Shakespeare: which play is best to begin with?

[fluffybunny]

We have a child's version of Shakespeare plays, but I want to attempt reading a full play to my 11 year old son. Can anyone, who has obviously read them all (anyone out there??) recommend which one is the best to begin with? Thank you :001_smile:

[Deniseibase]

I haven't read ALL the plays, but I've read all the major ones, and you're not likely to start with Titus Andronicus or King John, are you? :-)

 

I was an English major, and the professor who taught our Shakespeare class always insisted that no one should read a Shakespeare play until they've seen it. So, I would start by picking out a play that has a good movie version that is suitable for an 11 year old. Keep in mind however, that ALL Shakespeare is at least a little 'bawdy' here and there, so whatever you choose, you will want to preview for suitability for your family.

 

My first choice would be The Tempest - the new DVD version with Helen Mirrin - it's an adventurous story, filled with plotting and magic, and pretty easily grasped. The Helen Mirrin version is a little unorthodox in that Prospero, a male, has become Prospera, a woman, but it works well. (And honestly, you'll be hard pressed to find a version of Shakespeare that doesn't change anything.) The special effects are spectacular and will definitely impress an 11 year old boy.

 

Another possibility would be Mel Gibson's Hamlet. This was also done very well, and of course is one of the most famous plays. There are long stretches of 'is Hamlet nuts or not' that will bore an 11 year old, but we also have swordfighting, poison, and ghosts :001_smile:

 

Those would be my top two choices, especially for a boy. There are also the very excellent Kenneth Branagh productions of Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It, but since those center around romances, they might be more suitable for a girl's first Shakespeare.

 

Good luck! There are many good productions out there, just find one you like, watch the play, read the play, and then watch it a second time, you'll be amazed how much you'll enjoy it!

[Lizzie in Ma]

I don't know what "best" would be but our 11 year old adores Midsummer Night's Dream and thought Hamlet was pretty great as well.

She wasn't a fan of Macbeth at all which is no surprise, dark stuff there.

[mdhomeschool]

Midsummer Night's Dream is accessible and a nice intro to Shakespeare. My two could follow the story (our local Shakespeare troupe does a great version on an outdoor stage), which is big. Our local schools seem to all start with Midsummmer or Romeo & Juliet, if that helps any.

[Jen+4dc]

Keep in mind however, that ALL Shakespeare is at least a little 'bawdy' here and there, so whatever you choose, you will want to preview for suitability for your family.

...

There are also the very excellent Kenneth Branagh productions of Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It, but since those center around romances, they might be more suitable for a girl's first Shakespeare.

 

Good luck! There are many good productions out there, just find one you like, watch the play, read the play, and then watch it a second time, you'll be amazed how much you'll enjoy it!

 

Kenneth Branagh's version of Much Ado About Nothing is wonderful!! However, there is a scene right at the beginning with some nudity (it's not s3xual, it's actually fairly comical for an adult) and a window scene later on that's a little "bawdy" for a kid. Great production! Just wanted to second the opinion that you preview it.

 

Branagh's version of Henry V has one of the best battle scenes ever and his speech right before that battle (St. Crispin's Day) is amazingly moving. My kids (14, 11, 8, & 5 at the time we watched it) all loved it and decided that maybe Shakespeare isn't so bad.;)

[Enough]

I was an English major, and the professor who taught our Shakespeare class always insisted that no one should read a Shakespeare play until they've seen it. So, I would start by picking out a play that has a good movie version that is suitable for an 11 year old.

 

Ditto, ditto, ditto!

I am an unabashed Shakespeare lover, and I attribute that mostly to a beyond excellent literature teacher in high school who immersed us in 'live' Shakespeare (either seeing them on stage or the movies) for a year, in addition to reading the plays. Even today, when I read the plays I'm a bit 'eh' because I think they are SO much better on stage (and this is *exactly* how Shakespeare intended them).

 

My favorite first Shakespeares are Much Ado About Nothing (yes, it's a romance, but it is also hilarious- don't discount it for a boy!), Midsummer Night's Dream, and Hamlet (for non-sensitive kids). Midsummer Night's Dream in particular is ~glorious~ and side-splittingly funny and kooky on stage, the Branagh Much Ado is lovely, the Gibson Hamlet is incredible. My 9 yo is studying Macbeth right now and he LOVED all the gore and killing and dark stuff, go figure. :lol:

[mudboots]

When my mom taught my nephews, she started with Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing.

 

I second the suggestion of watching Much Ado About Nothing - the version with Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, & Keanu Reeves. You might preview it for a scene(s) to skip. It's hilarious, though - one of my favorite movies.

[Momling]

When I was in school, we studied "A Midsummer's night dream" in 7th, "Romeo and Juliet" in 9th and "Hamlet" in 12th. I don't know why... but every kid in the district read those three plays in those years.

