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How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare
A foolproof, enormously fun method of teaching your children the classic works of William Shakespeare To know some Shakespeare provides a head start in life. His plays are among the great bedrocks of Western civilization and contain the finest writing of the past 450 years. Many of the best novels, plays, poems, and films in the English language produced since Shakespeare’s death in 1616—from Pride and Prejudice to The Godfather—are heavily influenced by Shakespeare’s stories, characters, language, and themes. In How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, acclaimed playwright Ken Ludwig provides the tools you need to inspire an understanding, and a love, of Shakespeare’s works in your children, and to have fun together along the way. Ken Ludwig devised his friendly, easy-to-master methods while teaching his own children. Beginning with memorizing short passages from the plays, his technique then instills children with cultural references they will utilize for years to come. Ludwig’s approach includes understanding of the time period and implications of Shakespeare’s diction as well as the invaluable lessons behind his words and stories. Colorfully incorporating the history of Shakespearean theater and society, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare guides readers on an informed and adventurous journey through the world in which the Bard wrote. This book’s simple process allows anyone to impart to children the wisdom of plays like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. And there’s fun to be had throughout. Shakespeare novices and experts and readers of all ages will each find something delightfully irresistible in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2013
596 people are currently reading
5267 people want to read
About the author
Ken Ludwig
47 books58 followersKEN LUDWIG is an internationally-acclaimed playwright whose work has been performed in more than 30 countries in over 20 languages. He has had 6 shows on Broadway and 6 in the West End. He has won two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Edgar Award, the SETC Distinguished Career Award, the Edwin Forrest Award for Services to the Theatre and he is a McCarter/Sallie B. Goodman Fellow. His plays have been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Bristol Old Vic. His first play on Broadway, Lend Me A Tenor, won three Tony Awards and the New York Times called it "one of the two great farces by a living writer." His other best-known Broadway and West End shows include Crazy For You (5 years on Broadway, Tony Award Winner for Best Musical), Moon Over Buffalo, Leading Ladies, Twentieth Century, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Game’s Afoot, The Fox on the Fairway, Midsummer/Jersey, The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island and The Beaux’ Stratagem. His plays have starred Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Lynn Redgrave, Mickey Rooney, Hal Holbrook, Dixie Carter, Tony Shalhoub, Anne Heche, Joan Collins, and Kristin Bell. His book, How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare, was published in June 2013 by Random House, and his work has been published by the Yale Review. He has degrees from Harvard, where he studied music with Leonard Bernstein, Haverford College and Cambridge University. For more information, please visit www.kenludwig.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
March 18, 2022
Yes indeed and appreciatively, playwright Ken Ludwig has with his How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare most definitely created an absolutely wonderful and very much useful teaching and learning tool, presenting the works of William Shakespeare extensively and intensively, with general plot analyses of his plays, as well as deeper interpretations and of course also relevant information and details on William Shakespeare’s life and times, on the English theatre during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I (knowledge geared primarily towards younger learners and in the form of a guidebook on how to successfully teach Shakespeare in a way that is both enjoyable and enables lasting retention). And considering how out of fashion learning by rote and memorisation seems to currently be, I for one do massively cheer that in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare Ken Ludwig actively promotes and totally encourages having children (having students) learn Shakespeare’s plays (as well as his sonnets) by heart. For indeed, when we were covering Shakespeare’s plays in junior and senior high school English (as we read at least one play a year from grade seven to grade twelve) it was generally those teachers who made us memorise and even perform in class entire scenes from Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors etc. who were able to not only instil in us a lasting appreciation of William Shakespeare, of the Bard of Avon, but to also help us with more easily being able to delve deeper into Shakespeare, to interpret and analyse both what lies on and below the surface of both his tragedies and his comedies as well as even his historical dramas (and certainly much more so than with those instructors who just made us read the assigned Shakespeare dramas silently at home, who never once made us memorise and then act out scenes).
Combined with wonderful appendices and an absolutely spectacular bibliography, I do indeed and very highly recommended How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare (and both as a teaching and as a learning tool, for both in class and at home use, with How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare being in my opinion of particular benefit for homeschooling, but yes, also for parents who might be unhappy with how their children are being taught Shakespeare at school, for unfortunately, as mentioned above, there seems to be a rather allergic reaction at present against rote learning and memorisation, even though with regard to teaching and learning dramatic works, the latter really does in fact work very well and with usually quite good and also long term and lasting results).
