Shakespeare and August Wilson

What if August Wilson’s King Hedley could talk to Shakespeare’s Hamlet? What might these characters say—and share?

Starting with a single line is the least intimidating way to get students grappling with the language of a complex text. These juicy lines from Fences will have students owning Wilson’s language in no time at all.

What new understandings about race, gender (and so much more) will be unearthed when students pair soliloquies from Beatrice and Ma Rainey?

What interesting ideas might students unearth when they have two characters speak across time and region?

Get students thinking deeply about control and power by pairing soliloquies in two plays: August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Walk through the what, how, and why of this paired text lesson with the teacher who created it: Amber Phelps, Baltimore City College (MD).