Classic among classics: Shakespeare

Shakespeare in the square (Elia Yen)

By Wyett Pinney, Photo Editor

The one universal component of every English course that can either fill students with dread or joy is Shakespeare. Here at Maria Carrillo High School, Shakespeare is an integral part of the curriculum for Freshmen, Sophomores, and Seniors alike. 

“It truly forces students into productive struggle, the difficulty pushes students to come to their own conclusions” says MCHS English department head Madelyn Doyle, and that’s why it’s still taught. Shakespeare's difficulty is intentional because, as Doyle adds,  it’s meant “to prepare you for college; it’s the type of text you will see in college-level Literature classes.”

Shakespeare can be a fun subject; it depends on how it’s taught. Doyle says that “year after year, students cite the performances as their favorite because Shakespeare is so dramatic and over the top,” which allows itself to “have [a] fun element.” When MCHS Freshman Samuel Tesfamicheal was asked what the best part of the unit was, he said it was “acting it out, one hundred percent,” as it gave students a great way to interact with texts they wouldn’t usually willingly study. Performing scenes from Shakespeare can leave long-lasting impressions on students, turning this potentially monotonous subject into a memorable experience.

“There is all at once uniqueness and identifiable patterns,” Doyle describes, as part of what makes Shakespeare timeless. It creates and sets numerous cliches, but the fact that his works were some of the first among classics is a part of the cause for its endless insistence in English classes. It can’t be replaced; “if any attempt to write something similar, it wouldn’t gain popularity, people would just see it as boring and hard” Doyle states.

Its relevance is still present even today. Seniors read Hamlet, a story about a young adult entering adulthood and striking out, while dealing with family and internal conflict, which Doyle says is “a great thing to teach right before they leave us and go out into the world.” On the other hand, Freshmen read Romeo and Juliet due to it being “the most accessible language wise, and we can often get Freshmen interested in love stories.” This is usually the part most enjoyed and related to among freshmen, with Tesfamicheal saying “it’s interesting and funny to see how people get when they fall in love.” Its relevance also extends past age groups and their interest. Sophomores who take Ethnic Studies English read Othello because, as Doyle says, “Othello was one of the only available texts with a person of color in it when I started teaching,” which allowed it to both fulfill the need to teach Shakespeare and be relevant in an ethnic studies context. 

Shakespeare isn’t only important to the campus's English curriculum, as said by Sophomore Theatre Production student Ansh Lamba. “Shakespeare is an integral part of the campus, in English, but also in the fall Shakespeare in the Square plays.” Shakespeare interacts with every grade level through English classes and the school's drama productions. Even roughly 400 years after they were written, Shakespeare's works are still relevant to modern problems and hold a candle to many contemporary works. Studying Shakespeare can be a really fun and entertaining experience while still being challenging, and is an integral part of Carrillo campus.