Coriolanus

[Molly Landholt]

Regarding teaching Shakespeare, I tend to believe that using a modern vision of the play makes it more accessible than would reading the original text alongside a similar, but different and modern text. 

However, the most effective modernized adaptation of Shakespeare that I have seen thus far is Ian McKellan's Richard III (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6_j3sgfaGg). Even so, this 1995 adaptation sets the story in the contemporary, but "other" time of World War II. Recently however, I watched the trailer for Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GuD6WTrHto) and I was very impressed by how very up-to-date it is in its interpretation. What really plagues me with both of these re-imaginings of Shakespeare, though, is that they would both likely be  considered inappropriate for a high school class because of their violence (as if the violence were pulled from thin air to make for a cinematic cheap thrill, rather than based on the violence inherent in so many of Shakespeare's plays.)

I still think that, with Ralph Fiennes' rise in popularity and visibility thanks to the Harry Potter films, and the immediacy of the military and of war-time to high school students (most of the soldiers serving are very young men and women in their late teens and early twenties, after all), this vision of Coriolanus would really bring the text to life for many of our students. They know Ralph Fiennes' face and voice, they know what current warfare looks like, and in so many action films, the story-telling lies in the visual rather than in the dialogue, anyway. In spite of all of these advantages, though, I would still feel hesitant to teach the play with the movie for the good reason that, yes, it is sure to be fairly visually violent.

Do I simply heave a sigh and blanket over the Ancient Roman honor, leadership, and revenge in Coriolanus and Titus Andronicus (both of which have stunning--but potentially disturbing--modern interpretations) with some same-old-same-old movie of Julius Caesar (inevitably still set in Ancient Rome)? Or is there a way out from under this proverbial blanket?

[Rachel]

@Molly. I too like the idea of using a modern version of a Shakespeare play. I often wonder which of Shakespeare's plays I CAN teach and why. In high school I remember reading Romeo and Juliet and Midsummer Night's Dream. However, I think King John and As You Like It are some of Shakespeare's best plays.