I’m pleased to announce that I’ve created a fully online, interactive Shakespeare class for kids ages 6-11 to start them on a lifelong journey of Shakespeare! The course will include games, videos, webquest activities, and puppet shows!
Title: Shakespeare for Kids!
Purpose:
Video trailer
The goal of this class is to introduce Shakespeare to young children in a fun and interactive way. For example, each lesson starts with a fun and funny introduction to a Shakespearean topic by our friend Puppet Shakespeare. Each class will also feature interactive games and quizzes that break down the poetry, language, characters, and plots of Shakespeare to help kids lose their “Shakes-fear” and begin engaging with classic literature
Each class builds from learning about Shakespeare to learning about the language and poetry of his plays, to finally an in-depth analysis of one play: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” After watching videos, playing games, and filling out handouts about these topics, the student will go on a “webquest,” that is, a series of webpages that feature activities, outside websites, and a short- puppet show retelling of “Midsummer” for the student. The goal is that by the end of the course, the student will be able to understand the dialogue of the play, summarize the story, know the characters, and enjoy the poetry.
Format: Nearpod with video and web links.
Ages 6-10
Description: 2 week course, $10 per week.
Part I: Who Is Shakespeare?
Learn about Shakespeare’s life and career with an interactive timeline, handouts, and an engaging puppet show! This section will include me reading from the excellent children’s book: William Shakespeare and the Globe by Aliki.
Part II: Words, Words, Words
WIlliam Shakespeare (Or Bill as I like to call him), wrote in a very special way. Back then playwrights were called poets, so not only did he have to make plays, he had to write them so they would sound like lines of poetry.
Part III: Shakespeak
Figure out how to translate all the “thees” and “thous” that make reading Shakespeare a challenge nowadays
Part IV The Play’s the Thing!
What kinds of plays did Shakespeare write? This handy lesson will teach you about the basic types of plays Shakespeare wrote, and give you a quick summary of each!
Part V: Disney vs. Shakespeare
Poster for Disney’s Elemental, which bears many similarities to Shakespeare’s Romeo and JulietContinue reading →
It’s around 1597 and Shakespeare is putting the finishing touches on his new play, Romeo and Juliet, when his wife Anne Hathaway arrives. Anne frankly, hates the double-suicide ending and takes Will’s quill. She then proceeds to write a new story where, after Romeo dies, Juliet packs up and flees with her Nurse and her two best friends to have a holiday in Paris (the city, not her ex-fiance).
To find a jukebox musical that is so self-aware in its writing, so humorous in the way it includes its songs through the narrative, and so blatantly charming, is a pure joy…and really, if you asked me to summarise this review into just a sentence it would be that: & Juliet is pure joy. –Carly Fisher
Stuff you Might have Missed
1609 collection of Shakespeare’s Sonnets, which were published without his permission.
Anne Hathaway Shakespeare- the sonnet Anne complains that Shakespeare never mentions her in his work, except once in sonnet 145, where he writes: “I hate, from hate away she threw, and saved my life saying, ‘not you’.”
Anne and the Second Best Bed– After breaking the fourth wall, Anne also complains that her husband left nothing to her in his will but “My second best bed with the furniture.” This is true, and some scholars have attempted to defend this choice, but it certainly doesn’t look good. In the myth of Shakespeare, this story has helped to construct the Shakespeare who cares more about his work than his wife. What’s interesting is that “&Juliet” helps address this myth and examines it. For more information about the myth of Anne and Will, click here to see my review of “Hamnet”
Yes, Juliet might be based on a historical character. One reason Will objects to his wife changing the play is that it violates the historical accuracy of the story. Like I said in my “Genesis of Romeo and Juliet,” the Capulets and Montegues might have been based on real political factions in Verona.
The Characters
The Music
All the songs in “& Juliet” came from one man- Max Martin, a Sweedish songwriter who has composed songs for Brittney Spears, Celene Dion, and The Backstreet Boys. These mega pop-hits were a huge part of my childhood, so seeing them combined with my favorite writer definitely tickled me and set off my nostalgia goggles. More importantly, it’s very interesting to see how the playwright David West Read turned these songs into a musical.
