It is a known fact that some of the hardest pieces of literature to read are William Shakespeare’s works. Not only is his language outdated, but some of his words have completely different meanings in modern English. Aside from his language choices, his syntax is very unique. He flips his sentences around and changes the order, for good reason, but it makes it hard to understand. One of the more distracting traits of his works is that he likes to add little tidbits of information in the most peculiar spots. Shakespeare does this a lot in his play, Othello. It is because of these traits that I have learned some tricks that help me understand his works.
There are two things about Shakespeare’s diction that cause trouble for inexperienced readers: he uses out-of-date words or the words have different meanings in modern English. One example of this is the word Zounds. Shakespeare uses this word multiple times. It isn’t used much in modern English, however, in the play, it is meant as a type of exclamation. This language barrier can be easily resolved. Keeping a dictionary nearby can help the reader understand words that they have never seen before. This also helps with the words that have a double meaning nowadays, such as snorting (i.i.99). In the play, it means snoring, but in modern English it means to make a sound with a nose. It also helps to have a copy of the work that contains notes and definitions on each page. This allows the reader to immediately resolve any questions they may have.
Another problem with reading Shakespeare is that he mixed up sentences a lot when he wrote in order to get the rhyme scheme or flow that he was looking for. An example of this is when Iago, a character in Othello, says “…That with the little godliness I have…” (i,ii,11). The line would make more sense if it read “I have that with little godliness” but, to change the flow, Shakespeare flipped the line. A way to get around this is by rearranging his sentences until they make sense. The flow of the passage may be interrupted, but at least the reader can understand what is going on.
To avoid getting distracted by extra information in a passage, one should read sentence-by-sentence, not line-by-line. This also helps the reader understand the flow of the passage. This is especially useful when reading Iago’s many soliloquies. If this technique isn’t used when reading the soliloquies, it won’t be possible to fully understand the content.
One of the best things new readers can do to understand Shakespeare is to purchase a book that “translates” Shakespeare’s works into modern English. Once the readers are comfortable with translating Shakespeare on their own, this tip will be rendered useless.
Although Shakespeare is often confusing to read, there are ways around it. Using a dictionary, for example, can make the difference between understanding and failing. There are even built-in tools to help readers understand what they are reading in some renditions of Shakespeare. The most important thing to realize is that once you read enough of Shakespeare’s works, it will become easier and easier to understand his writing without any outside help.
There are two things about Shakespeare’s diction that cause trouble for inexperienced readers: he uses out-of-date words or the words have different meanings in modern English. One example of this is the word Zounds. Shakespeare uses this word multiple times. It isn’t used much in modern English, however, in the play, it is meant as a type of exclamation. This language barrier can be easily resolved. Keeping a dictionary nearby can help the reader understand words that they have never seen before. This also helps with the words that have a double meaning nowadays, such as snorting (i.i.99). In the play, it means snoring, but in modern English it means to make a sound with a nose. It also helps to have a copy of the work that contains notes and definitions on each page. This allows the reader to immediately resolve any questions they may have.
Another problem with reading Shakespeare is that he mixed up sentences a lot when he wrote in order to get the rhyme scheme or flow that he was looking for. An example of this is when Iago, a character in Othello, says “…That with the little godliness I have…” (i,ii,11). The line would make more sense if it read “I have that with little godliness” but, to change the flow, Shakespeare flipped the line. A way to get around this is by rearranging his sentences until they make sense. The flow of the passage may be interrupted, but at least the reader can understand what is going on.
To avoid getting distracted by extra information in a passage, one should read sentence-by-sentence, not line-by-line. This also helps the reader understand the flow of the passage. This is especially useful when reading Iago’s many soliloquies. If this technique isn’t used when reading the soliloquies, it won’t be possible to fully understand the content.
One of the best things new readers can do to understand Shakespeare is to purchase a book that “translates” Shakespeare’s works into modern English. Once the readers are comfortable with translating Shakespeare on their own, this tip will be rendered useless.
Although Shakespeare is often confusing to read, there are ways around it. Using a dictionary, for example, can make the difference between understanding and failing. There are even built-in tools to help readers understand what they are reading in some renditions of Shakespeare. The most important thing to realize is that once you read enough of Shakespeare’s works, it will become easier and easier to understand his writing without any outside help.