Shakespearean Musicscapes: Notes for Approaching Shakespeare through Music

Shakespeare’s presence in contemporary culture is ubiquitous, yet his works seem to be tangled up in a sort of elitist, highbrow veneer, which teachers may struggle to brush off. As a consequence, educational practitioners often resort to rewritings, adaptations and appropriations of Shakespeare’s works in an attempt to reach their young audience. YouTube and other file-sharing platforms, such as Tumblr, Daily Motion and TED Talks, however, may prove extremely useful for designing new approaches to Shakespeare that rely on the manifold connections between the Bard and music. Accordingly, this essay proposes some teaching strategies drawing on hip-hop, rap and contemporary music to introduce Shakespeare's sonnets and plays in the classroom. Although it does not aim to provide an actual lesson plan, this essay explores some of the connections between the Bard and music that teachers may exploit. This may be done through warm-up, lead-in and wind-down activities, or through student-centred tasks. These affinities are investigated in both directions, from Shakespeare’s texts and contexts to music, and vice versa, paying specific attention to the work of the American poet Erik Didriksen and the British rapper Akala before dwelling on the role of music in "The Merchant of Venice".