Combined with wonderful appendices and an absolutely spectacular bibliography, I do indeed and very highly recommended How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare (and both as a teaching and as a learning tool, for both in class and at home use, with How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare being in my opinion of particular benefit for homeschooling, but yes, also for parents who might be unhappy with how their children are being taught Shakespeare at school, for unfortunately, as mentioned above, there seems to be a rather allergic reaction at present against rote learning and memorisation, even though with regard to teaching and learning dramatic works, the latter really does in fact work very well and with usually quite good and also long term and lasting results).
February 21, 2016
I have a great love and appreciation for the works of William Shakespeare, especially his comedies. I was fortunate to have been introduced to Shakespeare's works by my mom while I was in middle school and I definitely reaped the benefits in high school and college. So it was a pleasant surprise when I came across this work by playwright Ken Ludwig. I'll admit I was a bit skeptical that I would be able to teach my 6 and 7 year old how to memorize and recite passages from some of The Bard's greatest works. My skepticism was short lived and by the time I reached the third chapter I was excited to try out the techniques Ludwig outlines in this work. (I managed to hold off on experimenting on my children until after I finished reading the manual.)
The layout of the book was very helpful and often times it felt like I was participating in a really good classroom lecture. Ludwig begins his instruction by informing the reader about the benefits of introducing young children to Shakespeare and how it has also brought his family closer together. After this introduction Ludwig gives an outline of the rest of the book. The rest of the book consists of instructions on how to teach the 25 chosen passages (the quotation printouts available on the website were very helpful.) But it's not all about tricks on to how to recite and memorize the prose, the author also gives a brief age appropriate (and simple) explanation or modern translation of the passage. He also goes into the main plot points behind each play introduced without getting too academic.
In compliance with FTC guidelines,I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. All views and opinions expressed are my own and I received no compensation for this or any other review posted by myself on Goodreads.com.
The layout of the book was very helpful and often times it felt like I was participating in a really good classroom lecture. Ludwig begins his instruction by informing the reader about the benefits of introducing young children to Shakespeare and how it has also brought his family closer together. After this introduction Ludwig gives an outline of the rest of the book. The rest of the book consists of instructions on how to teach the 25 chosen passages (the quotation printouts available on the website were very helpful.) But it's not all about tricks on to how to recite and memorize the prose, the author also gives a brief age appropriate (and simple) explanation or modern translation of the passage. He also goes into the main plot points behind each play introduced without getting too academic.
In compliance with FTC guidelines,I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. All views and opinions expressed are my own and I received no compensation for this or any other review posted by myself on Goodreads.com.
June 1, 2013
I won this book from First Reads.
I found this book to be enjoyable, and wish I'd had it when I was in high school English class. Plots from some of the plays were explained in a way that was really easy to understand! There are a couple of pieces of Shakespeare I had wanted to try and learn for the fun of it, and this book had some nice tips for learning them. This is one I plan on keeping around for sure if I ever have kids of my own someday.
I found this book to be enjoyable, and wish I'd had it when I was in high school English class. Plots from some of the plays were explained in a way that was really easy to understand! There are a couple of pieces of Shakespeare I had wanted to try and learn for the fun of it, and this book had some nice tips for learning them. This is one I plan on keeping around for sure if I ever have kids of my own someday.
June 26, 2013
Library.
I know nothing about Shakespeare or his works. Seriously, I am just starting to learn about Shakespeare.
Oh, I know what is "common knowledge." I recognize some lines from Shakespeare and probably which play they're from. I think I read Romeo and Juliet in High School (Freshman English? Maybe? and maybe Macbeth at some point). It's possible - highly likely even - I only "read" the parts that we read in class.
This book was a big help. Ludwig walks the reader through many plays, introducing the play -its plot, characters, and philosophy - by way of certain lines to memorize. Some are more well known than others.
His own love for Shakespeare flows from each page. His excitement over the words and ideas, particularly the idea of the world and the stage coinciding, is palpable.
Ludwig doesn't even touch the controversy of "Who was Shakespeare?" but takes him at face value.
