Don’t let Elizabethan English scare you off. Join Chairman Michael Farris as he talks with his guest, Deborah Taylor-Hough, about making Shakespeare come alive, on today’s Home School Heartbeat.
Michael Farris:
Debi, some moms are intimidated by Elizabethan English and want to get a handle on the plot of the play. What can you suggest to get them started?
Deborah Taylor-Hough:
Well, I recommend reading the story of the play out loud to the kids first. A book like Charles and Mary Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare is really helpful at this point. By reading the plot in a story form, everyone has an overview of the entire play before they have to wade through the sometimes difficult language of the play itself.
Mike:
How did your kids react to this initial introduction?
Deborah:
Well, we read the story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and my kids thought it was so funny. It’s definitely a child-friendly storyline, and after reading the story version we could hardly wait to see the play for ourselves.
Mike:
Well, it sounds like this piqued everyone’s interest. What happened when you actually read the play?
Deborah:
Well, I read the play aloud to my kids, and even though the language was a bit challenging for me at first, I was amazed at how quickly it became almost second nature to me. I even found myself thinking almost in Shakespearean phrases.
Mike:
Debi, thanks so much. Tomorrow we’ll talk more about including Shakespeare in your homeschool. I’m Mike Farris.
