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Why is Literature so important to the English curriculum?

Why do they teach Shakespeare in English?

  • Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his work and I enjoy the films produced that are based on his plays. However, I don't understand why English teachers had to teach pupils about Shakespeare in particular. I know: a) Shakespeare writes good stuff (for his time anyway) b) he had invented words to expand the language of the time c) he was highly regarded in Elizabethan aristocratic circles d) pupils need to study periodic literature But if you think about it: a) Shakespeare was not the only playwright in his time b) There are other good works available during his time c) There are older works available to study from d) There are other playwrights who were popular within Elizabethan aristocratic circles e) If the objective is to teach about writing techniques, surely modern literature offer a wider range of techniques available f) The English language is changing at a relatively fast rate, such that in a few decades' time, most of the vocabulary we use now could be redundant, rendering most things we learn in literature as menial, unless we extend our curriculum. I am not sure whether I am being ignorant, but I would like to hear about your opinions on the matter. Any contribution is appreciated.

  • Answer:

    It's part of the cultural knowledge an educated person needs. Our language today is filled with quotes from and references to Shakespeare. "A rose by any other name..." "To be or not to be". "Out, out, damn spot!" These things show up in cartoons, on tv shows, in movies. There are always choices to be made in what to teach. There's a pretty strong consensus that Shakespeare is fundamental. What bugs me is that they've decide high school students should read Romeo and Juliet- a story about two adolescents who decide that they can't live without each other, so they both end up dead. This doesn't seem like a very smart image to encourage!

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Shakespeare is taught for the simple reason that he was the best. His writing continues to be extremely influential in other works, and there are few who are on the same level in terms of lyrical writing and his incisive mastery of the human condition. Teachers want you to have the best examples. That's why you read Shakespeare.

Laureen Anne

I'm not sure where you are from but in my high school we were taught more than just Shakespeare and it all depended on the grade level. We learned many different pieces of literature and they ranged from before Shakespeare to after his time. In 9th grade we read Romeo and Juliet but we did a lot of short stories and poems. We also read Where the Lillies Bloom, The Education of Little Tree, and some other novel I can't remember the title of right now. All those were very modern texts however. In 10th grade we didn't read any Shakespeare. Our big novel we read was Night by Elie Weisel on the Holocaust. We also did a lot of literature from around the world; Samuri litertature, Dante's Inferno, etc. In 11th grade we also didn't read any Shakespeare. We focused a lot on Edgar Allan Poe and we read The Red Badge of Courage. We also focused on the Harlem Renaissance. We read poems by Langston Hughes and read the play A Raisn in the Sun. In the 12th grade we read Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales (both prior to Shakespeare) and then we read Macbeth by Shakespeare. We

lrgirl2013

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