Royal Shakespeare Company‘s #dream40

Abstract

William Shakespeare is one of the greatest authors of the English language and is present in multiple school curricula. However, reading Shakespeare in classrooms can be a challenge for both teachers and students. In schools, adaptations from literature to social media platforms, such as #dream40, a production by the Royal Shakespeare Company, remain not fully explored. In this paper, this production is presented as a possible ally in the effort of bringing the English canon closer to the students’ reality, making the Bard more engaging and accessible, since this production uses mechanics that are part of most students’ daily lives on social networking platforms, such as the hashtag that appears in the title of this production; besides, #dream40 is closely aligned with our contemporary paradigm of worldview.