Setting “Romeo and Juliet” to pop music is by no means a new idea- “Gnomio and Juliet” underscored the whole movie with music by Elton John (who also produced the film). Making Shakespeare into a kind of rock or pop star is also not a new idea- Something Rotten and the musical version of “Shakespeare In Love” also did that. What is new is the concept of turning the story of Romeo and Juliet into a jukebox musical- a story where all the songs are pre-existing pop songs.
Normally I hate jukebox musicals- I find it irritating when producers take an artists’ songs and try to stitch them together into a coherent musical play. In normal musicals, the songs are designed to further the plot and help explain the characters’ internal and external conflicts. In my experience with most jukebox musicals, the songs feel like a waste of time, because the songs were never designed to tell an overarching story, so when they are integrated into a play, the story grinds to a halt. When it’s done badly, either you’re bored with the songs, or bored with the play.
With this in mind, I was prepared to dislike “&Juliet”. I was expecting either to hate the songs for slowing down the plot, or to hate the plot because I wanted to get back to the songs. But… miraculously, both the songs and the story WORKS! David West Read did a great job seeing the overarching themes of loss, love, and conflict within relationships within the music of Max Martin, and translate them into Romeo and Juliet- the iconic lovesick teenagers.
I’d like to highlight the incredible effect of one of these songs in the context of the play- “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” by Miller, made popular by Brittney Spears:
Oh, baby, baby The reason I breathe is you Boy, you got me blinded Oh, pretty baby There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do It’s not the way I planned it
It’s very clever that the writer gave this song to Juliet when she us at her most down and most self-destructive. She feels like her life is over without Romeo (her loneliness is killing her). What’s nice about this musical is that this moment is the beginning of Juliet’s arch, not the end.
Costumes
I could write a whole post about how clever the costumes are, and I will at a later date. Suffice it to say that they compliment the story and music by blending Elizabethan costumes with the sort of late 90s-early 2000s pop-star fashion favored by The Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, and of course, Brittney Spears.
My Final Word
This show might not please everyone- hardcore Shakespeare nerds might find the concept hard to swallow, and honestly since the songs are mostly from the 90s and early 2000s, the music might be a little dated for a modern audience. Also, with the positive portrayal of homosexual relationships this show is DEFINATELY NOT FOR CONSERVATIVES. That said, it might do exactly what I’d hoped it would do- make fun of Shakespeare with care and in the process, get audiences to enjoy it anew.
In a world and in an age where everything is taken so seriously, it’s a complete delight to return to the idea of going to the theatre simply for fun and entertainment. Yes, the storyline is light and the line up of songs is a laundry list of bops, but in my opinion, there’s no problem in any of that! Quite the opposite! Packed to the brim with exceptional talent and some of Australia’s top dancers filling the ensemble…this is entertainment for entertainment’s sake and that is a lost art form in and of itself. – Carly Fisher
One of my colleagues at work showed me this book, and it really fired my imagination. Taylor Swift is one of the most if not THE MOST successful singer/songwriter of our era. Her songs go across multiple genres and tones and, like many writers, they often contain allusions to classical poetry, nursery rhymes, and occassionally even Shakespeare.
My own Reservations with Taylor
I’m not exactly a Swifite, and I know I’m running the risk of offending MILLIONS of people here by offering criticisms of Taylor Swift, but I honestly think it’s a good idea to be able to critique the things you love. In the past I’ve criticized Shakespeare’s plays, his characters, and even suggested that he might be racist. I would like to offer that, in the case of Love Story, Ms. Swift simplifies the plot of Romeo and Juliet, and leaves out its tragic elements, which kind of misses the point. As an allusion, it seems a little watered down. That said, I feel other TS songs are better, use their allusions more skillfully, and create a more coherent picture in the listeners’ mind. Despite my issues with this one song, I heartily admit that Ms. Swift is prolific, talented, and has created songs that are classic works of art!
