Why Is Shakespeare Still Taught In Schools Today?

Shakespeare’s continued presence in education is due to his ability to use universal themes and characters that resonate across cultures and generations.

In the hallowed halls of educational institutions worldwide, William Shakespeare’s works persist as a cornerstone of literature curricula. From the bustling streets of London’s West End to the serene classrooms of suburban America, Shakespeare’s timeless tales continue to captivate students’ hearts and minds.

But why is it that despite centuries of literary evolution, Shakespeare remains a steadfast presence in schools? Because Shakespeare’s works in educational settings are mired in deep historical contexts, cultural implications, and the universal themes that make them perennially loved.

When Did Shakespeare Show Up In Educational Institutions?

The inclusion of Shakespeare’s works in school curricula did not start in his homeland of Britain, but in far-off colonies such as India. At the time, the elite institutions in England believed that education could only be achieved through classical languages, such as Greek and Latin.

In the early nineteenth century, following Thomas Babington Macaulay’s influential 1835 Minute on Indian Education, British educators (confronted with students lacking an “Englishman’s constitution”) sought to impart the nuances of the English language and culture through established works.

Enter William Shakespeare, whose works were deemed not only exemplary specimens of English literature, but also repositories of cultural values and linguistic nuances intrinsic to the English language. British educators in colonial India saw in Shakespeare’s plays an opportunity to impart not just language skills, but also a deeper understanding of British cultural norms, social hierarchies, and moral values.

This colonial legacy laid the foundation for Shakespeare’s enduring presence in educational systems worldwide.

What Did Shakespeare Himself Learn At School?

There is a neat irony in millions of children studying a man who, by the standards of his own day, was never much of a scholar. The young William attended the King’s New School on Church Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, a free grammar school a short walk from his family home. Like other boys of his time, he most likely began at a petty school around the age of seven, learning his alphabet, numbers, the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer before moving up to the grammar school proper.

What followed was an education soaked in Latin. Pupils worked through classical authors such as Terence, Virgil, Horace and, most influentially for Shakespeare, Ovid, all in the original Latin, and boys were expected to converse in Latin even outside lessons. The teaching leaned heavily on rhetoric and memorization, with students endlessly recombining set phrases into compositions of their own, training that echoes through the wordplay of his later plays. There is no record that Shakespeare ever attended university, and he probably left school at around the age of fourteen. So the most-taught author in the English-speaking world was, in the end, a provincial grammar-school boy and nothing more.

Why Did Shakespeare Become Relevant Then?

It is essential to acknowledge the colonial underpinnings of Shakespeare’s pedagogical prominence. The imposition of Shakespearean texts upon colonized peoples raises questions about cultural hegemony and the notion of universality.

The assumption that Shakespeare’s works epitomize universal truths reflects a Eurocentric worldview that marginalizes diverse perspectives. The notion of universality must be interrogated, challenging the dominance of Western values in literary discourse.

Yet, amidst these questions, Shakespeare’s enduring appeal cannot be denied. His plays offer a rich tapestry of human experience, exploring themes that transcend time and culture. From the passionate romance of Romeo and Juliet to the Machiavellian machinations of Macbeth, Shakespeare’s characters resonate with readers across generations. These universal themes serve as touchstones for collective conversations, providing a common language through which diverse cultures can engage with timeless truths.

Shakespeare’s Characters Speak, As Do His Themes

Central to Shakespeare’s narrative allure are his characters, who serve as vessels for exploring the intricacies of the human condition. Despite being products of their respective eras, Shakespearean characters possess a depth and complexity that render them universally relatable.

Whether it is the fiery passion of Romeo and Juliet, the tortured introspection of Hamlet, or the ruthless ambition of Macbeth, Shakespeare’s characters embody a myriad of emotions, motivations, and conflicts that resonate with readers from all walks of life. (It is no wonder there are so many film adaptations of his works!)

For example, the authoritarian patriarchy embodied by King Lear in his eponymous tragedy speaks to broader themes of power, control, and familial dynamics that transcend the Elizabethan era. Similarly, the existential angst of Hamlet, grappling with questions of identity, mortality, and moral responsibility, resonates with individuals across time and space who confront the uncertainties and complexities of existence.

