Overview

William Shakespeare’s plays are among the great bedrocks of Western civilization and contain the finest writing of the past 450 years. From Jane Austen to The Godfather, many of the best novels, plays, poetry, and films in the English language produced since Shakespeare’s death in 1616 are heavily influenced by Shakespeare’s stories, characters, language, and themes. In a sense, his works are a kind of Bible for the modern world, bringing us together intellectually and spiritually. Hamlet, Juliet, Macbeth, Ophelia, and a vast array of other singular Shakespearean characters have become the archetypes of our consciousness. To know some Shakespeare provides a head start in life. In How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, acclaimed playwright Ken Ludwig provides the tools you need to instill an understanding, and a love, of Shakespeare’s works in your children, while enjoying every minute of your time together along the way.

Ken Ludwig developed his methods while teaching his own children, and his approach is friendly and easy to master. It begins with the memorization of short passages from Shakespeare's plays. It then continues with an exploration of Shakespeare’s life and time period, the implications of Shakespeare’s choice of words, and an exposure to cultural references that children will use for years to come. Ludwig delves into each play with an eye to revealing the invaluable lessons behind Shakespeare’s characters and stories. Colorfully incorporating the history of Shakespearean theater and society, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare guides readers on an informed and adventurous journey through the world in which Shakespeare wrote.

From A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Twelfth Night, from Macbeth, to Romeo and Juliet, this book helps children enjoy and appreciate the wisdom of Shakespeare’s plays. And there’s fun to be had along the way. Shakespeare novices and experts, and readers of all ages, will each find something wonderfully irresistible in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.