The teaching of Shakespeare should be compulsory.

There is huge variety both thematically and concerning the use of language over Shakespeare's plays. Certain plays are far too complex for key stage 4 Children, for example Measure for Measure which is often referred to as a 'problem play' and deals with very complex ideas of justice and sexual conduct. However, there are certainly many plays and sonnets that are far more light hearted that could be easily understood by children of that age and younger with just a little help on the language aspect. One may look to plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream or Twelfth Night in this instance. Yes, it can be argued that even the simpler plays may not be fully understood by a young teenager but one must consider the question - does this matter? As long as the child is able to grasp the basic concepts he or she will be able to enjoy the story. Yes, it can also be argued that the language is far too complex to expect a child to learn but this is underestimating the ability of children. They are expected to learn foreign languages such as French and German at school, even before Shakespeare's plays are tackled. If they are able to pick up a language that is entirely separate from English then surely they are perfectly capable of tackling Shakespeare, who uses merely English albeit with some words that are no longer common.

The kind of ideas Shakespeare writes about are highly advanced, as is the language he uses. Many pupils are put off by this, and so will not learn as much as they might with another poet who is more accessible.

This is not to say that teachers shouldn't feel they can use Shakespeare when it is appropriate, but we must accept that there are different levels of ability in the classroom, and different abilities need different materials to maximise their potential.