I can't say that I think the title is particularly true to the book. Teaching Shakespeare to your children seems to be more about memorizing - using a few tools - than anything else. He does recommend acting out the scenes. He recommends using art in a way I hadn't thought about. But, mostly, it is learning sections - lines, soliloquies, epigrams - by heart. He talks about different figures of speech and poetics, how Shakespeare wrote to tell you how to act, and some allusions he made. For many of the passages, he provides a modern language paraphrase. But, in general, he wants you and your children to memorize Shakespeare. (Yes, I said that three times)
I'm happy to see memorization coming back into vogue.
The Appendices are full of excellent information: a bibliography, other famous passages and or lines, and a list of resources from books to video to audio. The book might be worth owning simply for the Appendices.
One, minor, issue. And I already told you I don't know anything about Shakespeare, remember? But Ludwig, as a playwright, seems to bring forward that idea of theater representing real life a lot. In almost every chapter, almost every passage, toward the end of the book that idea is considered from a different aspect. I thought that, perhaps, there would be some other aspects of Shakepeare's ideas discussed ... and the lack of mention of the influence of scripture or God or a playwright (one explanation of an allusion to Proverbs and one brief, almost ashamed, mention of the possibility of a supernatural playwright was all I noted in this vein)
A great introduction, though. An easy read with short chapters and helpful information, I definitely recommend it to those who wish to learn about Shakespeare or teach him to their children.
I know nothing about Shakespeare or his works. Seriously, I am just starting to learn about Shakespeare.
Oh, I know what is "common knowledge." I recognize some lines from Shakespeare and probably which play they're from. I think I read Romeo and Juliet in High School (Freshman English? Maybe? and maybe Macbeth at some point). It's possible - highly likely even - I only "read" the parts that we read in class.
This book was a big help. Ludwig walks the reader through many plays, introducing the play -its plot, characters, and philosophy - by way of certain lines to memorize. Some are more well known than others.
His own love for Shakespeare flows from each page. His excitement over the words and ideas, particularly the idea of the world and the stage coinciding, is palpable.
Ludwig doesn't even touch the controversy of "Who was Shakespeare?" but takes him at face value.
I can't say that I think the title is particularly true to the book. Teaching Shakespeare to your children seems to be more about memorizing - using a few tools - than anything else. He does recommend acting out the scenes. He recommends using art in a way I hadn't thought about. But, mostly, it is learning sections - lines, soliloquies, epigrams - by heart. He talks about different figures of speech and poetics, how Shakespeare wrote to tell you how to act, and some allusions he made. For many of the passages, he provides a modern language paraphrase. But, in general, he wants you and your children to memorize Shakespeare. (Yes, I said that three times)
I'm happy to see memorization coming back into vogue.
The Appendices are full of excellent information: a bibliography, other famous passages and or lines, and a list of resources from books to video to audio. The book might be worth owning simply for the Appendices.
One, minor, issue. And I already told you I don't know anything about Shakespeare, remember? But Ludwig, as a playwright, seems to bring forward that idea of theater representing real life a lot. In almost every chapter, almost every passage, toward the end of the book that idea is considered from a different aspect. I thought that, perhaps, there would be some other aspects of Shakepeare's ideas discussed ... and the lack of mention of the influence of scripture or God or a playwright (one explanation of an allusion to Proverbs and one brief, almost ashamed, mention of the possibility of a supernatural playwright was all I noted in this vein)
A great introduction, though. An easy read with short chapters and helpful information, I definitely recommend it to those who wish to learn about Shakespeare or teach him to their children.
November 9, 2019
I did not realize that this book is practically a manual on literally how to teach your children Shakespeare. Each chapter introduces a new work of Shakespeare or the subsequent part of one of his works. The author suggests beginning teaching children Shakespeare at the age of six.I read the first chapter and skimmed through the other chapters. I'm not quite ready to teach my 5 and 3 year old this, but it will stay on my shelf for when the time comes. It seemed easy to follow and practical!
June 9, 2022
Have been hearing about this book for years! A resource & guide I could recommend for parents who feel intimidated by WS.
