Transforming Shakespeare's Tragedies: Adaptation, Education, and Diversity

This Institute will introduce teachers to adaptations of Hamlet and Othello (from novels, plays, and films to video games and web series created by young people themselves), and help them build lesson plans for integrating adaptations into the classroom in meaningful and relevant ways. As complementary texts—not replacements—Shakespeare adaptations can give students entry into a world at once foreign and familiar. If students believe they can understand and enjoy reading material and see some connections to their own lives, they are likely to confront Shakespeare’s language and stories with less trepidation and more open minds.