 

For my older daughter, we studied "Much ado about Nothing" and "12th Night" in 3rd grade and will do "Romeo and Juliet" and "As you like it" and "Macbeth" in 4th. But -- to be fair, it's just because that's what's playing at the Shakespeare festival this year... We'll skip the other options of "Henry V" and "Troilus and Cressida"

Edited March 9, 2012 by Momling

[Heather in VA]

There are so many great ones... and I agree that seeing them is so important. I l love so many. I just asked my daughter and her two favorites have been Troilus and Cressida and Antony and Cleopatra but as she said, you don't start with either of those. Taming of the Shrew is hilarious. We are going to see that on stage at the Folger in the spring. I don't know if you can get a movie version. I loved the Moonlighting version (if you are as old as me you know what I'm talking about) but that's not exactly educational Shakespeare :-).

 

And of course the famous ones Hamlet and MacBeth - MacBeth is probably my all-time favorite.

 

You can't really go wrong with Shakespeare.

 

Heather

[amtmcm]

Here's another vote for Much Ado About Nothing for either a girl or a boy.

 

We also really enjoyed Taming of the Shrew and we liked the Elizabeth Taylor / Richard Burton movie version. But I suppose Hamlet might be better for a boy.

[Testimony]

Midsummer's Night Dream. There are so many versions of this play. It is a comedy that is fun.

 

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[rwjx2khsmj]

I'm not sure I'd read Shakespeare with a child at all. They might get bogged down and begin to think they don't like it.

 

Watching Shakespeare is so much better! My dc have loved every performance, live or on screen that they've seen. They'll tell you that they love Shakespeare and I am thankful.

[fluffybunny]

Thanks so much everyone! I am buying the DVDs and books you have recommended just now. Which Midsummer Night's Dream is best on DVD? (there are no plays where we live until next year)

[Lori D.]

We have a child's version of Shakespeare plays, but I want to attempt reading a full play to my 11 year old son. Can anyone, who has obviously read them all (anyone out there??) recommend which one is the best to begin with? Thank you :001_smile:

 

 

Especially with a boy, for READING Shakespeare, I *highly* recommend Macbeth. It is very straight forward. It has soldiers, some battling, and the witches giving a prophecy. And it has a very clear struggle/motivation of the title character -- to "force" the hand of fate and make the prophecy come true, OR, to sit back and let it happen. AND, once Macbeth makes the choice, he has a further struggle: repent, OR, "I'm in too deep, might as well keep going". I think boys really GET that train of thought! :)

 

We also really liked the Parallel Shakespeare materials to go with Macbeth, geared at a middle school level.

 

The book has side-by-side original text and modern translation.

The teacher guide has very helpful background info and teaching ideas.

The student workbook has some interesting and helpful information and assignments.

The teacher edition of the workbook has the workbook answers, and some additional resources, teaching ideas, etc.

 

 

I would really recommend WATCHING a play or two, as well. Our DSs were late middle school and enjoyed the Kenneth Braughnan and Emma Thompson version of "Much Ado About Nothing" (you can easily skip the added opening where they are all running around getting ready, and you see some bare bums as they are washing up, as the actual play starts after that). Even better, see if you can go to a local production of Shakespeare.

 

Read a summary of whatever play you watch first to get a handle on who the characters are and the plot twists and complications, and then you don't get hung up on the language.

 

Romeo and Juliet is pretty accessible -- and then you can also watch the movie of West Side Story to compare. Though, the topic of young love may not be of interest to an 11yo boy... ;)

 

Midsummer Night's Dream is fun and funny.

 

Those are my picks and ideas for you! Enjoy your adventures with the Bard! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

[MIch elle]

Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCZndWMALOo These are wonderful intro's for young students.

[Finnella]

Thanks so much everyone! I am buying the DVDs and books you have recommended just now. Which Midsummer Night's Dream is best on DVD? (there are no plays where we live until next year)

 

My favorite is easily the 1999 version. We watched several a few years ago while my DS was prepping for an audition that required he do a monologue of Puck's. (None of the versions actually have that speech.) But it was fun seeing the various versions and it helped him understand his character a lot better.

[8filltheheart]

You might want to consider watching In Search of Shakespeare prior to any Shakespeare study. http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/ (Netflix has it streaming. We love it and it definitely perks interest)

 

We always read my kids the Garfield version of the play (Shakespeare Stories http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Stories-Leon-Garfield

 

My 7th grader fell in love w/Shakespeare this yr. I will say that she is extremely modest and some of Shakespeare really bothers her. We went to see a live performance of Much Ado About Nothing, and while her older brother and I loved the performance, she was embarrassed by much of it. (Othello made her very uncomfortable just listening to it. ;))

 

I just asked her what her favorite play is and she actually surprised me by saying Hamlet (I thought she was going to say King Lear!)

