Which Shakespeare play...?

[husbandcallsmepickle]

Which Shakespeare play did you study for GCSE English? We were chatting about this at work and most of my colleagues read Macbeth. I was in the minority as I studied A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The Tempest for O level
Then Othello and Antony and Cleopatra for A level

Ooh I’ll check that out.

weirdly enough I loved the CBeebies version I thought they did a lovely job of making it engaging for younger children and my DC loved it

That was the year I did my GCSEs and it was a horrible period of time during which it was not compulsory to study Shakespeare. My school organised groups so that you had to be in the same set for English as maths, ffs. So I was in bottom set for both as maths had to have the last word because English at that time was 100% coursework so it 'didn't matter.' That was technically correct (I got 2 As in bottom set) but meant I had a shitty time and was bored out of my mind in the lessons. I ended up writing other people's coursework for them just to pass the time. The bottom set didn't do Shakespeare, though school did let me accompany my friends in the other groups to Stratford to see Romeo and Juliet, so that was good. I went on to do A level lit and then a degree (got a first) so it's a bit mad that I was in bottom set for GCSE and didn't even study Shakespeare until A level.

For GCSE my school did Romeo and Juliet. For A level I did Anthony and Cleopatra as a set text but we also did The Tempest. As a teacher I've taught Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth for GCSE and I think Macbeth is absolute perfection. For A level I've taught Othello, Hamlet, The Tempest and Measure for Measure.

While it's true that they are plays written to be watched and not read, my experience is that watching the film/play first without any study means the students won't have a clue what's going on. I do plot overview in detail then watch and read as we go along.

I saw a production in London with Dawn French playing Bottom!. She was really good!

Romeo and Juliet. I was top set so this seemed way too easy but whatever, I got the A*.
A level was Taming of the Shrew.

Macbeth for O Level but did others in previous years. I recall doing A Winter's Tale drama production one year and Hamlet another. I'm sure we did MND when we were much younger.

@pinotnow that makes sense now why I don't remember doing a Shakespeare.
I don't think we did one.
I liked doing coursework rather than an exam - but then I decided to do A-level English and it was a disaster because I had no idea how to do the exam papers.
(I did one year in 6th Form and did Measure for Measure, Switched to the college and did Hamlet. Did not pass the A-level 🙁)

It's also on the curriculum in Ireland. I did Romeo and Juliet for GCSE equivalent and Othello for A level equivalent.

Henry IV part 1 (O Level) then Othello and The Winter’s Tale for A level.

Romeo and Juliet. I never did Macbeth at school which feels like oversight now although I have both read and watched it many times since! Oldest DD is currently studying it for GCSE so planning to take her to see again sometime next year. Younger DD in year 7 currently doing MND, which I think I also did in year 7. I also remember studying the Tempest and Twelfth Night in lower school.

I then went on and did Lear and Hamlet for A level, both of which I really enjoyed.

The text I came away from exams hating wasn't Shakespeare at all, it was bloody Far From the Madding Crowd which has given me such a deep seated hatred of Thomas Hardy I haven't touched another of his works since!

Merchant of Venice GCE in 1977.

We did A Midsummer Night's Dream in year 9 "for fun" and Macbeth for GCSE. DC2 is currently doing Othello for GCSE and although she's not one for books or plays it's going down a storm.

Aww I can imagine she was.

it’s also a dream of mine to watch a production at the Minack. MSND at the Minack would be just… wow

That would be wonderful! I’ve been to quite a few open-aired Shakespeare productions, never in Cornwall though. I hope you get to see MSND one day!

I had an aunt who lived in Reading when I was a child and she would take my siblings and I to The Abbey Ruins to see Shakespeare.

Romeo and Juliet. The rest of the class was doing A Taste of Honey, but I insisted on being let do Shakespeare, and self taught it.

Aww that sounds lovely. We were in wales a couple of years ago at one of the castles and that night there was a production of Romeo and Juliet and it had sold out and I was kicking myself that I’d never thought to check that in advance.

A midsummer night’s dream here too

The Tempest for GCSE

I love Romeo and Juliet. My favourite film production is the 1968 one, way before my time, but it’s beautiful!

I have seen R&J quite a few times. The last time was the Kenneth Branagh production in London staring Lily James and Richard Madden. It was having Derek Jacobi in it that appealed to me at the time!

Othello for GCSE

Macbeth for year 9 SATS

Hated all of it.

That was very likely the Illyria theatre group - they're incredible and tour three or four productions every year around the UK at castles, NT properties etc - one Shakespeare, one family show, one Gilbert and Sullivan and sometimes an additional one.

They're fantastic. Well worth keeping an eye on their website for tour dates and booking!

We saw the CBeebies As You Like It live at Shakespeare's Globe a couple of years ago (ended up on the TV recording in the audience!) and it was excellent. Big fan of their Shakespeare productions!

Oh you diamond. I’ll check them out

Yay! Glad it’s not just me. They make it wonderfully accessible and that is never ever a bad thing

I remember back in the late 80s or 90s the BBC made some short animated versions of Shakespeare plays (and some bible stories) using different styles of animation.
I remember that was when I first discovered how Romeo and Juliet ends.... I was shocked !!!