Seventh Grade English Tackles Macbeth
“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes …”
For six weeks during the seventh grade English curriculum, Charlie Baird, seventh grade English teacher and department chair, is kind enough to allow for a guest lecturer, Head of School Brendan Largay, to join the class to read Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. The first class will be wrapping up their study of the play as we head into winter break. One of the key figures in the architecture of the Western canon of literature, and one of the greatest storytellers of all time, Shakespeare fits well into the seventh grade’s exploration of power in literature throughout the year. During our study of the text, the students learn to decode the mystifying language of the text; they come to understand the narrative arc of the play; they study the characterization of two of the most compelling characters in theater (Macbeth and Lady Macbeth); and they conclude their study of the play by reciting one of the play’s famous speeches: either “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” by Macbeth or Lady Macbeth’s famous “Out, damned spot!” speech. To witness the students’ growth throughout the unit–beginning with their so-called Shakes-fear of the demanding language and concluding with the comfortable recitation of a complex speech written in that very language–is inspiring!
– Brendan Largay, head of school