 

FWIW, I agree w/others who say you don't really need to read Shakespeare w/a young student. What has sort of fallen into a system that works really well here is Garfield, followed by watching a production, followed by reading along w/an audio version and using the audio version to help us w/meter/cadence, etc.

[mumto2]

Since he knows the basic stories ask your son. Mine picked "merchant of Venice" and enjoyed it. My dd picked "Midsummer's Night Dream".

[Momma2Luke]

Bumping up this thread in order to ask if the dvd "In Search of Shakespeare" has any parts that may be unsuitable for a younger audience (7yo son)..... thanks in advance!

[DianeW88]

I start all my kids with "Julius Caesar" when we study Ancients.  No sex, historical violence, short.  My youngest watched the DVD at age five, then acted it all out with his Playmobil Romans set.  Our whole neighborhood of kindergartners were familiar with Julius Caesar, thanks to our homeschool. :D

[katilac]

Not to offend the Branagh fans, but I think the new Joss Whedon version of Ado blows his away, so I'd wait for that one to be available on DVD! And, while it's true that all of the plays are going to have bawdy bits, I might not start with Ado for an 11-yr-old newbie. There's maybe enough difficulty in Shakespeare without jumping right into the sexual shaming discussion.

 

Midsummer and Tempest are pretty reliable for the younger crowd. I agree with watching before reading the ENTIRE play, but I would definitely go over the plot, setting, and characters beforehand, along with some of the more famous speeches and quotes. It can be very hard to follow otherwise, even for adults, and kids love it when they recognize bits of the performance. I myself would be content with this for a tween, and would move on to a new play rather than reading the text in its entirety.

 

There are some resources listed in the recent Shakespeare thread on the high school board; I really like the Scholastic Unlocking Shakespeare booklets: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/481858-no-shakespeare-mom/

[Karen in CO]

I'm using How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare this year.  It starts with Midsummer Night's Dream.  

 

[Jayne J]

We started with A Midsummer Night's Dream. We read the Bruce Colville picture book first and then followed up with the 1999 Michael Hoffman version of the film. Loved it. My kids (age 4,7 and 9 at the time) were whooping and rolling with laughter. There is a scene near the end with implied nudity (bits are strategically covered up) and implied pre-marital sex, but it was not over the top and mine didn't quite get it. We have since read parts of the actual play, but not the whole thing. It is a great choice for a first play.

[Pen]

Bumping up this thread in order to ask if the dvd "In Search of Shakespeare" has any parts that may be unsuitable for a younger audience (7yo son)..... thanks in advance!

 

 

When people want to follow up on the same actual topic as an old thread so that the original question is still very helpful, I think bumping up is great. And it keeps lots of old information still available for anyone reading the thread (example would be the algebra and prealgebra threads on the Logic Board).

 

But here where it is really a different question you have, I think starting a new thread would help.   When I saw the preview of the original question with my cursor hovered I had something to say about that.

 

But had I realized this was the question now, I would have known I do not know anything about the dvd in question and not bothered to pull the thread up at all.

 

And it looks like a lot of people are similarly confused and replying to the original thread question not to your bump up question.

[MandyBCraig]

I just bought No Fear Shakespear A Midsummer Nights Dream. It gives the original play with side by side translation. My plan is to introduce this to my 9 and 12 (13 in nov) year olds. Then have them recite a fave part. I'm seeing recommendations to watch the play first. Any suggestions as to which version of this one?

[Jane Elliot]

Shakespeare my dc loved:

Twelfth Night

Henry V

Much Ado About Nothing

 

Shakespeare my dc did NOT love:

Macbeth (This was such a disaster. For a few of my dc, it was their first Shakespeare, and it nearly ruined Shakespeare for them forever. Please don't start with this.)

Othello

 

There have been others that have been neither hits nor misses. (Hamlet and Julius Caesar come to mind.) We haven't read them all (obviously.)

 

 

[Mandy in TN]

Julius Caesar and Macbeth are both very easy to follow, but I start with A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is happy. I agree that it needs to be watched or at least read with finger puppets. So much running around, so many characters, and a play within a play. It is easier to keep up with everyone and everything if you have the visual to anchor it.

 

Mandy

[Mandy in TN]

Bumping up this thread in order to ask if the dvd "In Search of Shakespeare" has any parts that may be unsuitable for a younger audience (7yo son)..... thanks in advance!

No idea, but I am pushing your question to the end of the thread so someone might see it.

 

You may want to start a new thread with your question on the K-8 Board.

 

Mandy

[MandyBCraig]

Thank you!