Biographical note:
KEN LUDWIG is an internationally acclaimed playwright who has had numerous hits on Broadway, in London’s West End, and throughout the world. He has won two Laurence Olivier Awards (England’s highest theater honor), received three Tony Award nominations, and won two Helen Hayes Awards and the Edgar Award. His work has been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and has been performed in at least thirty countries in over twenty languages. Some of his Broadway and West End shows include Crazy for You, Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo, Twentieth Century, and adaptations of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Treasure Island. He studied music at Harvard with Leonard Bernstein and theater history at Cambridge University in England. Visit him at www.kenludwig.com.
Country of final manufacture:
US
Excerpt from book:
chapter 1
Passage 1 Learning the First Line
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows
Nine words. Each word has one syllable. Nine syllables.
That’s all it is.
It isn’t hard to learn this line of poetry. It’s from the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, and I’ll bet your son or daughter can memorize it in less than a minute.
There are two keys to memorizing it:
First, say it aloud.
Second, repeat it.
So let’s do it together: Say this aloud:
I know a bank
Now say it again:
I know a bank
Now say it four times in a row. No kidding. Just do it—and promise me that you’ll do it aloud:
I know a bank
I know a bank
I know a bank
I know a bank
Did you say it aloud? Because if you didn’t, this won’t work, I assure you. In order to do it properly, you have to go to a place where you won’t be embarrassed. Just pick a room and close the door. Then sit down with your son or daughter and do it together. Say it aloud four times. If you’ve done this honestly, as I’ve described, you’ve now got it in your brain, and you’ll never forget it.
I know a bank
Now do the same thing with the second half of the line. The words are more complex but not difficult at all. Have your child say them aloud:
where the wild thyme blows
Now say them again:
where the wild thyme blows
It’s important when you learn Shakespeare that you understand every word you’re reading or memorizing. Your children should understand that a bank is a mound of grass on the side of a stream or river, and that thyme is a flowering plant with a strong smell. It is less commonly known that blow in Shakespeare’s day meant “burst into flower.” So what the speaker is describing is a mound of grass, probably near a stream, where the wild thyme is blowing in the breeze and bursting into flower.
Now let’s go back to the words. Say the second half of the line again, four times, out loud.
where the wild thyme blows
where the wild thyme blows
where the wild thyme blows
where the wild thyme blows
If you’ve said these words aloud, you and your child can now put the whole line together without difficulty. Do it. Say it aloud:
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows
Say it again, and really enjoy saying it, because it’s good for the soul.
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows
One last time, and this time say it in a hushed tone, painting a picture with the words, describing a place of great beauty and depth:
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows
And now you and your child have memorized some Shakespeare. Believe me, it will stay with both of you for the rest of your lives. And it will change your lives.
chapter 2
The Reason for the Book
Let’s pause for a moment so I can give you some backg“Don’t be fooled by the title. This book is for anyone who wants to brush up on Shakespeare… Don’t buy this book to teach your children; take them along as you commit these beautiful speeches to memory.” --Kirkus
"Ken Ludwig's enthusiasm for Shakespeare and his lucid, accessible and inspiring book on How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare is a rare treat. You and your children will be transformed into the magic and mystery of Shakespeare and his stories in an instant. I highly recommend the book to all who have a love of language and history." - Sir Derek Jacobi, CBE
“How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare is an inspired and inspiring book. It’s also a deeply rewarding one that will bring a great deal of pleasure to many parents and children. Ken Ludwig, a wonderful playwright, proves to be a superb guide to Shakespeare as well.” - James Shapiro, author of A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare and Contested Will
"I wish someone had given this book to my parents. It would have made a life-changing task downright fun. Ken Ludwig is a smart, congenial and inventive guide, and everywhere in this remarkable book he takes the strangeness out of Shakespeare's work and leaves the enchanting mystery. A book for all lovers, and potential lovers, of Shakespeare. Like nothing else, it creates a magical home theater for parents and their children." - J. D. McClatchy, Yale University
"I have been in [Ken's] home. His children really do know Shakespeare. Read the book and you'll see why. It's scholarship dancing around with fun." - Hal Holbrook
