Is there value in teaching Shakespeare in original vs modern translation? My students are able to focus on passages of original at a time, but are enjoying Macbeth in the modern translation

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no.

the language is part and parcel with with story. depending on the grade level, they're being done a disservice by having the content dumbed down for them. not knowing a word or phrase leads to research and historical context, along with the ability to not get everything spoon feed to them quickly because it's convenient and because nobody has time to take the time. why does everything have to be instant gratification with this generation? big macs, texts and now literature? please, let's stop and think instead of consume consume consume. we're only perpetuating their impatience and lack of ability to focus by catering to their already short attention spans by coddling them. think about anything you invested time in learning and remember the appreciation and reverence you developed for it. now imagine someone cheapens it by taking the shortcut just so they can say the also did the same thing you did. there are some things that just shouldn't be messed with. when those kids get in a conversation about whether or not they read Shakespeare, they'll say "yeah, i did. it's about so and so", which is all well and good, but that's about the extent of their experience because when it comes to the prose, wordplay and content, they'll be the odd ones out because they got the abridged version didn't even experience that part, which is the very reason Shakespeare is so regarded in the first place!!!... just so they could say that technically they read it ?=/.

I'll draw a parallel to anything else we teach. do we want to use the actual vocabulary when we teach science, or do we want to use slang? when we teach writing, do we disregard syntax and convention because it's too hard and there are too many rules with the tradeoff being at least they can dictate a compelling story using Google voice? there are a lot of shortcuts we can take as teachers because we want to rush to they part where we pat ourselves on the back because we did activity x with our students, but at the end of the day, did we do it that way because we wanted to give them the experience, out because it was the path of least resistance?

likesmart

Thanks for the input! A very interesting perspective and something I’ll keep in mind when planning out my unit

uplifting

Although I have never taught Shakespeare, I have had 4 of my own children go thru high school English and 1 more coming up. I think it can be like many other writings in that we can use the modern version in hand with the original to give the students the exposer and experience of Shakespeare while making sure they do understand. We do this with math all of the time. Students aren’t getting a concept so we rephrase, reteach, come at it from a different perspective then say ‘look you just multiplied polynomials’ or whatever. We have the resources at our fingertips.....I say why not use them!

smarthelpful

(Continued from OP) for me, because the language is outdated, the value is placed on the character development and story arcs, which don’t require the original language. Personally, I’d rather students enjoy the story enough to synthesize it with broader concepts then spend their time translating the text, which is a different skill set. I pick out certain soliloquy’s for them to translate, and they do it well, but it’s not something they like to do for the entire play. Thoughts?

smart

I agree with you. Reading Shakespeare in its original form has been a cause of student migraines for generations. I think in the end, they get more out of a modern translation. When they understand the plays, they can focus on the characters, themes, etc. which I think is far more important in understanding literature. Having them translate some of the text is a great idea as well, because it broadens their understanding and you can also use that as an opportunity to expose them to the many phrases he introduced into the English language, but I agree that the play itself is better read and understood from a modern translation.

helpful

Completely agreed!! 😃

but would you refer to it as "times-ing the mystery numbers", or would you take the time to explore the vocabulary, ensuring that they be able to reference, understand and use them going forward? another approach is all well and good a but what I'm saying is does that approach disregard the actual path in order to get to the goal? i mean, isn't the journey itself always more important than the destination?

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Sometimes you do have refer to it as “times-ing the mystery numbers” to take away the intimidation THEN say ok here’s what we did and here’s what this is called and introduce, explore, and play with the vocabulary. I am huge on vocabulary but some of the kids will tune out immediately. You have to peak their interest then you can show them the deeper “fun” stuff

i dreamed of being an industrial designer, and would spend hours drawing on my digital tablet. i didn't really work on my pencil and paper skills, so my portfolios all got the same comment, "work on your sketching". the thing is, i didn't delude myself and think that i deserved a job despite my shortcomings in an area...i KNEW i didn't deserve one BECAUSE i didn't refine that skill as much as i should have.

but i digress. I'm just an old man yelling at the clouds. i don't mean to sound like I'm gatekeeping...i just don't think truffles should be put on a dominoes pizza.

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I teach both Macbeth and Hamlet for 2 different grade levels. I read the translated version, but we read the major soliloquies in the original language mainly for exposure. I’ve come to realize kids will enjoy the plays if you can “sell it” to them. With Macbeth, I play up Lady Macbeth, and kids realize at the end she’s all talk. Lol. Concentrating on the themes which are also applicable still to this day allows students to draw connections to their own lives. That’s what kids really want.

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