Intended for teachers of gifted students in grades 4-12, the curriculum uses six of Shakespeare's comedies ("The Taming of the Shrew,""The Tempest,""Twelfth Night,""The Comedy of Errors,""As You Like It," and "A Midsummer Night's Dream") as materials for nurturing intellectual and artistic experiences, social awareness, leadership training (through dramatic productions), academic motivation, and memory training. Student activities are reflected in the following curriculum objectives: (1) study "Shakespeare the Language Maker"; (2) learn an extensive number of rhetorical devices; (3) analyze passages rhetorically and rehearse them creatively; (4) perform scenes; (5) design and produce original projects; and (6) evaluate student performance. Following an introductory chapter describing the curriculum objectives, Part I provides an illustration of metrical and rhetorical analysis and figures of speech. Part II discusses the origins and definitions of rhetoric, while Part III presents 70 grammatical and vocabulary devices with examples. Part IV offers exercises in lexical and metrical vocabulary, dramatic conventions, and creating a character. Part V outlines criteria for judging the student's dramatic performance and provides excerpts/scenes selected for elementary and secondary students. Related activities (word games, original writing, and research projects) are suggested in Part VI. Appendices and a bibliography conclude the volume. (JW)