When I teach “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, one theme that we focus on is fate vs. free will, which we explore by looking at the ways in which Macbeth’s downfall is driven by outside forces. Students hunt for evidence to …
Julius Caesar is the perfect Shakespeare play to use when focusing on the theme of leadership. A huge aspect of the play is that it is a visceral exploration of essential questions relating to leadership: How hard is it to …
Shakespeare has many plays involving leaders, but the story of Julius Caesar has become legendary. Very early on, the consequences of a leader who has gained too much power is shown. At this point, I would introduce students to the …
The plot of the popular Shakespeare play Twelfth Night is based entirely on deception. I would use the conversation with Elizabeth Cady Stanton on Honesty to lead a discussion with students post reading. I would have them apply the question …
The little known Civil War set story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, pairs perfectly with the conversation on Sacrifice with Mahatma Gandhi. After reading this short story, and discussion the surprise ending, I would lead students in a discussion …
Hamlet is the perfect Shakespeare play with which to have interesting conversations about the theme of problem solving. At the center of this work and several of its famous soliloquies is an exploration of whether something or nothing should be …
