Shakespeare is the first name many English speakers come up with when they’re thinking of an author, yet how many of us actually read him? Outside of high school or college English classes, anyway.
Still, Shakespeare’s work is part of our culture, and we need some acquaintance with it if we want a complete education — or even if we just want to get some of the jokes we hear. (Yesterday I saw a comic strip with Shakespeare working at a desk between two boxes, “To Be” and “Not to Be”.)
So, how can you learn more Shakespeare without letting the Elizabethan English drive you crazy?
See the plays before you read them. He was mainly a playwright, after all, and his work is much easier to understand when you see it come alive. Performances are easy to find — it helps that the plays are royalty-free. My kids have already seen Hamlet, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night, two of those free and one by donation.
Remember the most famous Shakespeare plays are that way for a reason. You can try Titus Andronicus, but you’ll probably enjoy Macbeth or King Lear more. Shakespeare had his beginner works and off days like anyone else.
When you do read Shakespeare, get an annotated edition. The notes will explain the obsolete words (which include some good insults) and the references to then-current events. Just be aware that there are some lines in there that even Shakespeare scholars haven’t figured out.
You’ll feel smarter, and you may even enjoy it.
