Shakespeare remains the only author explicitly named in the Common Core Curriculum, and Hamlet has been a staple in many high school English Language Arts classrooms. As a result, educators are often required or feel pressured to prioritize canonical texts written centuries ago by white male authors. While these works hold historical and literary value, their dominance in the curriculum risks marginalizing voices and experiences more reflective of the students we teach today. This research project responds to that challenge by exploring how Hamlet can be taught in ways that are culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining. Rather than centering Shakespeare as universal, this work seeks to place him in conversation with contemporary authors like Joe Jiménez (Bloodline) and Jason Reynolds (Long Way Down). These texts engage similar themes such as grief, betrayal, generational trauma, and moral decision-making, but do so in language, forms, and cultural contexts that resonate more immediately with students’ lived experiences.
Through the development of comparative, TEKS-aligned lesson plans, this project models how pairing canonical texts with culturally relevant literature creates space for more students to engage critically, reflect personally, and speak honestly. By foregrounding themes such as the cycle of violence and moral decision making, these lessons invite students to see themselves at the center of literature. This project asserts this approach is not about replacing Shakespeare, but about reimagining how we teach his texts so that all students are empowered to analyze, question, and connect across texts, time periods, traditions, and cultures.