Annotated Bibliography/Resources
Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998.
Preeminent Shakespearean scholar Harold Bloom examines each of the Bard’s plays under the consideration that William Shakespeare crafted the idea of the literary human and the psychoses of humanity well before modern psychology arose. The introductory and concluding essays provide fine insight into Bloom’s critical positioning and each chapter, focused on an individual play, gives a through and well-argued discussion of character development.
Carneigie, David. Julius Caesar. The Shakespeare Handbooks., edited by Brown, John Russell. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
This slim reference guide provides act and scene summaries as well as an interesting history of performance of the play. A quick read for foundational background knowledge.
Garber, Marjorie. Shakespeare After all. First ed. New York: Anchor Books, 2005.
Garber introduces Shakespeare’s biography and historical context before delving into the task of up-to-date and thorough readings of each of the Bard’s plays, in chronological order. This informative text is both enjoyable and easy to read.
Gibson, Rex. Teaching Shakespeare. Cambridge School Shakespeare. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
An excellent manual for the educator, filled with activities, ideas and short, well-organized explications of many elements and technical details of teaching Shakespeare in a literature classroom.
Goddard, Harold. The Meaning of Shakespeare. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951.
Goddard examines Shakespeare’s plays and provides insightful, compact analysis for the reader; a good reference book.
Kahn, Coppélia “‘Passion of some difference’: Friendship and Emulation in Julius Caesar,” In Julius Caesar: New Critical Essays. New York: Routledge, 2005.
Kahn explores questions of gender and politics in her essay on emulation in Caesar. She explains and identifies the tenets of emulation in the play through careful and well-crafted analysis.
Kermode, Frank. Shakespeare's Language. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000.
This text is a terse and thoughtful summary of the thematic uses of language in Shakespeare’s plays. As Kermode points out in his introduction, the book is accessible and created for use by the lay reader to glean basic knowledge of the way Shakespeare’s language changes during his career.
Leggatt, Alexander. "Questions That Have No Answers." Chap. 4, In Teaching Shakespeare: Passing it on, edited by Shand, G. B., 61-72. UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
This chapter is an excellent meditation on asking generally unanswerable questions as a way to challenge students to use the text to support claims. For instance, one question could be: “Why is this play set in Italy?” Though there is no definite answer given by the text or Shakespeare, students can begin to critically engage and synthesize prior knowledge with the text in order to elicit a more meaningful and relevant reading experience. A useful strategy and a thoughtful, well written essay.
McDonald, Russ. "Planned Obsolescence Or Working at the Words." Chap. 1, In Teaching Shakespeare: Passing it on, edited by Shand, G. B., 11-24. UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
This chapter provides, and then explicates, a list of twelve principles for approaching Shakespeare. Advice such as don’t listen to music while reading, read out loud, and look for text clues, may seem obvious to most, but all twelve principles combined point not only to the appropriate state of mind one must be in to absorb a complicated text but the specific type of attention we must give such layered and nuanced writing.
McWhorter, Patti C. A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. edited by Ellis, W. Geiger, Arthea J. S. Reed. New York: Signet Classics.
This free downloadable pdf is produced as a companion to the Signet edition of Julius Caesar. This study guide has activity suggestions, comprehension questions and other easily reproducible items to supplement any unit roll out.
Metzger, Mary Jane. Shakespeare without Fear: Teaching for Understanding. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004.
Metzger’s slim volume provides practical advice and kind encouragement for the educator. Metzger proposes that Shakespeare be taught as a medium through which students connect with and attempt to understand the world. This book provides the pedagogical and theoretical background for a teacher to create a space in which students will want to interact and consider the works of the Bard.
Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Signet Classics Shakespeare., edited by Barnet, Sylvan, edited by Rosen, William, Barbra Rosen. Second ed. New York: Signet, 1998.
Signet is widely regarded for its reproductions of Shakespeare’s plays. This edition has several critic essays at the end that provide excellent content and consideration for the teacher. The content may be too advanced for ninth grade students, but could be included as part of an Advanced Placement or upper-level high school curriculum.
Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. The Folger Library General Reader's Shakespeare., edited by Wright, Louis B., Virginia A. LaMar. New York: Washington Square Press, 1959.
This version of the play is used in my classroom. The footnotes, scene synopsis and occasional historical illustration provide a seamless and intelligible reading experience for ninth grade students.
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen and William Shakespeare. Shakespeare on the Double: Julius Caesar. Translated by Snodgrass, Mary Ellen, edited by Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. New Jersey: 2006.
A useful reference text for the teacher; several excellent, clear graphic organizers and a modern translation of the text are provided. May be of particular use for teachers who do not teach students who read below grade-level.
Strauss, Valerie. "Teacher: Why it is Ridiculous Not to Teach Shakespeare in School." The Washington Post, June 13, 2015, sec. Answer Sheet.
This short online entry addresses the ongoing battle regarding the canonization of literary works. Strauss addresses and provides rebuttal for criticism on prioritizing the reading of the works of Shakespeare.
Zander, Horst. “Julius Caesar and the Critical Legacy,” In Julius Caesar: New Critical Essays. New York: Routledge, 2005.
Zander’s introductory essay considers the applicability of Caesar in today’s world. He summarizes the previous body of scholarship on this particular play and connects it to the concerns of the current collection. All in all, Zander provides excellent context and background on the critical history of Julius Caesar.
Comments: