“We probably read Shakespeare in the first place for his stories, afterwards for his characters. . . . To become intimate with Shakespeare in this way is a great enrichment of mind and instruction of conscience. Then, by degrees, as we go on reading this world-teacher, lines of insight and beauty take possession of us, and unconsciously mould our judgments of men and things and of the great issues of life.”
Charlotte Mason
From Satisfying Stories to Glorious English: Sursum Corda’s Shakespeare Scope & Flow
Shakespeare’s stories are so complex and interesting! Students of all ages enjoy the turns and twists of the plots, the fascinating characters, and the humor or pathos of these plays. As they grow older, we grapple with the original language, and naturally move into discussion of the moral issues addressed and the beauties of the literary form. Each year, students present a “Shakespeare Showcase,” acting out the scenes that they have been immersed in together for months.
Form I
At the Form I level, students gain a familiarity with the plot and characters of a Shakespeare play, reading and narrating an adapted version. They proudly join in to present scenes at our Shakespeare showcase.
Form II
In Form II, students read the original version of our play. Working in small groups, they read it aloud in parts, pausing regularly to narrate and discuss. The play is taken at a slow pace, read throughout the first half of our school year. All ages join in for our Shakespeare Showcase in January.
Forms III-IV
Form III/IV students meet in small groups to read the play together. All students read a part aloud, and take turns narrating. Discussions explore the “lines of insight and beauty” and “great issues of life” that students have seen. The play is taken at a slow pace, read throughout the first half of our school year. There is not usually homework for this class, since the entire text is read aloud in class time. The play is taken at a slow pace, read throughout the first half of our school year. All ages join in for our Shakespeare Showcase in January.
Works Read
Our Shakespeare program is not cyclical. We choose a new play for the whole community each year. We try to coordinate with one of the plays presented by Shakespeare By the Sea in the preceding summer. Here are plays we have already enjoyed together:
| 2019-2020 | “A Comedy of Errors” | “Othello” |
| 2020-2021 | “Henry V” |
| 2021-2022 | “Twelfth Night” | “The Taming of the Shrew” |
| 2022-2023 | “Much Ado About Nothing” |
| 2023-2024 | “Hamlet” |
Resources for Further Exploration
About Shakespeare
A Programme for Shakespeare by Nancy Kelly
“And Shakespeare? He, indeed, is not to be classed, and timed, and treated as one amongst others,—he, who might well be the daily bread of the intellectual life; Shakespeare is not to be studied in a year; he is to be read continuously throughout life, from ten years old and onwards. But a child of ten cannot understand Shakespeare. No; but can a man of fifty? Is not our great poet rather an ample feast of which every one takes according to his needs, and leaves what he has no stomach for? A little girl of nine said to me the other day that she had only read one play of Shakespeare’s through, and that was A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She did not understand the play, of course, but she must have found enough to amuse and interest her. How would it be to have a monthly reading of Shakespeare—a play, to be read in character, and continued for two or three evenings until it is finished? The Shakespeare evening would come to be looked on as a family festa; and the plays, read again and again, year after year, would yield more at each reading, and would leave behind in the end rich deposits of wisdom.“ – Charlotte Mason
Volume 5, Formation of Character, pg. 226