What I’m not interested in doing is getting into a “battle” where I try to justify Shakespeare as being better than Taylor Swift. When I see memes like the one above, it makes me immediately disengage with whoever posted it. I don’t want a Swiftie to talk in the comments about how Shakespeare was a talentless hack. Alternatively, I don’t want a Shakespeare nerd to dismiss Taylor as being infantile or any other critique. Both these writers had different goals, went about them differently, and achieved success in their own special ways. So now, let’s look at how Taylor Swift borrowed from different literary traditions to make her songs more dramatic, more visceral, more insightful, and more poetic.
Her Literary Allusions
Obviously, Love Story mentions Romeo and Juliet, as well as The Scarlet Letter and various princess stories. TS rarely makes direct references to Shakespeare in her work, but some scholars have suggested that there might be more oblique references in some of her songs. For instance, when I look at the lyrics of Willow, I can’t help wonder if she wasn’t at least partially inspired by Shakespeare’s song of the same name in Othello:
Wait for the signal and I’ll meet you after dark Show me the places where the others gave you scars Now this is an open-shut case Guess I should’ve known from the look on your face Every bait and switch was a work of art
The more that you say The less I know Wherever you stray I follow I’m begging for you to take my hand Wreck my plans That’s my man
I can’t hear this song and not hear the parallels with the Othello story- the speaker alludes to eloping with her beloved (which Desdemona nearly does in the first act), that he has scars (which Othello clearly does mentally and physically). In addition, I imagine the refrain as like a duet between Othello (who is reluctant to kill Desdemona), and Desdemona (who wants to leave Cyprus and have a normal married life with Othello:
Desdemona: The more that you say The less I know Othello: Wherever you stray I follow I'm begging for you to take my hand Wreck my plans Desdemona: That's my man
Even if Shakespeare isn't mentioned directly in many of Taylor's songs, like Shakespeare she often uses Greek myths, the Bible, and other popular works as allusions. Some scholars have suggested that both Shakespeare and TS write using their own experiences through the lenses of classical poetry and literature. Simmilar to how Shakespeare probably wrote Hamlet to deal with his grief over his son's death, Taylor writes songs about past relationships, feuds with pop stars, and her own evolution as an artist through the lens of Shakespeare, novels, poetry, and other works.
TS’s Poetry
Ms. Swift’s songs are more than just catchy beats with a few allusions stuffed in. Like Shakespeare, she makes use of alliterations, internal rhymes, clever metaphors, and strong rhythms that help her songs tell their stories clearly and effectively. As an exercise, I fed the lyrics to “Bad Blood” into a poetry analyzer and found a very interesting analysis:
The poem features a rhythmic and catchy structure, typical of song lyrics. The syllabic patterns vary but often maintain a consistent beat, enhancing its musical quality. The use of internal rhymes and alliteration (e.g., “mad love,” “bad blood”) adds to the flow and memorability. The stresses often fall on the first word of each line, creating a strong start and a compelling rhythm that engages the listener. The word choice in the poem is evocative and charged with emotion. Phrases like “bad blood,” “deep cut,” and “salt in the wound” create vivid imagery and convey the depth of the narrator’s pain. The use of questions, such as “Did you have to do this?” and “Did you think we’d be fine?” emphasizes feelings of confusion and hurt. –Studycorgi.com
I highly encourage students and teachers to do an analysis of both Shakespeare and Taylor Swift because studying one can help us appreciate the other. Similarly, learning the way each writer conveys ideas can help the reader become more creative!
Who Said It? Shakespeare or T.Swift?
Lots of teachers play this game and there are many Youtube videos of people playing it. Occassionally, even Shakespearean actors have played it:
There are also online quiz forms available on Quizlet and Gimkit. You can also show your students this video below:
What iF SHakespeare’s Characters were Swifties?
I posted on Reddit a while back to ask the internet which Swift songs would be great soundtracks for the lives of Shakespearean characters. This is sort of an outgrowth of my: Infinite (Variety) Playlist activity. Here are some of the results I got:
Mercutio from “Romeo and Juliet”- 22 and “Shake it Off”
Goneril from “King Lear”- Blank Space
Do you agree with my list?
