Hourglass Issue I 2022-23 Revised 10 14

october 2022 FEATURES | 11
Design by Cathy Wang ‘23 • Photography by Sione Brown-Alexander ‘24
To Read or Not to Read:
Shakespeare In The
English Curriculum
Why is English class dominated by a single playwright?
AVA YORKS ‘25
SANA GOYAL ‘25
Staff Writers
Students at Baldwin read at least one
play by William Shakespeare every
year, starting in seventh grade.
Some students wondered: Does
such a large amount of material by one
white, English playwright from the 1500s
contradict the curriculum’s goal of teaching
a diverse range of literature?
Ms. Greco explained that Baldwin
does not teach Shakespeare solely because
it is tradition. She hopes no department is
teaching Shakespeare “just because it’s a
classic or because [they’ve] always done
it—that argument has no merit.”
Rather, the English department is motivated
by specific, pragmatic reasons to
share Shakespeare with students, and English
Department Chair Dr. Sullivan and
English teachers Dr. Forste-Grupp and Ms.
Greco shared a few of these arguments.
Ms. Greco explained that the first reason
Shakespeare remains valuable is that
students will be exposed to Shakespeare in
every aspect of their lives. Dr. Forste-Grupp
agreed, saying, “A lot of the characters and
themes and language have seeped into our
collective understanding, so say when you
reference a line from Macbeth, everyone
knows what you mean.”
Dr. Sullivan added, “Shakespeare sets
up the foundation for human psychology in
literature.”
Because of the influence of these
“cultural touchstones,”’ teachers fear students
will not be able to truly appreciate
pervasive Shakespearean references if they
do not have the opportunity to familiarize
themselves with his work in Upper School.
Dr. Forste-Grupp said that if we were
to swap Shakespeare for other works, “we
would be doing [students] a grave disser-
vice since allusions to Shakespeare characters
and plays permeate modern literary
texts; lines and characters appear in political
writings, the plot narratives become
cultural touchstones for writers and philosophers
to challenge.”
Another reason behind the emphasis
on Shakespeare in classrooms is that the
rich literary components in Shakespeare’s
plays make them ideal for teaching. Their
themes and metaphors help students develop
critical thinking skills.
Both Dr. Sullivan and Ms. Greco acknowledged
the disparity in the literature
that becomes “classic.” They recognized
that Shakespeare’s plays are products of
their time, and therefore may include anti-Semitic,
racist, or misogynistic themes.
When asked how Shakespeare became
so influential in the education system,
Ms. Greco said, “If we are getting to
the nuts and bolts of it, it is likely due to
Eurocentric white supremacy.”
However, this doesn’t mean the teaching
of Shakespeare need feed into these
ideals.
Ms. Greco explained how she “combats
the discriminatory aspects of Shakespeare
by addressing them in class, rather
than ignoring them.”
Dr. Sullivan discussed how, when
choosing plays for the curriculum, she “not
only takes into account discriminatory language,
but also how marginalized characters
are portrayed throughout the play’s
performance history.”
Baldwin students reading Shakespearean plays in the library.
McKayla Hoilett ‘25 and Dylan McKeown ‘25 discussing The Taming
of the Shrew.
Dr. Forste-Grupp took a seminar
through the Folger Shakespeare Institution
the summer of 2021 that offered ways to
diversify Shakespeare. She looks for performances
and interpretations of Shakespearean
works that include more diversity.
Another important factor to consider
in the controversy surrounding Shakespeare
is that many students enjoy reading
Shakespeare, and claim that it’s their favorite
part of English class each year.
Carley Taylor ‘23 said, “I think there
is a lot of beauty in [Shakespeare’s] language…
and I think it’s really interesting
how stories have evolved over time.”
Brooke Woo ’25 said, “Part of the reason
I enjoy reading Shakespeare is because
I can resonate with his writing due to my
existing familiarity with the storylines.”
But if students simply like the familiarity
of Shakespeare and the experience of
performing a play, then would they have
the same enjoyable experience if they explored
the works of more diverse or contemporary
playwrights?
In response, Daria Scharf ‘25 said,
“The problem is, we don’t know because
we haven’t been exposed to anything besides
Shakespeare.”
This returns to an essential question:
If Baldwin wants us to have an explorative
learning experience, then why are students
exposed to such a narrow range of playwrights?
When asked this, Dr. Sullivan pointed
out another significant qualification
of Shakespeare: the maturity level of his
plays tends to suit high school students
well. According to Dr. Sullivan, many contemporary
plays are “better suited towards
a college classroom” since many contain
graphic material that could be upsetting for
younger audiences.
However, Dr. Sullivan did point out
that students have often been assigned
more modern plays for summer reading.
Some examples she shared are Pygmalion
and A Doll’s House.
Additionally, although Shakespeare is
at present the only playwright that students
read, the broader English curriculum contains
significantly more diversity. Works
by women and people of color that students
read include Toni Morrison’s Song
of Solomon, Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis,
and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were
Watching God.
“
Although Shakespeare
is at present the
only playwright that
students read, the
broader English
curriculum contains
significantly more
diversity.
“
Though Shakespeare remains valuable
for many reasons, Ms. Greco said she
“[doesn’t] think we need Shakespeare every
year” and that there is room to explore
whether “Shakespeare can be swapped
for more contemporary and diverse playwrights.”
After opening the discussion around
the importance of annually reading Shakespeare’s
plays, we found a nearly unanimous
consensus that there is a great benefit
to teaching his work in the classroom, and
that exposure to Shakespeare is a crucial
part of a student’s academic literary journey.
However, there remains controversy
as to just how much Shakespeare we need
to read, and in what other ways we can
push our curriculum forward to include
more diverse voices.