English Department hosts Shakespeare Revision Day

The annual Shakespeare Revision Day hosted by the English Department allows both Upper and Lower Sixth students from local state and independent schools to participate in an array of sessions and seminars. The event aims to extend attendees’ knowledge of Shakespearean studies, as well as provide a focus on the set texts in preparation for their upcoming exams.

This year there were three lectures in the EM Forster Theatre. The first was from Head of English, Nick Waywell on Shakespeare’s audiences, focusing on what is known about the make-up of the crowds.

This was followed by Dr Sean McEvoy of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, who spoke about the imagination and freedom in Shakespeare’s comedies, with a particular focus on The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Lastly, Natalie Greenwood, who teaches at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Girls and is writing a PhD on concepts of the soul in medieval literature, gave a lecture entitled, The time is past, and so am I: Facing the past in Shakespeare’s tragedies. This provided context and insight to those studying King Lear, Othello and Hamlet.

The day concluded with breakout sessions in Dry Hill House, the home of the School’s English Department.

Arul (PS5) said, “I found the Shakespeare revision day to be a wonderful opportunity to extend and grow the contextual knowledge required to produce a top-level answer. The opportunity to interact with other schools during the breakout sessions afterwards also allowed for ample intellectual discourse from wide points of view – all of which further allowed students to take away discussion points for their essays and texts”.