How to Understand Shakespeare’s Plays
1. Relax. You don’t have to understand every word to appreciate it.
It’s a bit like listening to someone with a really strong accent, after a while you will
start to catch on. Many of the words are different, but it really is English.
2. Remember that it was written to be entertainment.
Some people assume they won’t understand Shakespeare because they think of
it as “high brow” or “snobby” entertainment. But Shakespeare was for everyone.
Be sure to ask your teacher or someone else who knows Shakespeare well, to
point out the ruder jokes. You’ll catch on soon.
3. Watch it performed or read it out loud.
Reading a play is different from reading a novel. Shakespeare can be especially
hard to read because there aren’t many stage directions to tell you what the
characters are doing. Instead, the action is in the words. Watching Shakespeare
lets you see what the characters are doing and helps you understand what’s
going on.
4. Immerse yourself in the poetry.
Shakespeare was a poet, and a lot of his plays were written partly in verse, which
means that sometimes he chose words because he liked the way they sound.
Try listening to Shakespeare like you listen to music. Sit back and enjoy the
rhythm and sounds.
5. Learn some basic Shakespearean vocabulary.
You don’t need to know a lot, and mostly you can figure things out from context. It
helps to know that “thou” and “thee” mean you. Some verbs are different but if
you listen for a while it’s easy to figure out that “thou art” means “you are” and
canst means “can”. Don’t let a couple extra letters throw you off. There are
some words, though, that don’t sound like what they are and knowing some basic
ones will help a lot. For starters “wherefore” actually means why.
See the back for some basic Shakespeare vocab.
(These are some suggestions, try some of them and see what works for you!)
Some Basic Shakespearean Vocab
art
are
hence
away
dost
do
visor
half-mask
doth
does
oft
often
‘ere
before
yea
1.yet
2.yes
hast
have
aye
yes
‘tis
it is
aught
anything
‘twas
it was
nay
no
wast
were
hie
hurry
whence
from where
yonder, yon
that, over there
wherefore
why
thou
you (subject)
atomies
little creatures
thee
you (object)
chinks
cash
thy/ thine
your
corse
corpse
marry
gosh; golly
fleer
a put down
ye
you (usually
plural)
prorogued
postpone
soft
wait
woo
to go after a
love interest
sirrah
hey you there,
boy
knave
1. a servant
2. a liar
anon
soon