Shakespeare’s characters also act as mirrors through which readers can reflect on their own lives and societies. By navigating the triumphs and tribulations of Shakespearean protagonists, readers are prompted to confront fundamental questions about human nature, morality, and the nature of society.

Whether it is the destructive consequences of unchecked ambition in Macbeth or the transformative power of love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s characters offer profound insights into the human experience, inviting readers to engage in introspection and self-reflection.

His sonnets similarly evoke the beauty of nature and human life, along with the perils that plague it.

What’s In It For The Students?

The study of Shakespeare fosters critical thinking and cultural literacy, equipping students with the tools to navigate an increasingly interconnected world. By engaging with texts that span centuries and continents, students develop an appreciation for diverse perspectives and historical contexts.

Shakespearean scholarship encourages students to question assumptions, challenge norms, and embrace complexity, skills that are invaluable in an era of rapid change and globalization. In essence, the enduring presence of Shakespeare in schools speaks to the power of literature to transcend boundaries and foster empathy.

His works provide a mode through which we can examine our own lives and societies, while also serving as a window into worlds beyond our own. As educators, it is therefore an essential responsibility to ensure that the study of Shakespeare is not a form of cultural imposition, but rather a celebration of diversity and a catalyst for critical inquiry.

Is Shakespeare Still Relevant Today?

If relevance is measured by how often a writer shows up in ordinary life, Shakespeare may be the most relevant author who ever lived. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust notes that his works carry the first recorded use of more than 1,700 words in the English language. One caveat is worth keeping in mind: the dictionaries that track such things record the earliest written example they can find, not proof of who coined a word, and scholars regularly push those dates earlier as older sources surface. Even so, his fingerprints on everyday English are unmistakable.

We still break the ice (from The Taming of the Shrew), warn about the green-eyed monster of jealousy and wear our hearts on our sleeves (both from Othello), praise a friend with a heart of gold (Henry V) and tell someone the world’s their oyster (The Merry Wives of Windsor). His plots travel just as well. West Side Story retells Romeo and Juliet as a feud between rival New York gangs, the teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You reworks The Taming of the Shrew, and Akira Kurosawa recast Macbeth as the samurai epic Throne of Blood and King Lear as Ran. Four centuries on, students keep meeting Shakespeare not as a relic but as a kind of source code that modern storytelling still runs on.

Should Shakespeare Still Be Taught In Schools?

For all his staying power, Shakespeare’s place at the center of the English classroom is genuinely contested, and the argument deserves a fair hearing. Critics point out that his Early Modern English can feel like a foreign language to teenagers, and that the cultural distance risks alienating the very students a lesson is meant to engage. Others question proportion rather than presence: as one American teacher writing for Education Week noted, some schools have pupils reading a Shakespeare play every year from sixth grade through to graduation, leaving little room for writers from other backgrounds. A curriculum built largely around white, male, European voices, the argument runs, can quietly signal to students from other cultures that their own stories matter less.

Then there is the content itself. Plays such as The Merchant of Venice, with its treatment of the Jewish moneylender Shylock, have been widely criticized as anti-Semitic, and several works carry dated assumptions about gender and race that a thoughtful class cannot simply wave away.

Notably, most critics are not arguing to banish Shakespeare. The more common position is to teach him critically: to ask why he looms so large, to read his plays alongside diverse modern voices, and to give students room to interrogate, disagree with, and even dislike what they find. Taught that way, Shakespeare becomes less a monument to be defended than a conversation worth having, one that can still build the empathy and critical thinking a good English class is after.

Conclusion

Shakespeare remains a fixture in school curricula due to his ability to speak to the universal aspects of the human experience. While acknowledging the colonial legacies that have shaped his pedagogical prominence, we must also recognize the transformative potential of his works in fostering empathy, critical thinking, and cultural literacy.

By embracing Shakespeare’s diverse array of characters, themes, and narratives, we open doors to new perspectives and experiences, enriching the educational journey for generations to come.