Studying Shakespeare in School

After becoming a bit more informed about the relevance of Shakespeare’s writing in the school curriculum and in our lives, I can see why schools put so much emphasis on analysing it. Regardless of the fact he was alive around 400 years ago, the impact of his pieces still resonates with society today. This is why I think it’s a good idea to study Shakespeare at school, and is further supported by the article ‘Why You Should Study Shakespeare’. It states that “These plays have managed to speak complicated truths to all manner of audiences and readers for hundreds of years.” (Gray.) This means many of the big themes we are still exploring to this day are open to the entire human population, so it never singles out certain demographics. On the other hand, perhaps an emphasis on Shakespeare shouldn’t be overwhelming, as many of the concepts he writes of can be found in other pieces.

Similarly, I think Shakespeare is taught in schools because it pushes the thinking of each individual students to find a different meaning. Many themes are so nuanced that one may interpret the writing in a vastly different way from another pupil. This is all part of what makes it so interesting. Put differently, “‘Shakespeare’s plays have an openness to them,’ says Trapp (instructor).” (Gray).

Lastly, the article also touches upon the fact that Shakespeare is practically inescapable, whether you decide to specifically study his works or not. For this reason, it only makes sense to look into them at school. Thousands of words and phrases we use on a day to day basis are derived from Shakespeare, from “knock knock who’s there” to “in a pickle”. Put quite frankly, “We’re so steeped in Shakespeare that we’re not even aware of it anymore.” (Gray.). Anyways, even if Shakespeare’s writing itself ‘isn’t for everybody’, I definitely see the value in studying it in some depth. It’s hidden in so many parts of our lives that it would be impossible to claim you don’t want anything to do with Shakespeare and his writing/plays.