Suggests that Shakespeare's intense self-consciousness of the theatrical conventions within which he was working, associated with an emphasis on studying the text as produced, has to be an important starting point for any classroom study of Shakespeare on film. Offers ideas for teaching such films, such as the Zeffirelli production of "Romeo…

Describes several approaches to teaching Robert Westall's "The Machine-Gunners." Questions the effectiveness of several activities which are commonly used to teach imaginative texts. (MM)

Describes a classroom study of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" which concentrates on the Weird Sisters and the question of witchcraft. Advocates utilizing pupils' experience of powerful images from the general culture, introducing a selection of well-documented historical evidence to support textual study, and avoiding misguided conventional…

Describes a "Shakespeare Coursework Unit" in which Shakespearean and other literary works of the Tudor era were analyzed for evidence of the gender biases prevalent in that period. Notes that by the end of the course, students accepted the assertion that textual analysis is never truly completed. (SG)