box, and you’ll find links to a long list of school assignments, from raps to animated video game versions). “That’s the magic of Internet culture … Kids put their work out into the world, and other people see it and care about it. It’s very empowering.” (Christy Desmet, University of Georgia)
However, while Shakespeare’s works and themes transcend time, so many current pedagogical approaches to his work remain largely unimaginative and uninspiring. Teachers still resort to dissecting Shakespeare’s writing in ways which were never intended, his plays having been written to be performed. “We need to contextualise Shakespeare for our 21st century learners. Our students are clearly interested in social media so why not harness their digital literary skills and put them to good use” and help them become better digital citizens in the process? (Aoife Moloney, Murdoch University Dubai)
Moloney goes on to point out the current relevance of valuable life lessons to be extracted from Shakespeare’s writing and his understanding of human psychology. “Nowadays, social interactions are largely played out online; floundering friendships and blossoming relationships showcased and followed closely for all to see and comment on. We need to help create a generation of young people who possess the confidence and competence required in a society where the trials and tribulations of life are closely and often frivolously documented for an unprecedentedly wide audience. Life has become one great big drama production.” Shakespeare’s own observation that “all the world’s a stage” rings true in the 21st century where the stage and its online audience has never been bigger. Equating their blog entries and lengthy Facebook posts with the heartfelt soliloquies of Shakespeare’s characters, students may reflect on the experiences of Shakespeare’s characters and how they would play out in modern times.
Similarly, writing in-character blog posts, tweets and status updates can be a much more accessible mode of learning for students than traditional essay questions. So just as in performance for video, students can assume the role of a particular character at a specific moment in the play; producing in-character posts or tweets demands a detailed knowledge of the text and a clear understanding of its main concerns. Besides characters, they can also adopt a multitude of roles as actors, directors, producers, playwrights, set-designers, critics etc.
Of course many teachers are skeptical about this medium for teaching literature and may frown upon experimental methods if their fundamental aim is teaching to the test or exam. Moloney reminds us of Shakespeare’s own Henry V who said ‘All things are ready, if our mind be so.’ “We need to re-imagine and restructure our approach to Shakespeare, opening our minds up to innovative methods which recognise and reward the digital forms of literacy our students engage in effortlessly and continuously. By having students contribute their thoughts online after reading each scene, they engage in reflection. By comparing scenarios from the texts to their personal experiences they become critical thinkers. By sharing their responses in a class blog or forum they build a discourse community…” … all worthy 21st century skills, proving that Shakespeare was indeed “not of an age, but for all time” (Ben Jonson).