Post #12: Teaching Adaptations in the Classroom

I love adaptations, and I definitely plan on teaching at least a few when I eventually get hired at a school. First and foremost in my mind is Scotland, PA, a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set in rural Pennsylvania in 1975. Using this as an example, I would first have my students read the original Macbeth (or more accurately, act it out as a class), then watch the movie and discuss the similarities and differences. When that's done, I would then have them discuss why the filmmakers chose Pennsylvania in the '70s, of all places and times, as the setting for their adaptation, and why they chose to make it a black comedy instead of a tragedy like the original. What opportunities does it afford them? What new limitations arise? Do these factors combine to make a good Shakespearean adaptation? Why or why not? The students could then use YouTube videos to act out a scene from the original play in their own unique style and setting (incidentally, I had to do this for a different play, Measure for Measure, in my Shakespeare class just this past summer, and it was actually pretty fun).