Walking in Shakespeare's Shoes: Connecting His World and Ours Using Primary Sources

Walking in Shakespeare's Shoes proposes and explores a practical, historical, and culturally-relevant approach to teaching Shakespeare, situating the plays and sonnets in a tumultuous early modern world. Organized by play, each chapter illuminates the versatility of the approach through examples of how early modern primary sources can be incorporated partially or fully into any pedagogical approach to Shakespeare. Realistic accounts of how diverse students engage with Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, the four most commonly taught plays in middle and high schools today, are the centerpiece of the book. Two chapters on the sonnets and Shakespeare Book Clubs share practical techniques for working with several texts to explore how religion, politics, family, and cultural norms permeated his writing. Class discussions and student work provide evidence for the value of the approach.