Shakespeare is back in 2016!

Click on the image to get more info about each book

2016 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. And at Los Herrán Secondary School we have decided to contribute to this event in a humble way by bringing the great writer into the school library accompanied by seven of his most famous plays in English. This collection of graded readers is suitable for students at intermediate level and some of them are accompanied by a CD. And if you want to explore Shakespeare's world, Macmillan Publishers offers you a lot of resources.

But why read Shakespeare's plays 400 years after they were written? Well, as someone said: "He was not of an age but for all time" (Ben Jonson, 1572-1637). And a quick look at the stories in each of the seven adaptations will show how relevant they are to our modern lives (the links below will take you to a short animated video).

Hamlet tells us the story of the young Prince Hamlet's journey into despair and revenge after he learns that his uncle is his father's murderer.

Much Ado About Nothing ("Mucho ruido y pocas nueces") is about the war of power and understanding between men and women and the disguises they wear in their romantic relationships.

In Macbeth we will see Macbeth's bloody rise to power encouraged by his wife's ambition, which will lead to madness and the destruction of their marriage.

And like Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, who hasn't fallen in love with the wrong person?

In A Midsummer Night's Dream ("Sueño de una noche de verano"), four young lovers get lost in the forest and the fairies that live there play jokes on them turning love into hate and hate into love.

Othello tells the story of what happens to the general of Venice when he marries the beautiful daughter of a rich and powerful Venetian.

Finally, in The Merchant of Venice ("El mercader de Venecia"), a successful merchant, to help his friend get married, borrows money from a money-lender. But what will happen if he cannot return the money in three months?

Still think Shakespeare belongs in the past? Well, just open any newspaper, watch the news or your favourite TV show and you'll find proof of Shakespeare's contemporary relevance.