Read Shakespeare like a Pro!

Read Shakespeare like a Pro!

1.      Read a summary online before you read the play. Try to read an all-encompassing summary of the entire play as well as the summary for each act and scene. Reading an overview will allow you to see how Shakespeare foreshadows events in his plays. It will also help you keep better track of the characters and see how each of them develops. Reading a summary of each scene before reading the play will help you understand the language of Shakespeare. While our modern editions have notes to let us know what the best translation of the modern word, it can still be difficult to pick up if you just try to read it on your own without any context.

2.      Read the character list and make you own list of main characters. It may seem silly to pay that much attention to a character list when you are just going to come across these characters as they appear in the play, but the lists often provide titles the characters hold or state how they are related to another character. By making your own list of the main characters you can add important actions and character traits. After reading a few scenes, make sure you pause and see what you can add to your list. (I found this particularly helpful when reading Macbeth because there are so many names that begin with M).

Example

Macbeth	Brave soldier, loyal to Scotland, Weird Sisters prophecy changes him—he kills to be king & hide his secret,
Lady Macbeth	Thinks Macbeth is weak, comes up with a plan to kill Duncan, evil, vengeful, manipulative
King Duncan	Believes Macbeth is one of his best soldiers, too trusting of others, murdered by Macbeth,

3.      Make notes as you read. Since you already know the basic plot line, you will be able to notice hints. You can make a note to yourself (right in the text if it is your book) that the characters return to this idea later. For example, in Macbeth, the Weird Sisters give Macbeth the prophecy that no man born of a woman can hurt him, so he does not think he has anything to fear. However, we know Macbeth is defeated by the end of the play, so it would be wise to make a note here. Additionally, often characters reveal information only to certain characters, but not others, which gives you as the reader an advantage. For example, Hamlet designs the play within the play in Hamlet to test Claudius. Hamlet does not announce that he believes Claudius killed his father; he waits to see how Claudius reacts to the players.

4.      Write a short summary of each act for yourself. It does not need to be a long summary; 2-3 sentences are sufficient. Even though you have read a summary of the act, there is often more information in the play that the summary does not provide. Additionally, writing a summary in your own words will make remembering the plot easier for you. It will also make it easier for you to return to an important part in the play later on, which is particularly useful when writing an essay because then you can just browse through your summaries instead of trying to flip through the entire play.

5.      Watch of listen to the play. If you notice that you have difficulty reading Shakespeare because of the language, try listening to the play as you read along. Listening to someone read the play would help you hear the iambic pentameter. As you continue reading Shakespeare, you will have an easier time noticing stressed and unstressed syllables. An audio version might help you stay on track with your reading and prevent you from being distracted. It would also help you if you know you are a slower reader when it comes to Shakespeare. Additionally, Shakespeare plays do not have a copyright, so you can find many audio versions free. I use the LibriVox app; there is a free version or a paid version (which when I bought it a few years ago was only $2). The paid version does not have ads, so that is something you might want to consider. Watching the play can be beneficial because then you get to see the characters move around onstage and you can attach a face to a name. I recommend the BBC productions of the play whenever possible; if you are in a university/college, check your library to see if there is a copy a DVD for you to check out or if you have the ability to watch it streaming through their website. Just remember that film versions might cut or alter a few scenes.

Last words. Just remember that there is no substitute for actually reading the play. Read a summary and watching a performance should be tools you use to help guide you when reading the play.