The Week Junior - UK (2022-04-23)

8 The Week Junior • 23 April 2022

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Should Shakespeare be updated?

T

o update or not to update William Shakespeare?

That is the question. Shakespeare was born more

than 450 years ago and has become one of the

world’s best-known playwrights. He wrote comedies,

tragedies, histories and poems that are studied in

schools all over the world. His plays are still

performed to packed theatres. The plays are full of

gripping drama, beautiful poetry, betrayal, confusion,

romance and wit. However, Shakespeare’s time was

different to today. His language is old-fashioned and

can be hard to follow. Also, attitudes were different

and women and people of colour were sometimes not

treated fairly. This has led to people saying his work

should be reworked for today’s audiences. What do

you think? Should Shakespeare be updated?

Yes – Shakespeare needs reworking

Shakespeare might be a great playwright whose

plays feature spellbinding plots and beautiful poetry,

but what is the point of them if people cannot

understand them? The language is too old-fashioned

and difficult to follow and takes away from the

drama. The same stories could be told using today’s

language and audiences would still get as much joy

and pleasure from the plays. Some of the views and

attitudes portrayed in his work are offensive. Modern

audiences should not have to put up with these

views. There are many brilliant modern playwrights

from around the world whose work people should

also study and whose plays can provide audiences

with lots of drama, richness and beauty.

No – his brilliance should be preserved

Shakespeare’s work is timeless, beautiful and

powerful. The richness of the language and the

playful use of words should be celebrated. There are

good reasons that the plays are still being performed

hundreds of years after Shakespeare was born. Many

of Shakespeare’s phrases are still used. For example,

“all that glitters isn’t gold”, and “the world is my

oyster”. The plays also reveal a lot about what it is to

be human. Love and heartbreak, victory and defeat,

kindness and revenge are themes that last through

the ages. In Shakespeare’s time, attitudes were

different but it can be good for people today to

discuss them and what they are like today. Audiences

today can learn from the mistakes of the past.

Playwright and poet William Shakespeare

is thought to have been born on 23 April

1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England.

He is widely regarded as one of the

greatest playwrights in history and is

still influencing artists today. He wrote

famous plays including Romeo and Juliet,

Macbeth, Hamlet and A Midsummer

Night’s Dream.

However, some theatre and filmmakers

have reimagined Shakespeare’s plays to

make them clearer for today’s audiences.

They have changed the text into the way

people speak today, rather than how

Shakespeare wrote it.

What you need to know

1

The language is old-fashioned and

outdated. It would be easy for modern

audiences to understand his plays if the

language was updated.

2

Some of the views are not appropriate

today and could be hurtful to people

watching or reading his work.

3

People should be able to study

literature and see plays written by

people from other parts of the world

rather than focusing on Shakespeare.

Three reasons Shakespeare

should be updated

Three reasons Shakespeare

YES NO should not be updated

Is Shakespeare still

cool for school?

LAST WEEK’S POLL

Last week, we asked if it was

time to change classic hot

cross buns and add

different flavours. It was

a close vote but most of

you seem to like hot cross

buns just the way they are.

ALA

MY

·^ R

EX^ S

HU

TTE

RST

OC

K

1

The language Shakespeare uses is

beautiful and powerful and should

not be changed. Shakespeare invented

phrases we still use today.

2

His work tells us what it means to be

human. Themes such as love, envy and

friendship are still relevant today.

3

The plays tell us about the time

Shakespeare lived in. Modern

audiences can discuss the attitudes of

the time and learn from the past.

Some think it is time to bring

the writer’s work up to date.

Now that you’ve read a bit more about it, tell us what you think by voting in our poll at theweekjunior.co.uk/polls.

Vote YES if you think Shakespeare’s work should be updated, or NO if you don’t. We’ll publish the results next week.

Listen to our podcast to hear

Bex from Fun Kids radio and

three of The Week Junior team

bring this big debate to life. You’ll find it

at tinyurl.com/TWJpodcast

Junior

SH W

The aim of the Big debate page is to present two sides of an issue fairly and objectively, in order to stimulate discussion and allow our readers to make up their minds.

The views on the page do not reflect those of The Week Junior, and the page is not funded by third parties. The page is created in association with the English-Speaking

Union, an educational charity helping young people discover their voice and realise their full potential. For more information, please see esu.org

The big debate

53%

NO

47%

YES