Disavowing Authority in the Shakespeare Classroom

Abstract

Based on real experiences of teaching Shakespeare in diverse classrooms and outreach programmes, this Element questions the role of authority in Shakespeare teaching. It connects an understanding of how Shakespearean texts function with critical thinking about teaching, especially derived from the work of Jaques Rancière. Certain elements of the Shakespearean text - notably how it was intended to teach its first readers, the actors, and its uses of dramatic irony - are revealed as already containing possibilities for more decentred forms of knowledge production.