He can stand on his own …

… Teaching Shakespeare Straight Up - WSJ. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

The classroom seems to me the only place where rigorous, communal attention to the words on the page is possible. Reading this way prepares students to better appreciate a live production when the opportunity to see one arises, and it helps them appreciate Shakespeare’s inimitable use of language—his poetry and his prose—in a rigorous, intimate way. It also prepares them to better understand the politics of family and society and to deal more intelligently with friendship, love and career. Only by studying the plays closely in a classroom setting, where many voices contribute to understanding, can these ideas be fully probed.

Speaking of Shakespeare, Debbie and I last weekend saw an excellent production of Macbeth at the Arden Theater. If you're in this area, tonight and tomorrow are the last days of the run. If there are any tickets left, get one.