5 Reasons Why Shakespeare Should Not Be Required in Schools [View all]

5. The language is archaic and many meanings have changed in the 403 years since it was published. Like the French spoken in Quebec, the version of English used in Shakespeare is not modern. The Quebecois were isolated from the evolution of the French language for centuries and this produced not benefits for them. Forcing students to slog through an archaic version of English is appropriate for language and English majors but not for general education.

4. The subject matter is elitist and no longer relevant. "My kingdom for a horse" is not the kind of problem most students are facing today. Nor is having your mother marry your uncle after your uncle kills your father. Monarchy, royal successions, "gunpowder" plots have as much relevance today as alchemy and humorism. Shakespeare's audience and patron was Queen Elizabeth. Her priorities are quite different than anyone's today.

Worse, the nobles speak in iambic pentameter while the middle and lower class don't. The lower classes are made fun of and given derogatory names such as "Pompey Bum" and "Mistress Overdone".

3. It is terrible as drama. One actor shouts a long monologue while the rest hold a frozen expression of reaction. Completely unnatural. A stylized version of stage acting that is closer to a poetry reading than interactive drama. The length of many works suggests that the form we have was intended for reading. 'Hamlet' with over 30,000 words would be over 5 hours long if performed in its entirety. Today most of the plays are performed in heavily edited versions.

2. The music is long gone. Imagine trying to watch 'The Lion King' or 'Oklahoma' or 'Chicago' without the music! Yet we are supposed to pretend that people speaking lyrics with no musical backing is perfectly acceptable and normal.

1. There is plenty of far better material available now. Relevant. Thought-provoking. "12 Angry Men" "To Kill a Mockingbird" "A Raisin in the Sun" "Our Town" "Death of a Salesman" "The Glass Menagerie" "The Crucible" "Streetcar Named Desire" "Doubt"