I hope this post can help teachers see the value in analyzing Taylor Swift with their students, and help students in analyzing Shakespeare. I think the term “classic” applies to anything good enough to stand the test of time. Shakespeare has already passed that test, and based on her clever allusions, evocative wordplay, and emotionally-charged subjects, I believe Taylor Swift to be classic too!
Every Year around this time, I like to draw attention to Shakespeare’s greatest heroines. You might have read my top 10 Shakespearean mother characters, or my post from last year, where I talked about some of Shakespeare’s best childless characters.This year, I’m putting together a squad of women you don’t want to mess with. So please enjoy (in no particular order because I refuse to rank women), – the best female fighters in all of Shakespeare:
Queen Margaret of Anjou
She defeats the York Army multiple times in the Wars Of The Roses, even killing the Duke of York himself. She was a powerful force on the battlefield and in the court.
Joan of Arc
Joan la Pucelle from Henry VI, Part 1: (RSC, 2006)
I am prepared: here is my keen-edged sword, Deck’d with five flower-de-luces on each side; The which at Touraine, in Saint Katharine’s churchyard, Out of a great deal of old iron I chose forth.
And while I live, I’ll ne’er fly from a man.
The iconic female warrior who helped end English occupation of France. In Shakespeare’s play, she fights the French prince to prove her prowess in battle, then she retakes the towns of Orleans and Rouen from the English, and keeps fighting until the
Portia Catonis
Portia preparing to “Swallow fire”
True, she doesn’t have much fighting experience, but clearly she can tolerate pain, has accute powers of perception, and is related to a long line of political and military patriarchs.
Volunnia
Valumnia comforts Coriolanus’ wife (AI art)
Dr Peter Saccio of Dartmouth College once said that this Roman matron talks to her son Caius Martias as if she’s his general, not his mother. She is totally devoted to Rome and she has trained her son since birth to fight for it.
Cordelia
AI artwork I created of Cordelia storming Goneril’s castle
Our preparation stands In expectation of them. O dear father, It is thy business that I go about. Therefore great France My mourning and important tears hath pitied. No blown ambition doth our arms incite, But love, dear love, and our ag'd father's right!
Cordelia shows her strength not through words, but through deeds- massing an army and invading England to put her father back on the throne, as the passage above shows. It’s true she didn’t succeed in saving the kingdom, but she did save her father through her love and bravery.
Shakespeare actually lived during the settlement of Virginia, and the Pilgrims came to America just 4 years after he died. I wonder, if Shakespeare had lived, what he would have made of this American tradition?
According to Branaugh, the idea behind the film was to emphasize beautiful things like tranquility and love, but preserve and heighten the danger of being hunted by a powerful warlord like the Duke
Interview with the director and cast at the Barbican
The Plot Of the Play
Historical Context
Branaugh set the film in 19th century Japan, at a time when English people came to Japan for the first time, and created small English communities in the country. I’ll discuss later that I have very conflicting feelings with this choice, but I will give Branaugh this- it does highlight the fish out of water journey that Rosalind and the other characters go through leaving their homes at court, and becoming enamored with a new country.
The Cast
The cast is full of veteran Shakespeareans and gifted Hollywood stars. Bryce Dallas Howard is charming as Rosalind, and has good chemistry with RSC actor David Oyelowo. I also enjoyed Brian Blessed’s dual role as Duke Senior and Duke Frederick. Kevin Klein is very sincere as Jaques but I wish he had a bit more fun with the over exaggerated melancholy that Jaques puts on. The overall effect of the performances is a sentimental, charming, beautiful, witty group of people who are having a fun time.