Ludwig's approach is to introduce children via monologue memorization. He walks parents through the context of the speech, greater arc & themes of the play, imagery, etc as part of walking parents through the chosen monologue. This is layperson-friendly analysis. He genuinely loves his topic, he knows it well, he doesn't feel the need to show how smart he is.
Honestly speaking, I'm not sure how our 9yo son would respond to some of the initial monologue choices, particularly the first one (from Midsummer, with a lot of flowers he won't recognize because we don't have them here). But Ludwig gives enough guidance, plus excerpts from a number of plays, so that I can change it up to fit our kiddo's needs.
Please note this book is a resource for parents, not a curriculum. Read ahead & prep, or just read and feel more comfortable yourself.
My main thought, though: what age range is encompassed by "children"?
I see in a lot of homeschooling circles that parents are sharing Shakespeare consistently with early elementary (under 9yo). Call me a hater, but I'm unconvinced. Puck slipping everyone a roofie? Macbeth's murders and his wife's suicide? The family feuds and double suicide of R&J? Pretty much every momemt of Hamlet? =D
There's a vast difference in processing on-screen / on-stage behaviors when you're 6yo vs 9yo vs 12yo vs 15yo... and at the youngest ages it's the difference between absorbing the interesting character as a *hero* and absorbing the interesting character as an interesting character.
I'm not a prude, by any stretch, but my 6yo would not have been able to handle most of these selections or the themes of the suggested plays. At 9yo, I'm willing to try and see. I'm also willing to walk away if it goes poorly.
So if you're feeling the FOMO or peer pressure, just want to reassure you. :) Kids vary! Families vary! Maybe your child is precocious or mine is immature... whatever! The important thing is that it's never too late to enjoy Shakespeare -- and it's perfectly okay to take your time. So says this fortysomething fan who didn't "meet" him until she was twelve, and then only via film.
Ludwig's approach is to introduce children via monologue memorization. He walks parents through the context of the speech, greater arc & themes of the play, imagery, etc as part of walking parents through the chosen monologue. This is layperson-friendly analysis. He genuinely loves his topic, he knows it well, he doesn't feel the need to show how smart he is.
Honestly speaking, I'm not sure how our 9yo son would respond to some of the initial monologue choices, particularly the first one (from Midsummer, with a lot of flowers he won't recognize because we don't have them here). But Ludwig gives enough guidance, plus excerpts from a number of plays, so that I can change it up to fit our kiddo's needs.
Please note this book is a resource for parents, not a curriculum. Read ahead & prep, or just read and feel more comfortable yourself.
My main thought, though: what age range is encompassed by "children"?
I see in a lot of homeschooling circles that parents are sharing Shakespeare consistently with early elementary (under 9yo). Call me a hater, but I'm unconvinced. Puck slipping everyone a roofie? Macbeth's murders and his wife's suicide? The family feuds and double suicide of R&J? Pretty much every momemt of Hamlet? =D
There's a vast difference in processing on-screen / on-stage behaviors when you're 6yo vs 9yo vs 12yo vs 15yo... and at the youngest ages it's the difference between absorbing the interesting character as a *hero* and absorbing the interesting character as an interesting character.
I'm not a prude, by any stretch, but my 6yo would not have been able to handle most of these selections or the themes of the suggested plays. At 9yo, I'm willing to try and see. I'm also willing to walk away if it goes poorly.
So if you're feeling the FOMO or peer pressure, just want to reassure you. :) Kids vary! Families vary! Maybe your child is precocious or mine is immature... whatever! The important thing is that it's never too late to enjoy Shakespeare -- and it's perfectly okay to take your time. So says this fortysomething fan who didn't "meet" him until she was twelve, and then only via film.
April 26, 2016
"Shakespeare should not be an occasional visitor. He should be a permanent houseguest, living in that spare room down the hall, ready to join you for a meal or an evening whenever you crave his company."
Everyone with kids should read this book.
Everyone without kids should read this book.
Everyone with kids should read this book.
Everyone without kids should read this book.
