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Helbling Shakespeare Series

An exciting series that puts the Bard's words centre stage

  • Key scenes in original text with graded modern English paraphrase
  • Vocabulary and language work to develop awareness and fluency
  • Cultural insights explore social history and key events of the times
  • Take learners from reading scenes to performing plays
  • Exam preparation tasks focusing on productive skills
  • CEFR B1, B1+, B2 levels
  • Winner of the 2022 ELTons Award for Innovation in Learner Resources.
    ELTons Award 2022 Learner Resources
    ELTons Award 2022 Learner Resources

    The Helbling Shakespeare Series is the winner of the 2022 British Council ELTons Award for Innovation in Learner Resources.
    What the judges said: “Shakespeare in a new light.

    Read article

    More About

    Bring Shakespeare’s most famous plays to your class with this innovative new series.

    Shakespeare - iStock-96828436

    The playwright Ben Jonson said of Shakespeare: ‘He was not of an age, but for all time’. Up-to-date themes such as love, revenge, ambition and racism, exposure to key literary techniques such as descriptive language and persuasive devices, as well as the beauty of Shakespeare’s language, and the emotional and intellectual satisfaction of bringing meaning to his words, all make Shakespeare an essential for learners of English.

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    A knowledge of Shakespeare can be a powerful instrument to help students develop their language awareness and fluency, vocabulary knowledge, understanding of figurative language and imagery, and critical thinking capabilities.
    Learners from all over the world, not just in English-speaking countries, have much to gain from studying Shakespeare. This series is an important step towards making his works more accessible to students in countries where English is not the main spoken language.

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    Each play is presented through several key scenes in Shakespeare’s original language with a special focus on performance. Presentation of drama techniques guide students in making choices about staging the scenes and gives them the chance to actively experience the play as a performance.

    Romeo and juliet 1597

    Linguists, studying and researching Shakespeare’s language over time, have found that most grammar structures and vocabulary present in his plays and poems are part of the language that we use today. Their evidence demonstrates that learning Shakespeare is also learning English.
    Helbling Shakespeare Readers present key scenes in Shakespeare’s original language alongside modern English parallel translations, making the texts accessible to learners in an attractive and approachable way.

    R. Staines Malvolio - Shakespeare: Twelfth Night
    • The Merchant of Venice
    • A Midsummer Night’s Dream
    • As You Like It
    • The Tempest
     ELTons Award 2022 Learner Resources
    ELTons Award 2022 Learner Resources

    The Helbling Shakespeare Series is the winner of the 2022 British Council ELTons Award for Innovation in Learner Resources.
    What the judges said: “Shakespeare in a new light.

    Read article

    Language & Exams

    LEVEL 5 - B1

    Cambridge B1 Preliminary
    Trinity ISE I (GESE Grades 5-6)

    Past perfect; present perfect continuous; subjunctive; reported speech; when and if with future tenses; expressing wishes and regrets; non-defining relative clauses; infinitive – gerunds; simple subordinating conjunctions (once, whereas, unless, except, provided); multiple noun phrases (and conjunctions) to create sequential narratives.

    LEVEL 6 - B1+

    Towards Cambridge B2 First
    Trinity ISE II (GESE grades 7-9)

    Inversion; do for emphasis; the verb get; more on reported speech; compound adjectives; complex word order; complex subordinating conjunctions (due to the fact, as far as I am concerned, etc.); more complex phrasal and prepositional verbs; dare; it (appears, seems, looks…)

    LEVEL 7 - B2

    Cambridge B2 First
    Trinity ISE II (GESE grades 7-9)

    All forms used before; formal language; ought; cleft sentences; complex clauses with no restrictions on number of subordinate clauses, inversions cont: were + pronoun + infinitive; combining multiple adjectives and adverbs; advanced use of modals (in particular shall).

    Helbling e-zone

    Helbling e-zone is the Learning Management System (LMS) developed by Helbling. It consists of a user-friendly online platform for both teachers and students.

    For students

      • Full audios (dramatized scenes + listening activities)
      • Cyber Homework

      For teachers

      • Videos of class performances and video lessons with performing tips
      • Easy-to-read scripts
      • Worksheets, extra reading materials, stage templates, useful links

      HELBLING Media App

      Helbling Media App - Shakespeare

      Quick access to multimedia material at any time, anywhere - with or without internet connection.

      The audio of the dramatized scenes is available via the HELBLING Media App for both students and teachers, on mobile devices and desktop computers.

      The HELBLING Media App is available for free for Android, iOS, Windows and macOS.

      Download from the app store of your choice or via helbling.com/media-app

      Introducing Helbling Shakespeare Series

      Find out about this new series that allows students to appreciate Shakespeare in the original.