My Reaction
The cast is great, the cinematography is stunning, and the music is charming. Overall, Branaugh has done a great job of bringing the spirit of the play alive- that of a sweet, pastoral comedy about love, unrestrained by wealth or status. What I worry about though, is that Branaugh might inadvertently be celebrating colonialism. Yes, Japan is a beautiful country with a highly sophisticated and rich culture, so it makes sense that English people would be drawn to it. That does not justify the cruel way the English and Americans colonized parts of Japan, made the people mine for gold, and forced them to trade with the west. I worry that, like The Mikado, Branaugh celebrates Japan in a way that makes it seem like westerners were justified in taking so much away from it. I wish the plot had more of a “look but don’t touch” attitude to Japanese culture.
I also question the decision to cast barely any Asian actors. Given the story Branaugh wants to tell, it makes sense to cast non-asian actors as Thr Duke, Rosalind, Celia, and even Orlando, since they are the ones who come to the forest from an English-style court. But the roles of Corin, Silvius, Audry, Phoebe, and even Old Adam are people who are supposed to be familiar with the country, meaning it would make perfect sense to cast Asian actors in these roles. Frankly, there are very few well known Asian actors in Hollywood and I would love to give some of them a chance to shine, especially since Shakespeare has long been a way for actors to show their skills.
In conclusion, I can see why people like this movie and I too enjoy it, despite its questionable subtext. I don’t want to take away anyone’s enjoyment of the film, just to remind people not to be too seduced by the historical practice of taking something “As You Like It”
If you like this analysis, you might be interested in signing up for my Outschool Course on Shakespeare’s Comedies. Link down below. Share this class with a friend and you will get $20 USD off! You’ll also get $20 USD when you sign up with your link and take their first class!
As is often the case for me, I like to get at the heart of what makes a piece of pop culture relevant and compare it to Shakespeare. I wish to stress that Shakespeare is not the source of all great art, but at the same time, he knew where to find the source of art, and most great art has some sort of Shakespearean influence.
2. Plot
Harry Potter as Hamlet (AI artwork)
In the case of Harry Potter, we have some surface plot similarities to Hamlet: a young man brooding over the loss of his parents, who takes revenge against the man who took them from him. Both stories also have a powerful autocrat who is associated with snakes:
The serpent that did Sting thy father’s life
now wears his crown.
Is Harry hearing voices? Chamber ofSecrets
In both Harry Potter and Hamlet, the hero’s friends worry that he’s losing his mind; in the second book: Harry Potter can hear the basilisk because he speaks the snake language. Nobody else can understand what he’s hearing, and they conclude Harry is hearing voices. Meanwhile, Hamlet is the only one who hears the ghost of his father:
In the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry can hear voices coming from a vale between the land of the living and the land of the dead, because he saw death at a very young age. This isolates Harry from other characters, (who have not suffered loss), and they once again think that he is losing his mind.
Hamlet and Harry have a visceral understanding of grief; they understand that when one is experiencing grief, one sees the world in a way that most other people can not comprehend. In a way, insanity is a metaphor for grief, and both characters (both of whom, by the way, spend most of their time wearing black) personify how this grief changes their worldview.
The fundamental difference between Hamlet and Harry Potter could be summarized like this; Hamlet is devoted to his father, Harry to his mother. The ghost of Hamlet’s Father sets the action of Hamlet into motion, as he demands that his son revenge his murder. By contrast, Harry Potter is constantly inspired by his mother. Although he only sees his mother for a short time, it’s what he learns about her that drives many of Harry’s actions. Even after death, the memory of Lilly’s kindness and love not only inspires Harry, but other characters like Snape, Slughorn, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Lupin. Lilly’s memory rallies all the heroes to unite and defeat Voldemort.
In addition, Harry’s choices emulate his mother’s personality more than his father’s. Harry’s primary concerns are to stop Voldemort from taking over the Wizarding World, to show kindness and respect to everyone, and to guard his friends with his life if necessary, just as his mother did for him. In other words, the matriarchal virtues of love, self-sacrifice, and familial devotion drive Harry, not a patriarchal desire for vengeance which drives Hamlet. Therefore, Harry Potter is a more modern Hamlet, driven by a desire to improve a world and a community, rather than just “The royal bed of Denmark,” which Claudius has defiled.