January 18, 2020
A pleasure from cover to cover. Accessible, exuberant, and inspiring. *runs off to read every Shakespeare play, memorize 50 passages, and watch every film adaptation*
June 26, 2013
This was both a great introduction to several of Shakespeare's plays, as well as a practical guide to introducing him to your children through the explanation and memorization of 25 passages from 9 different plays (as well as suggestions for "bonus passages"). I was thoroughly inspired by Ken Ludwig's obvious love of Shakespeare and convinced that memorizing is the way to go if you want to really develop a love for and understanding of his work. This was somewhat of a revelation for me, as I have so far just read a few children's versions of the plays to my kids, and while they have their place, I think now that the real beauty of Shakespeare is in the actual words he used and how he put them together. I want my kids (and myself!) to see and understand that, and not just know the plots of the various plays. I didn't necessarily agree with all his ideas, and would probably delay introducing some of the plays and/or characters until my kids are older, but overall I learned so much from this book and would highly recommend it.
May 4, 2013
not just children-smile
May 18, 2015
Easily the best book we did "all together" in 2014-2015 school year. I wish there were a sequel.
October 18, 2025
The purpose, I believe, of this book is to help demystify Shakespeare with your children so they can understand and appreciate his work and I do think this helped shed light on several of Shakespeare’s plays not just for children, but for adults alike. It definitely increased both my appreciation and intrigue regarding his plays. The author’s love of Shakespeare’s work is contagious! I like that this book takes the intimidation that often surrounds Shakespeare out of the equation and instead acts as a sort of tour guide through the life, times and works of such an influential writer and then gives practical ways for you and your child to retain and recite some of his famous words. I have been reading it in tandem with Shakespeare’s full plays (both in print and audio) and have found that combination to be very beneficial. It did feel a little disjointed at times but overall it was easy to follow.
Shakespeare has so many moral lessons and reflections of our own humanity that take a bit of extra effort to decipher and make sense of due to the need for translation and context, but I’m finding it is well worth the investment of time and attention. So many brilliant gems to ponder on and appreciate!
I recommend this for anyone who may be new to Shakespeare and wants to learn more about him and his plays. While this is written for parents, I think a wide audience could gain from it. This is a book I will revisit again as I strive to teach my son Shakespeare over the years.
Shakespeare has so many moral lessons and reflections of our own humanity that take a bit of extra effort to decipher and make sense of due to the need for translation and context, but I’m finding it is well worth the investment of time and attention. So many brilliant gems to ponder on and appreciate!
I recommend this for anyone who may be new to Shakespeare and wants to learn more about him and his plays. While this is written for parents, I think a wide audience could gain from it. This is a book I will revisit again as I strive to teach my son Shakespeare over the years.
September 13, 2021
3.5 stars.
Marked down a star and a half because of two problems:
1. Mr. Ludwig mostly skips over the part where the children need to know the overarching plot of the play before you start explaining and memorizing excerpts.
2. He accepts a few traditionally "meta" readings of Shakespeare--for example, that Prospero's "Our revels are now ended" is Shakespeare's own farewell to the stage--that I'm skeptical about. Always start with the text, friends.
In general, I think both of these come from the problem of expertise. The author knows so much that it's hard for him to put himself in the shoes of an absolute Shakespeare beginner. He could hop right into memorization with his kids because it was simple for him to retell the story and its context in an interesting way.
Great for parents and teachers with some Shakespeare background already, and good for those who want to be inspired and have another source (the Colville retellings, perhaps?) for learning a little plot and language before they start applying Mr. Ludwig's ideas.
Marked down a star and a half because of two problems:
1. Mr. Ludwig mostly skips over the part where the children need to know the overarching plot of the play before you start explaining and memorizing excerpts.
2. He accepts a few traditionally "meta" readings of Shakespeare--for example, that Prospero's "Our revels are now ended" is Shakespeare's own farewell to the stage--that I'm skeptical about. Always start with the text, friends.
In general, I think both of these come from the problem of expertise. The author knows so much that it's hard for him to put himself in the shoes of an absolute Shakespeare beginner. He could hop right into memorization with his kids because it was simple for him to retell the story and its context in an interesting way.
Great for parents and teachers with some Shakespeare background already, and good for those who want to be inspired and have another source (the Colville retellings, perhaps?) for learning a little plot and language before they start applying Mr. Ludwig's ideas.
