Customer Reviews

Othello: The Moor of Venice (Shakespeare on Stage Series, Vol. 8)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first used the Shakespeare on Stage series with English limited students and middle school students new to Shakespeare in my drama class. Especially in situations where the whole class is not studying one play at length, but may be working on a number of scenes from a variety of plays, it is not always easy for the teacher to give every group of students the complete background, preparation, and explanation they need--much they have to tackle on their own by looking over scripts and choosing something that clicks with them. That's where the Shakespeare on Stage plays are very effective. Many of my middle school students, when choosing material on their own to perform, could not grasp versions of the play meant for a more experienced reader of Shakespeare. They easily grasped the story line and characters when beginning with this version, on the other hand. The text is moderately abridged, but Shakespeare's original language is used. The elaborate stage directions spell out character motives and movement. Often, when beginning with one of the Shakespeare on Stage books, students were quickly able to identify a scene they wanted to work on or characters they felt a connection with, and would then move to an unabridged version of the scene. In terms of the purpose for which this series was intended, I rate each play in the series highly. It is a great resource for teachers with students who need a little extra help connecting with the Bard.