Shakespeare, the brilliant playwright, is known for timeless classics like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and The Taming of the Shrew. For centuries, these plays have been adapted to various cultural contexts, preserving their original themes while creating unique interpretations.

Mr. DePauw has embraced this idea for the senior AP Language classroom, where students are assigned to select a Shakespeare play and reinterpret it. The concept is straightforward: the original lines of Shakespeare must remain unchanged, but everything else is free game.

Let’s take a look at some of the renditions AP Lang is cooking up:

1. The Taming of the Shrew: ‘Hood’ edition. Think tattoos, do-rags, chains, and Dr. Dre, reminiscent of 90s street culture. If it relates to that era, it’s in it!
2. Hamlet: Reimagined as set in a retirement home, this version captures the complexities of aging while maintaining the play’s enduring themes of mortality, madness, and familial conflict.
3. Hamlet: A 1940s film noir adaptation. Picture it in black and white, with a dark and moody atmosphere. Crime story or not, im hooked!
4. Othello: Reimagined as a courtoom catastrophe. Paralegals, suits, Meghan Markle, and all the juicy drama!
5. And many, many, more…

AP Lang students are fully embracing the wackiness of this project. Throughout Quarter 3, they will perfect stage directions, props, costumes, and everything in between, working to make Shakespeare’s stories come to life in unique and engaging ways. If you’re intrigued and want to watch these adaptations, please email Mr. DePauw ([email protected]) to save a seat on the big screen (room 140)!