April 1, 2016
I have a new found appreciation and courage to tackle Shakespeare. I recall being assigned to read Shakespeare without any hand holding. Shakespeare writing is deeper than what meets the eye and as a high schooler trying to read and truly understand was difficult. I no longer feel that way and plan on sharing this with my children. Ken Ludwig along with Charlotte Mason has inspired me to share Shakespeare with my children from the beginning and not wait until they are in high school. I believe starting earlier helps us create a relationship with this great man.
Thank you Jennifer for this amazing gift. It has touched my heart!!!!
Thank you Jennifer for this amazing gift. It has touched my heart!!!!
July 30, 2023
4.5 A small percentage of this book did not apply to me as I am not teaching anything to any children, but to myself, and for that, it was terrific. A superb tool for de-mystifying Shakespeare for anyone. And what a wealth of great passages and quotes to hopefully use to memorize (if you aren't a beginner you know a lot of this already but its a nice review and reminder) show off and annoy! (anyone who does get irritated if one quotes Shakespeare is merely jealous and secretly impressed, after all, right? Right?)
April 12, 2023
Well, I did NOT expect to read through this whole book! I figured I'd skim it for the teaching tips and shelve it for future reference. NOPE. This was just TOO MUCH FUN. I read it cover to cover. I loved taking a close look at each passage—my inner English major was so happy—and why it's worthy to commit to memory.
If you DO want to teach your children Shakespeare, then it's important you know this book does NOT contain "curriculum." No, no, no. Fie on that. It contains only one basic strategy for "teaching" Shakespeare: Memorize It. Ludwig walks you through 25 passages that he taught his kids to memorize. He explains how he did it so that we can do it too. Simple as that!
The real fun here IS Shakespeare. It's reading his words, figuring out what they mean, and then just taking a bath in them because they are so delicious.
There's also a pretty dope bibliography in the back.
If you DO want to teach your children Shakespeare, then it's important you know this book does NOT contain "curriculum." No, no, no. Fie on that. It contains only one basic strategy for "teaching" Shakespeare: Memorize It. Ludwig walks you through 25 passages that he taught his kids to memorize. He explains how he did it so that we can do it too. Simple as that!
The real fun here IS Shakespeare. It's reading his words, figuring out what they mean, and then just taking a bath in them because they are so delicious.
There's also a pretty dope bibliography in the back.
December 19, 2020
Should be on every parent's shelf
Highly useful, helpful, and inspiring. Parents will learn a lot and they can pass it on to their children.
Not just how to teach Shakespeare,but also how to learn from the great writer yourself. All learning begins in humility, and there is much here to help us learn how to approach great talent with humility. Good stuff.
Highly useful, helpful, and inspiring. Parents will learn a lot and they can pass it on to their children.
Not just how to teach Shakespeare,but also how to learn from the great writer yourself. All learning begins in humility, and there is much here to help us learn how to approach great talent with humility. Good stuff.
December 5, 2015
This book was a joy to read. Ludwig teaches you how to help your children memorize key passages from Shakespeare's plays. Each passage he uses he gives you an introduction to the play and plot so your children can understand the context of the part they are memorizing. This book deepened my love and appreciation for Shakespeare's works (and I already loved them quite a bit). I can't wait to use this book with my children when they are older, and I think I may start memorizing the passages myself just for fun.
November 29, 2014
An interesting perspective on how to teach children Shakespeare. With my children beginning to approach reading age, I'm starting to think about how to do this. This book's approach relies heavily on memorization. I really enjoyed reading the numerous personal stories that illustrate the teaching methods offered.
September 18, 2013
Useful, basic, probably best for people who don't already obsess about Shakespeare. Emphasis on memorization. Somehow still uses sullied flesh instead of solid, but otherwise decent.
February 22, 2017
This is an interesting book, but I had to return it to the library before I could finish it. If I am ever seeking to teach children Shakespeare, this is a book that I would want to use as a resource.
April 13, 2020
So first thing's first, when he says that he wants to teach your children Shakespeare, it's primarily how to memorize passages. Which isn't a bad thing, though I did come into this expecting more of a multi-disciplinary look that taught Shakespeare from stage to film to philosophy. However, Ludwig takes on a lot more than I expected, too! He explains iambic pentameter, tricks on how to memorize passages (something that would have been helpful when I accidentally took an acting class...), and how to understand the true inherent quality and beauty in Shakespeare's words. He also offers a few history lessons so that we and our children can better understand the context from which he writes.
