Advice for reading Shakespeare

 Suggestions for Reading Shakespeare

It is almost impossible to discuss or write about literature without at least briefly mentioning Shakespeare. His plays continue to be an influence on new works of art to this day, and everyone misquotes him and uses his characters as a benchmark.

 The bard is everywhere, much to the delight and consternation of literary students worldwide. Shakespeare is currently known for complex, challenging works that are exclusively accessible to the academic elite. A minimum of one of his plays must nevertheless be read and understood in a class by the majority of high school students.

Shakespeare's language, which requires readers to become used to an entirely new vocabulary, is what I believe discourages some readers the most. If you're unfamiliar with early modern writing, his plays might seem rather intimidating on paper, and when you try to read the opening monologue, you immediately start to panic ("Oh God, I don't know what any of these words mean, and here I thought I was pretty good at English, what is happening?").

5 suggestions for Reading Shakespeare

1. Avoid displaying panic.

Shakespeare's day saw theatre more as a kind of vulgar entertainment than as a highbrow form of art targeted at a privileged few. There was a pub called the Globe outside of the city where people could drink, watch prostitutes, and place bets on whether a bear or a dog would win a battle. If medieval peasants looking for a fun night out could understand it, you must be able to too!

2. Research the plot summary before you enter.

In my opinion, it can be incredibly helpful to have a basic understanding of the plot before you begin so that you can focus on the words rather than having to figure out the characters first. Personally, I suggest either starting with a heavy drama like Much Ado About Nothing or a light comedy like Hamlet. It helps if you are familiar with some well-known quotes along the route or with the story's core plot. Choose the story that best appeals to you after finding it online.

3. Check out the plays being presented by actors who are skilled in their craft.

In addition to the fact that plays were not intended to be read, I think that early modern English makes a lot more sense when it is pronounced aloud by those who place the proper emphasis on the appropriate words. Read the words again and see if you can understand them now after watching a play (or if you can multitask, try reading along with the text). Shakespeare was introduced to me for the first time via David Tennant's portrayal of Hamlet in 2009.

4. Say the passage aloud to yourself.

Speaking the lines out loud can really assist, especially if you're unfamiliar with Shakespeare or old English in general. Figuring out how a line should be said can also reveal elements to you that you might not have noticed by simply reading it on the page, which not only makes you slow down and concentrate on every word.

5. Avoid becoming too focused on details.

The same basic advice applies to any book, play, or poem that is initially challenging to understand: keep watching or reading even if you don't entirely understand what is happening. There is a multitude of footnotes in the New Cambridge Shakespeare editions that explain everything, from the historical context to the meter, yet on occasion, these pages are totally made up of footnotes. If this is your first time reading the work, don't bother reading all the supplemental material; instead, focus on following the plot. You can then read up on the other information, one thing at a time.