Britain's teaching unions have called for a 'more snappy' approach to teaching works of William Shakespeare in the schools, taking inspirations from film trailers.
"Don't start at the beginning. Taking inspiration from film trailers, give novice Shakespeare readers a taste of the most highly dramatic scenes in the play," said Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).
Bousted a former English teacher herself, said the trend of giving the 17th century playwright "far too much respect" in schools often backfired by turning pupils off in large numbers.
"Is it any wonder that so many students grit their teeth, learn the lines and, when the exam is over, remember Shakespeare only as something that had to be endured in pursuit of an exam pass," she wrote in the 'Times Educational Supplement'.
Her comments come amid a series plans backed by the goverment to promote more Shakespeare in state schools.
Students would be required to study two of Shakespeare's plays after changes in the GCSEs school qualification system in England. The change was made following concerns that previous pupils were simply focusing on small "extracts" of Shakespearean plays to pass exams.
Ministers are also supporting the launch of a dedicated "Shakespeare Week" to mark the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth - giving children lessons about the English writer and poet who forms a major part of the English school curriculum around the world, including India.
Bousted said she agrees that Shakespeare provided 'compelling drama' but feels teachers needed to adopt an imaginative approach to his plays to make them more relevant to modern schoolchildren.
For instance, Macbeth should start in Act 2 after the murder of King Duncan, while Romeo and Juliet should begin just before Tybalt's death early in Act 3.
"These tricks are used today in soap operas around the world, with their mix of high drama, tragedy and comedy. Students will approach Shakespeare more confidently if they are able to make connections between what they already know and the unfamiliar world that they are about to enter," she said.
