Many students nowadays will agree that the current education system is way outdated, and is due for heavy reform. This can be said for English literature especially, as many children do not understand the point of learning such texts.
Old. Boring. Irrelevant. Hard.
These are only some of the adjectives students will use to describe Shakespeare – but it recurs to one thing – the genuine lack of interest in Shakespeare. Shakespearean texts written over 400 years ago, which makes them so difficult to decipher. Moreover, the comedic relief which was once gained from them no longer applies anymore. To put it simply – they are hard to understand, and even harder to analyse.
Many also share the common view that Shakespeare never had a place in the English classroom anyway – it was written as a playwright and therefore should strictly be a play. Considering the rushed and jam-packed schedule most students have anyway, many feel like it would be beneficial to opt for slightly more relatable texts.
Alba Methoxha, from Townley Grammar School, said that “Although Shakespeare had many influential works, it would be more desirable to study texts which are more modern. This would make it more enjoyable as it would be easier for students to understand. Works like Babel by R. F. Kuang are way more relevant today – they touch on important topics which every student should be able to explore in a classroom.”
To reiterate – yes, students should have the option to study Shakespeare. In fact, it is an excellent form of enrichment, but unfortunately, it is pretty outdated. Making it compulsory on the curriculum not only discourages students from literature, but hinders the exploration of other exciting works.
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