Getting Started with Shakespeare CHEAT SHEET

Ken Ludwig’s Video List

Here are my four favorite general-release movies of Shakespeare, all comedies, and they're all quite tame. As always, use your own discretion when viewing with your kids.

• Much Ado About Nothing, 1993, with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson - PG-13, but there's nothing in it I wouldn't show my own 14 year-old-daughter. It's exhilarating and loads of fun.

• A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2008, with Kevin Kline - PG-13, it's also quite tame.

• The Taming of the Shrew, 1967, with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, unrated because of its date; very tame and loads of fun.

• Twelfth Night, 1996, with Helena Bonham-Carter - PG! A fun version of my very favorite play.

Please be aware that because these are general-release movies, they don't have all the Shakespeare text in them. Movie producers cut the plays a lot for general-release movies to make the movies more user-friendly.

Personally, when I see Shakespeare on screen, I want to see the whole play, and the best way to do that these days is to go to the Globe Player. It's a website that streams productions from the Globe Theatre in London. Go to www.globeplayer.tv and for a small charge, you can rent or buy their recent productions. They are beautifully photographed and I love them.

Of course, some productions are better than others, and I would especially recommend their Much Ado About Nothing with Eve Best and Charles Edwards - really the best Much Ado I've ever seen. Their Twelfth Night (all male, as it was done in Shakespeare's time); it's the funniest, most joyous version of the play I've ever seen. And their Tempest and Merry Wives of Windsor.

Ken Ludwig kenludwig.com

howtoteachyourchildrenshakespeare.com

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The 3 Steps Ken Ludwig teaches:

1. Find short passages to memorize— ideally, an 8-line window into the play.

2. Find every word you don’t know in the passage— the Folger editions of Shakespeare’s plays make this step especially easy!

3. Memorize the lines— put them in your heart!

Ken recommends introducing kids to Shakespeare using one of the following plays:

Usually, you’ll want to start with a comedy. Choose one of these:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Twelfth Night

As You Like It

Alternatively, you can choose one of the histories:

Henry IV, Part I

Henry V

Richard III

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