Will power: The Bard endures

Whether you realise it or not, you’ve probably quoted William Shakespeare this week.

You may have complained that you haven’t slept a wink, been sent on a wild goose chase or had to be cruel to be kind – all of these phrases (and many more) have their origins in his plays.

After reports suggesting that Shakespeare is no longer taught in some New Zealand schools, it appears The Bard remains a mustread for many Kiwi students.

In 2012, the Ministry of Education removed the Shakespeare achievement standard from NCEA level three English, making studying and writing about his plays entirely optional.

But the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand (SGCNZ)/University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival is proof that passion for his work is still strong, a sentiment echoed by teachers around the country.

SGCNZ was founded 30 years ago and more than 120,000 high school students have participated, performing scenes from any of The Bard’s canon, including his poems and sonnets.

Dawn Sanders, chief executive of SGCNZ, said it used to be compulsory for schools to teach a whole Shakespeare play, but the quality of teaching could differ.

‘‘If the teacher didn’t understand, didn’t care or didn’t like Shakespeare, then it was taught badly and people had a really bad experience with it and it turned them off for life.’’

Despite being written more than four centuries ago, Shakespeare’s plays remained relevant today, said Sanders, who has seen a depiction of Richard III that explored the power struggle between Apple and Google and a performance of Julius Caesar that was an allegory of Donald Trump’s presidency.

‘‘They are all nature,’’ she said. about human

‘‘Shakespeare wrote about personal relationships, religions, families, leadership battles, so many different things.’’

Associate professor Shef Rogers, who teaches at University of Otago’s department of English and linguistics, said Shakespeare remained ‘‘our richest source in English of insights about human nature’’.

At Wellington’s Rongotai College, Shakespeare is studied in year 9-13 English classes.

Principal Kevin Carter said students read King Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth, Henry V, 12th Night, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet and Othello.

‘‘His works have rich language and universal messages,’’ Carter said. ‘‘We believe we would short change our students if we didn’t offer them the chance to meet and read the world’s greatest writer.’’

But Mana College English teacher Mark Houghton said teachers might decide works by other authors would get ‘‘more buyin’’ from students.

For students wanting to improve their own creative writing, Shakespeare’s use of language was unparalleled, but the complexity of language added an extra layer of difficulty, particularly for students who already struggled with English.

There had been a ‘‘worthwhile push’’ from many schools for students to be exposed to more New

He sayeth . . .

Ten common phrases thought to come from William Shakespeare: We have seen better days – As You Like It

The apple of my eye – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Heart of gold – Henry V

A pound of flesh – The Merchant of Venice

A laughing stock – The Merry Wives of Windsor

Neither rhyme nor reason – The Comedy of Errors

The clothes make the man – Hamlet It’s Greek to me – Julius Caesar What’s done is done – Macbeth Foregone conclusion – Othello

Zealand writers, where ‘‘students can see themselves and their lives reflected in the experiences of locally-based characters’’, leading to more engagement.

‘‘In saying that, student experiences can also be reflected in the actions of Shakespearean characters.’’

Tania Hawes, head of English at Christchurch’s Riccarton High School and chair of Canterbury English Teachers’ Association, said it was ‘‘theoretically’’ possible for a student to complete secondary education without reading any Shakespeare.

‘‘The teachers choose text that they believe their students will respond best to.’’

‘‘It’s taught slightly differently to what it once was – we tend to look at context and perspective far more than just dealing with it as a tale. That’s how we bring it alive.’’

Upper Hutt College assistant English department head Kath Cowley said she had seen some ‘‘amazing success’’ in Shakespeare from past year 13s, particularly with Othello.

‘‘Nothing is as gorgeous as a student recognising a literary reference to a great in their other reading or viewing.’’

But she was an advocate of schools adapting and changing to meet their learners.

‘‘We will always have Shakespeare in some shape.’’