Shakespeare remains a pillar of drama and literature education. His plays are performed around the world and embedded into national curricula. But let’s be honest—when students first meet Shakespeare, it often feels like they’re reading a different language.
And they are.
For many young people, Shakespeare’s work seems distant, complex, and hard to relate to. Yet, when taught creatively and actively, these same students can come to love the Bard and find his work deeply relevant to their lives.
In this blog, we’ll explore modern approaches to teaching Shakespeare in drama education—making his works accessible, engaging, and meaningful to today’s students.
Making Shakespeare Relevant Today
One of the biggest hurdles in teaching Shakespeare is the perception that it’s outdated or irrelevant.
To challenge that, educators need to position Shakespeare’s plays not just as literature but as living texts. These are stories filled with betrayal, love, ambition, humour, injustice—all themes that still resonate today.
Students connect better when they see how the emotions and conflicts on the page mirror what they experience in real life. The goal isn’t to simplify Shakespeare, but to frame it in a way that helps them realise it still speaks to their world.
Why Modern Students Struggle with Shakespeare
It’s not just the language that throws students off. The structure of the plays, unfamiliar historical references, and poetic devices can create a barrier.
Many students enter the classroom believing that Shakespeare is something to be “decoded” rather than enjoyed. This mindset can stifle engagement before you’ve even started reading.
Add to that the pressure of exams, and Shakespeare can quickly become a source of stress rather than inspiration.
By shifting the focus from “understanding every word” to exploring themes, characters, and performance, teachers can help students move past the fear and into discovery.
Reframing the Language: From Barrier to Invitation
Let’s not pretend Shakespearean language isn’t challenging—it is. But it’s also rich, expressive, and surprisingly playful.
Instead of front-loading lessons with vocabulary lists or detailed line-by-line translations, many drama educators now use performance-based strategies to make the language come alive.
Reading the text aloud in groups, experimenting with tone and pace, or even acting out scenes without worrying about “getting it right” encourages natural engagement.
Students begin to appreciate the rhythm and poetry of the language when it’s treated as something to be felt rather than dissected.
Embodied Approaches: Performing the Text
Shakespeare wrote plays, not novels. His words were meant to be spoken, not silently read.
Physicalising Shakespeare—getting it on its feet—can instantly shift how students relate to the material.
Using techniques like tableaux, hot seating, or role play, students can explore characters’ motivations and relationships through movement and voice.
These embodied approaches help students develop empathy and critical thinking while giving them agency in interpreting the text.
When they inhabit a character, the words stop being abstract. They become actions, feelings, and intentions—something far more powerful.
Drawing Parallels with Modern Themes and Issues
Another effective method for adapting Shakespeare in the classroom is to link the stories with contemporary issues.
Romeo and Juliet is no longer just a tragedy about two star-crossed lovers—it’s a narrative about family conflict, impulsive decision-making, and the pressures of adolescence.
Macbeth becomes a cautionary tale about ambition, toxic masculinity, and moral compromise.
By encouraging students to draw these connections, teachers make the plays feel urgent and relevant.
Discussion prompts such as “Who is the modern-day equivalent of Lady Macbeth?” or “How would Othello play out on social media?” spark lively debate and fresh insight.
Creative Adaptations: Rewriting, Remixing, Reimagining
Letting students adapt Shakespeare in their own voice can be a powerful learning experience.
This might involve rewriting a scene in modern English, creating a character’s Instagram profile, or devising a performance set in a futuristic world.
These exercises allow students to explore meaning, character, and structure while still respecting the original text.
Creative freedom can increase confidence and engagement, particularly for students who may struggle with traditional analysis.
It also gives them the opportunity to express how Shakespeare’s themes apply to their own cultural background, community, or generation.
Shakespeare Through Digital Tools and Media
Digital platforms open up even more ways to bring Shakespeare into the 21st century.
Students can watch performances from the RSC or National Theatre online, compare interpretations on YouTube, or create their own video scenes using smartphones and editing apps.
Even platforms like TikTok have become spaces for Shakespeare monologues, parodies, and themed challenges.
When students use tech to interact with Shakespeare, they see that the plays aren’t static relics—they’re adaptable, performative, and current.
Combining tradition with innovation empowers students to view Shakespeare as part of their world, not apart from it.
Encouraging Ownership and Personal Interpretation
Ultimately, the most effective way to engage students with Shakespeare is to give them ownership.
Ask open-ended questions. Invite debate. Allow multiple interpretations. Let them challenge what the characters say and do.
When students feel their voice matters, they invest in the material.
This approach fosters deeper understanding and makes the plays come alive—not because they’ve been modernised, but because the students themselves bring them to life.
In drama education, this process of ownership is just as important as accuracy or performance technique.
Final Thoughts on Teaching Shakespeare Creatively
Shakespeare’s plays have survived for centuries because they’re flexible, emotional, and fundamentally human.
When we move away from treating the texts as sacred and instead invite students to explore, adapt, and perform them, we unlock their true power.
Teaching Shakespeare doesn’t have to mean decoding lines with a dictionary in hand. It can be collaborative, physical, funny, messy—and brilliant.
Modern students may not speak like Hamlet or Juliet, but they know what it means to be misunderstood, to want revenge, to feel loss, or to fall in love.
That’s where Shakespeare lives—and that’s where drama education can take us.
FAQs
Can younger students understand Shakespeare?
Absolutely.
With the right support—like acting it out or using modern parallels—children as young as 10 can enjoy and relate to Shakespeare’s stories.
Is it okay to change the language or setting in adaptations?
Yes.
Creative adaptations help students engage with the themes and characters in new, meaningful ways.
It’s a learning tool, not a betrayal of the text.
What if students find Shakespeare boring?
Use performance, modern comparisons, and creativity.
When students see how relevant the stories are, and when they have a chance to act or rewrite them, their interest usually increases.