The Melancholy Dane is driven by anger over his father’s untimely and foul murder and the sadness of losing him. Many actors have chosen to play Hamlet as a man who wants revenge, but one for whom vengeance doesn’t come naturally. Hamlet’s conscience, his scruples, his gentleness, and sometimes his sympathy for Claudius, blocks him from quickly taking revenge. In the clip below, Ethan Hawke is literally watching an avenger in a movie (Brandon Lee in The Crow) on a movie screen. It’s as if Hamlet is looking at a reflection of what he wishes he could be- a decisive, ruthless avenger:
As mentioned before Harry Potter’s ability to command loyalty, friendship, and respect from others allows him to accomplish his goals; he succeeds by rallying everyone, his friends, family and even his enemies to unite and fight. By contrast, Hamlet is a man who cannot trust anybody and therefore must rely on his own cunning (and sometimes ruthlessness), in order to achieve his goals.
Harry’s powers to mobilize the best in people are the powers that the dark Lord did not understand. Like a tyrant, Voldemort keeps all the power to himself; he rules by being more powerful than the people around him and inspiring fear. This makes him vulnerable when his foes band together, and his friends desert him, like when Laertes implicates Claudius for killing Hamlet and finds himself alone, friendless, and ready to taste Hamlet’s revenge:
When Shakespeare sat down to write Hamlet, the Elizabethan age was very cut throat- England had gone through the Civil War, violent factions were springing up at court, and Elizabeth herself suffered multiple assassination attempts. Hamlet is very much a product of a time where everyone is worried about being watched and betrayal can happen at any moment. By contrast, Harry Potter was written at another paranoid time- right after the September 11th attacks where racism, homophobia, and xenophobia were (and to a certain extent, still are), ripping the world apart. For all her faults, JK Rowling created a new kind of Hamlet figure, one who tries to bring people together in times of fear and grief, not one who wishes he could be “bounded in a nutshell” or that his “too too solid flesh”Close Reading: “Oh That This Too Too Solid Flesh” would melt away.
3. A Common Ancestor- Hercules
Like all Renaissance playwrights, Shakespeare took inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman sources. Scholars have seen echoes of Orestes, Perseus, and of course, Oedipus in Hamlet, but one Greek myth that pops up in both Hamlet and Harry Potter is the myth of Hercules. Here’s a short list of commonalities:
1. Both heroes defeat a serpent as a baby and is raised by people who aren’t his parents. Hercules strangles snakes in his cradle, Harry defeats Voldemort, and Hamlet (who is still a child), defeats his uncle who is called a serpent by the Ghost.
2. Cursed by a malevolent creature who hates his mother. Harry gets his scar, Hercules is cursed by Hera (his father’s wife, but not his biological mother). Hamlet
3. Labors involving wild beasts- Nemean Lion (sorting hat), Hydra= basilisk. 3. Captures a stag (Conjures a patronus) 4. Boar= Troll 5. Stables= basilisk in the bathroom 6. Stymphalian birds= golden snitch 7. Girdle of Hipolita= Ravenclaw diadem 8. Cattle of Geryon= other horcruxes 9. Golden Apples= mermaid egg guarded by dragon
10 and most obvious- BOTH OF THEM FACE A THREE HEADED DOG
I bring this up because in many ways, Harry Potter, Hamlet, and Hercules are timeless myths that represent what Joseph Campbell called “The Hero’s Journey”- an eternal story of growth, struggle, death, and rebirth that transcends time, place, and cultures.
Another character that shares a lot of similarities with Hamlet and Harry Potter is Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. If you enjoyed this analysis of Shakespeare and Harry Potter, you might enjoy my course on Shakespeare and Star Wars from Outschool.com:
This two-week course is fully online and fully immersive. You can learn about Shakespeare through the lens of Star Wars, (and like this post), you will learn about characters, plots, and the ideas behind classic stories by comparing them to contemporary pop culture. Click the link below to get started:
The Shakespearean Student 