Shakespeare is a cornerstone in English language education. However, because of thisit is all too easy for teachers to approach Shakespeare as something that is taught witha ‘just because’ approach, which rarely has a very inspiring effect on students. At thesame time, many teachers in Sweden struggle with how to approach the area ofknowledge “Sexuality, Consent, and Relationships”. Therefore, this essay has the goalof not only revitalising how Shakespeare is taught in English language education, butalso to provide English teachers in Sweden with tools and ideas for how to incorporate“Sexuality, Consent, and Relationships” into the English subject. The essay has doneso by close reading and analysing four scenes (Act 1 Scene 2, Act 2 Scene 2, Act 3Scene 4, and Act 3 Scene 5) in the play Romeo and Juliet and from there arguing thatJuliet's ability to express consent is a major part of her character arc throughout the playand that sexuality and sexual desire underline the interactions between Romeo andJuliet. This literary analysis has then provided the basis for a didactic section whichprovides suggestions for how to teach a “Sexuality, Consent, and Relationships”-focused unit where the play is the main material.
Erica Tauvon (Wed,) studied this question.