Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Saxiif]

I have to teach A Midsummer's Night Dream

[Ya-ta Boy]

I do not envy you that teaching assignment. Smoking and drinking are not fast enough. Use either a gun to the head or a jump off a tall building.

Even for advanced students, Shakespeare would be very difficult. I'm all for using good literature with a moderately challenging vocabulary, but very few native speakers read Shakespeare for pleasure.

[peppermint]

Shakespeare wrote plays not novels- they're meant to be watched. Try to get your hands on a film of the play first. That should make things a lot clearer when you get to the text.

[Hwajangsil Ajumma]

Kenneth Branagh has made some exceptionally fine film interpretations of the Bard's works...Much Ado About Nothing is a particular favourite of mine; the wonderfully performed sequences between Beatrice and Benedick simply oozed sexual tension.

And Kate Beckinsale as Hero, too. Goodgoddearsweetjesusalmighty, how I would dearly love to take her out for galbi and bekseju and a spot at the noraebang. <sigh>

[canuckistan]

Coles notes or Shakespeare for Dummies--much easier language to understand while you're confounding them with the unedited version.

[turtlepi1]

Shakespeare is lost even to the (North American) native speaker without interpretation or visual cues.

Shakespeare uses the duality of phrases all of the time and now that those phrases are no longer part of our lexicon, a lot of the brilliance of Shakespeake is lost with it.

Simple example: Fish monger - One who sells fish OR Prostitute.
After someone explains that to you it changes a few of the passages.

Can you imagine not even having a grasp on contemporary English and trying to understand Shakespeare?

Coles notes, and focusing on passages and pulling out the underlying meaning might peak their interest.

I watched The Merchant of Venice in the theatre the other day and even knowing the story and it being a Hollywood production there was still some of the intricacies that were "lost" on me.

[jajdude]

Good Luck. How old and advanced are the students? About 20% of the seniors in my high school class could sort of grasp Shakespeare.

[Saxiif]

As for how advanced my kids are, I think they're high school (or possibly middle school ) kids who go to American boarding schools.

As far as interpreting Shakespeare goes, I have no problem understanding it (being all smart and whatnot ) I just don't know what kind of in-class activities would help make the kids understand it.

[jajdude]

I don't think Shakespeare, or most poetry or philosophy makes much sense to at least 80% of people under the age of twenty. That's in native language! When it's a foreign language, well, make that % higher.
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Did you know that Plato said it was a bad idea for people under the age of 30 to study philosophy? He said they did not have enough life experience to understand it.

(Granted there are always exceptions.)

[dulouz]

I don't envy you. Watch some movies. I've learned to read the dull stares after trying to foist even a few paragraphs of Miller or Ed Abbey on them.

[joe_doufu]

[Thunndarr]

Simple, yet often overlooked tip, make sure they read by punctuation, not by lines.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I'll try to be more constructive than my suggestion to just shoot yourself.


If I were in your position, I'd do something like this:

a) Vocabulary work. Pick out the words that are useful for them to learn and ignore the archaic ones for the time being. Do various activities to expand their vocabulary with these words...word maps, spelling games, making new sentences, skits, etc.

b) Show them a scene from the movie. Have the kids raise their hand when they hear the new words.

c) Put them in small groups and assign them a section of the scene and have them write the section in regular English. That will get them talking about meaning and expressions, as well as writing.

d) Let them compare what they wrote with Coles.

e) Watch the scene again.

f) Have discussions about character, personality, themes etc.

g) Act it out.

h) Award bonus points (if your class is graded) for memorizing a short speech from the play.


I wouldn't necessarily have them read the whole play doing all of these things over and over. I would select key scenes and write out a summary of the action in the scenes you don't fully study.

Anyway, that's what I would do in your position.

[Squid]

I agree with the screen versions for clarity. Branagh's adaptations are not so stuffy-looking and out of date- though after a few hours he becomes tiresome. Try to get hold of a simple synopsis and let your S's read it beforehand. Good luck.

[diablo3]

well, make them read a Korean version of Shakespeare. It may help them also appreciate Shakespeare even more.