Reading Shakespeare on Film: Thinking Like a Director to Improve Understanding

Jonathan Mitchell

Introduction

Students love “movie day”: the darkened room, the visual medium, and the perceived break from learning. Since most of Shakespeare’s commonly taught plays are available on film, English teachers often show at least parts of the film version of the play they are reading. Although the typical “read the book, then show the movie” approach may help students understand the chronology and dialogue of a play, the practice does little to help them understand the underlying themes and issues explored through the dialogue alone. By introducing students to the techniques that movie directors use to construct meaning from their scripts, teachers will help students learn to become not only critical viewers of Shakespeare on film, but also more astute readers of his texts.

Objectives

To equip students with the analytical tools they need to become critical viewers of film; to apply newly acquired knowledge of film techniques and terminology in analyzing film versions of Shakespeare’s plays; to discuss how consistent directorial choices reveal a distinct interpretation of themes, characters, mood, and even plot.

Grade Level: Secondary

Time: One or two class periods

Lesson Sequence

Begin the lesson by exploring how much students already know about filmmaking techniques and terms. Brainstorm by asking students what kind of things in a movie cause us as the audience to react the way we’re supposed to, whether that be laugh, scream, cry or think. As the students share their ideas, jot down their responses into a Brainstorming Chart broken up into three categories as suggested by Teasley and Wilder in their book Reel Conversations: Reading Films with Young Adults (16): Theatrical, Literary, and Cinematic.

The theatrical column will contain ideas involving elements typically pertaining to drama: props, acting, set, costumes, etc. The literary column will contain elements typically found in any work of fiction: dialogue, conflict, setting, characterization, mood, etc. The cinematic column will contain elements distinct to filmmaking: type of shot, camera angle, lighting, editing, and sound. Once the brainstorming session is over, explain to students that one of the objectives of the lesson is to show the connection between the three columns.

Next distribute the Student’s Copy of Golden’s Glossary to students. Teachers may define terms one at a time or give students a list of terms with the definitions already included. Teachers can make transparencies of the Teacher’s Copy of Golden’s Glossary to introduce the terms to their students on an overhead projector. Teachers may also choose to show clips that demonstrate a few of the terms while introducing them to students. After reviewing the list of film terms, break students into groups (of three preferably) and show extended clips, instructing them to watch the clips critically and apply their new tools to what they see.

For this particular lesson, the 1953 Mankiewicz version of Julius Caesar will be used for two purposes: first, to show the use of some of the film techniques that students have just learned; second, to provide an opportunity for groups to demonstrate their understanding of the techniques evident in one or two additional clips. Student groups can be instructed to have each group member watch for a particular category of film element (theatrical, literary, or cinematic) or they may each try to track elements from all of the categories. Group members can track their observations on the Film Viewing Guide. If we can work out some copyright issues, we’ll post the video for the lesson; until then, below is a list of the clips and terms used for the lesson.

Clips Highlighting Selected Film Techniques

Establishing Shot (ES), Dolly Shot (DS), Diegetic Sound: Caesar’s train entering in 1.2
High Angle Shot (HA) of Cassius standing below Caesar’s statue in 1.2
Dolly Shot (DS), Non-diegetic sound, Dissolve Edit towards the end of 1.2 during Cassius’ soliloquy
Side Lighting, Diegetic Sound, and Mise-en-Scene are all evident in this quick clip from 2.1 when Brutus is contemplative in his orchard
Low Angle Shot (LA), Dolly Shot (DS), and Close-Up (CS) are all evident in this scene depicting Caesar’s assassination in 3.1
Low Angle Shot (LA), Side Lighting, Close-Up (CS), and Deep Focus are exhibited in this clip from 3.2 as Antony gives his funeral oration

Group Activity Clips

The first clip begins in 3.1 as Brutus and the other conspirators exit the Capitol after Caesar’s assassination, leaving Antony to prepare the body, and concludes with the ending of Antony’s “Let slip the dogs of war” soliloquy. It has the cinematic element of an Eye Line Match, but has several other cinematic, literary, and theatrical elements as well, including a stunning visual of Brutus closing the doors of the Capitol, essentially signaling that the remainder of the play will center on Antony, not himself.
The second clip captures the end of 4.1 when Antony is left alone after Octavius and Lepidus exit. Students should pay attention to the Non-diegetic sound and Antony’s gestures and movement in this scene that has no stage directions in the script.

Shakespeare has few stage directions in his plays, and Mankiewicz makes some interesting and insightful directorial choices that will spur classroom discussion and help students articulate their thoughts about the themes in Julius Caesar.

Other Films Suited for This Lesson

Welles’ Othello
Zefferelli’s Hamlet
Branagh’s Henry V
Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet

Works Cited

Golden, John. Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 2001.

Teasley, Alan B. and Wilder, Ann. Reel Conversations: Reading Films with Young Adults. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1997.