I guess when I first started researching Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy I just wasn't too sure about starting Shakespeare so early. But as I have studied Shakespeare and began to introduce his writings to Allison and Jonathan I am amazed at how well they are understanding the plays. We are using Tales From Shakespeare by Tina Packer and also an illustrated book of Twelfth Night by Bruce Coville. It is being enjoyed so much. They are also required to memorize certain phrases from each play that we study. Shakespeare is responsible for adding over 2000 words and phrases to the English language. His plays help us to understand the virtues of man and provide for in-depth discussion of many worldly issues. I know they don't understand everything at this point but as we study the plays each year their understanding will increase. Even though sometimes the stories show behavior somewhat questionable, this is usually unnoticed by young children. Many times Shakespeare is not enjoyed by high school children because of its difficulty. My hope is that if they are exposed to his writings at an early age they will have a much better understanding when they have to study his works in-depth. Here are some recommended resources we are using:
http://www.berith.org/hsres/shak/shak01.html http://cla.calpoly.edu/~smarx/courses/510F99/510Cal.html http://absoluteshakespeare.com/index.htm http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/ http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/shake.htm http://karenswhimsy.com/shakespearesplays.shtm
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