In this year's Shakespeare-themed Oral English Festival, students performed scenes, sonnets, and speeches from various plays, including Macbeth, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice. Before the performance, they also studied plot lines, character,development and poetry.
The Shakespeare Festival enriched the English learning experience of the students, allowing them to better understand the culture of the time in which Shakespear worked, the structure of the plays and the vocabulary used.
I performed a monologue - To be or not to be - from Hamlet. I love the monologue format, it resonates so strongly with me because I'm always thinking about the questions like what's going to happen in my future? What am I going to be? After studying this work, my doubts were reduced a lot, and these words enriched my spirit. The form of drama performance also poses a great challenge to me. It requires me to pronounce clearly, know how to pause properly, and combine emotions and body movements. It is really exciting to try to express the rich emotions in Shakespeare's works according to my own understanding!
——Tiger Matsushita,
Winner of First Prize
I love Shakespeare, and I'm always looking for opportunities to be on stage. On the stage, I need to combine rich emotions with heart-felt body movements. This requires me to have a good understanding of the work and be able to recite the lines 100% proficiently.
—— Samuel Stephens,
Winner of First Prize
Well first is being able to project your voice by using a lot of breath. And apart from that, emotion. You have a lot of emotion, but not too much. Just like a nice balance. As well as movement, depends on the character. Like if it was my character, I have to be a little more moving because I'm a very cheeky boy. But let's say I'm Hamlet. I like this, The Thinker, so I don't do much of it.
—— Daniel Ward,
Winner of Second Prize
I was very happy, I wasn’t thinking that I could win or anything, I felt like I could have done a little bit better, because I just love acting in general, and I want to be an actor when I ‘’m older.
——Harriet Symons,
Winner of Second Prize
The Shakespeare Festival allowed us to learn more about English literature and Shakespeare. Everyone was humorous and relaxed during the rehearsal, but the actual performance presented was amazing. I challenged myself by performing Juliet's monologue this time. I admire Shakespeare very much, and I visited his former residence in England before. I am also very happy to have the same birthday as Shakespeare and get second place this time. And great performance by everyone! ! !
——Eva Zhou,
Winner of Second Prize
This performance was a breakthrough for me, it was my first time on stage, and I have more courage to speak English now. In the past, I didn't talk to the teacher very much in class. Seeing that everyone's English is so good, I want to keep up. So, I've been looking for opportunities to practice, and Shakespeare's poetry is really hard for me, but I'm starting to get interested.
——Mery Li
We all know Shakespeare but have not studied his works in detail. The Shakespeare Festival gave me a chance to get to know him deeply, which greatly improved my English and enriched my hobbies. Acting has also boosted my courage, and the experience of acting has been valuable to me, giving me more confidence to participate in future events.
——King Chen
This was my first time trying to perform a drama on stage, and I was so nervous that I forgot the words for a while. I am very grateful to my classmates who can give me hugs and comfort when I am in a hurry. Now I feel that my performance is not bad!
——Tiger Guo
Kelly Wailes
Headmistress
In the Shakespeare Festival, language can be extremely challenging. For many students, English is a second language and Shakespeare maybe a third, and I would like to congratulate all those who bravely took to the stage.
Amy Hurndell
Head of US English
Last year we were absolutely thrilled with the level of language during our first Oral Language Festival, where students presented persuasive speeches.
This year they have exceeded expectations by analyzing, learning and memorizing Shakespeare and performing to an audience. The progress has been extraordinary!
Contemporary Value of Shakespeare's Plays
When it comes to the significance of learning at this stage, we always look at learning with a pragmatic view. Many people will have questions:
"A lot of Old English in Shakespeare's works is not used today. Do we still need to learn it?"
“He was not of an age, but for all time.”
——Ben Johnson,
English playwright and poet
Ms. Amy Hurndell, Head of US English Department, answered this question for us with her years of experience in teaching English combined with art:
While studying his work we gain insight into past culture and society, it also serves as a bridge between our modern time and times far past. His works are still relevant today, addressing themes like love, revenge, social expectation, corruption, transformation, etc. It is an important reminder that no matter how progressive our society becomes; we are still human. Every one of us. Throughout all of history, there is something comforting about that. We can read a text that is hundreds of years old and still connect to it– even while seeing how our society has grown and changed.
Additionally, many of our current beloved book series or movies stem from Shakespearean plays and characters, and I am not just speaking of books written in English. Shakespeare’s influence is global and far-reaching.
Material that challenges students is an opportunity for immense growth in comprehension and in self-confidence! Often, classical works deal with thought-provoking situations that inspire students to wrestle with questions that are imperative in figuring out who they are and what they believe as individuals. Such stories allow for deep discussion. Classic literature helps improve vocabulary and comprehension of other texts.
It also aids in seeing the progression of punctuation, syntax, and structure within the English language. While this may not seem important on the surface, it certainly helps when students are encountered with learning a new language or when analyzing other texts. Additionally, memorizing and reading a work of literature that seems lofty really is an accomplishment to be proud of.
The takeaway here is that Shakespeare is still relevant, and his works are far from boring. Anything that is taught well can be an enriching, engaging experience, and putting effort into the study of Shakespeare is worth it!
Students will be prepared for the challenges of IGCSE English if they study, analyze, and learn Shakespeare.
