Is Shakespeare's work is still relevant in contemporary society today?
An idea for linking Shakespeare and the relevance to society today can be done through this hands-on activity.
1) Short summaries of some of Shakespeare's famous works are placed around the classroom. Check out Mya Gosling's homepage of these really short and succinct comic summaries. Her love for Shakespeare's works is made fun through these great and easy-to-read illustrations.
2) Each student will be given an image of two contemporary movies. They'll need to quickly google and read about them and see match the movie that has obvious links to a Shakespearean work.
The above activity is just something to allow students to discover how Shakespeare was able to discern perceptive things about human nature that was way beyond most of his contemporaries and why his works continue to appeal to us even till today.
Eg. Disney films High School Musical and The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride and even the hugely popular book Twilight by Stephanie Meyer are adaptations of Romeo and Juliet. In High School Musical and The Lion King 2, both have rival cliques and warring prides and two star crossed lovers. In Twilight, the young Bella finds forbidden love with a vampire.
Here are 3 points to make to students about human nature that Shakespeare understood:
A) Humans are complex
Shakespeare understood that humans are neither entirely good nor evil. Many main characters in his plays are complex.
B) Humans change over time
Shakespeare allowed circumstances and situations to result in character change over time. Majority of Shakespeare's characters mature when they learn from their mistakes.
C) Humans, no matter how good they may seem, have flaws
Most of the tragic heroes in his plays are characters of prestige. Kings, high ranking officials. They all have flaws that lead to tragic consequences. However, they are all part and parcel of their journey to self-discovery. There is an element of hope and a lesson to be learnt from his plays.