His selections of passages and plays were largely appropriate, though I was hoping for some more gruesome scenes for older children...but his children are quite young, so what can I say! With him, we learn passages from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, the Henrys, and Much Ado About Nothing. We have comedy, history, and tragedy in one book. And with that comes a lot of explaining.
And he explains it all very well! From his photographs to his font choices to the size of his typography, it's all very clearly laid out, and is certainly a product of his research, experience, and dedication. If I had children, I'd definitely use this book to help me teach them Shakespeare!
Review cross-listed here!
His selections of passages and plays were largely appropriate, though I was hoping for some more gruesome scenes for older children...but his children are quite young, so what can I say! With him, we learn passages from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, the Henrys, and Much Ado About Nothing. We have comedy, history, and tragedy in one book. And with that comes a lot of explaining.
And he explains it all very well! From his photographs to his font choices to the size of his typography, it's all very clearly laid out, and is certainly a product of his research, experience, and dedication. If I had children, I'd definitely use this book to help me teach them Shakespeare!
Review cross-listed here!
February 26, 2022
This book was great fun. Ken Ludwig led me on a short but deep dive into Shakespeare's greatest and most accessible works and showed me that, yes, I DO like Shakespeare. Ludwig's exuberance and intelligence, his pure love for Shakespeare shine on each page, and I didn't really want to put it down. This surprised and delighted me, and I am feeling inspired to incorporate Shakespeare into our next school year. If his instructions work halfway decently with my kids, I'll have to come back and give him the last star. The back matter here is also rich, and I've added at least another five books about Shakespeare to my list. Thanks, Ken, for convincing me to partake of one of our culture's greatest gifts.
July 23, 2020
4/5 🌟! This was part teach your children these passages from some of Shakespeare’s finest works, and part let me count the ways that these passages have stood the test of time and what they mean to humanity and therefore should mean to your children. As someone who has loved The Bard for many a year, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hold back from 5 🌟 only because I do not yet have kids and do not forsee rereading it for many years to come and that’s only if I am so blessed with said kids.
April 19, 2021
This is a wonderful resource for learning more about Shakespeare's works for yourself and teaching them to children. My kids and I enjoyed reading a kids' edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and we started memorizing the first passage Ludwig suggests. This book will be a great resource as we explore more of the plays as my kids get older.
I love that his website also has printable copies of each passage (and he has them formatted in the same way he talks about in his book). There are even some recordings of professional actors reading some of the passages.
I love that his website also has printable copies of each passage (and he has them formatted in the same way he talks about in his book). There are even some recordings of professional actors reading some of the passages.
March 14, 2021
What an interesting, nay! Inspiring book. Challenging us, and our young people, to memorize portions of literature (or famous speeches or passages in the Bible, but Ludwig does focus on Shakespeare), an art that has gradually been lost. The author not only makes a solid case for the act of memorization, (and choosing Shakespeare for that very discipline), but guides the reader through several of the playwright's famous plays. Themes touch on fantasy and how to handle grief/misery and true love, understanding vocabulary, confidence in public speaking, and the ability to enjoy great literature (namely not to be daunted by Shakespeare).
March 5, 2019
An easy to read, FUN, and practical guide to teaching even the littlest little to appreciate the work of the Bard. My 5 and 9 year old are quoting A Midsummer Night's Dream after two weeks! I'm shocked and delighted!
December 14, 2019
“He was the inspiration of my youth, the despair of my middle years, and the consolation of my old age.”-Rossini (said of Mozart). My hope is that Shakespeare will be this for my children; another member included at our dinner table and throughout all our lives together.
March 2, 2021
An approachable way to introduce Shakespeare to children. After finishing the book, my kids and I spent about an hour and can all already recite a sizable passage from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and enjoyed it! Hoping to keep this up, and keep it fun. Highly recommend!
April 17, 2024
Sitting at the feet of Ken Ludwig as he shares how he taught his children and how I can teach mine was delightful. I'm sure I'll be referencing and re-reading this book for years to come.
And the passages on memorization alone are worth the cost.
And the passages on memorization alone are worth the cost.
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