Introducing Shakespeare's Tragedies: A Guide for Teachers

This stimulating and accessible book is intended for instructors at the junior high school, high school, and undergraduate levels who present Shakespeare’s most familiar tragedies to students who are largely unfamiliar with them. Acclaimed teacher of drama Victor L. Cahn begins with a general introduction, then examines six of Shakespeare’s tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. With attention always directed towards inspiring student interest and response, Professor Cahn provides an overview or “spine” for each work, then proceeds scene by scene, focusing on salient characters, details of language, and major themes. The volume not only is entertaining and clear, but also raises provocative points of interpretation as well as numerous questions for discussion. Underlying the project is the conviction that although the plays are most effective in performance, they can nonetheless prove compelling in the classroom, where students can appreciate that although these works are set in a distant time and place, their issues and implications remain universal.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction A Few Words about the Tragedies Chapter 1: Romeo and Juliet Chapter 2: Julius Caesar Chapter 3: Hamlet Chapter 4: Othello Chapter 5: King Lear Chapter 6: Macbeth Afterword About the Author

About the Author :
Victor L. Cahn is Professor Emeritus of English at Skidmore College. He is the author of fifteen books (seven on Shakespeare), as well as numerous plays that have been presented Off-Broadway and regionally.

Review :
Drawing on decades of experience, Cahn offers a genial and insightful guide to the growing challenges we all face presenting these plays to students. Professor Cahn's guide to Shakespeare's plays reflects his many years of experience in the classroom and the theater. Teachers faced with the daunting task of engaging 21st-century students with 16th-century drama will benefit from Professor Cahn's stimulating presentation of a complex subject and share his delight in Shakespeare's language and intelligence. Cahn skillfully presents the material with clarity and wit, offering perceptive insights in an accessible manner with as much style as he did when I was his student. For the student, teacher, or general reader, Professor Cahn's work is an excellent, refreshingly direct guide to the essential issues of Shakespeare's plays. Teachers will find Professor Cahn's clear and elegant prose a pleasure to read and his nuanced critical approaches especially stimulating.