Understanding Shakespeare

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Time and time again I see myself reading for this class and struggling to understand his language. I’m sure I say “What the hell am I reading” more than once every time I pick up my textbook. For someone that is reading Shakespeare for the first time, I have found that I struggle with his language specifically. 

Image result for what the heck am i reading meme

While most of the words we still use today, it is the way that it is worded that can cause issues for students. Reading Shakespeare, in my opinion, is more than just reading a textbook. Analyzing the text is necessary in order to fully understand. Allie Macb stated in an article, ”There are, of course, many words in Shakespeare that a modern reader will not recognize instantly. Language is a living, breathing entity and over 400 years there have been significant changes in the way we write and speak English. Getting to grips with the archaic language is one of the keys to success in understanding Shakespeare”(Macb). She goes on to explain how the more that you read his plays, the easier it will be. The familiarity of his words, phrases, and language become known to the reader. 

Shakespeare’s language as a whole is different from what we talk, hear, and even read in today’s times.  Listening to Shakespeare can have great benefits to understanding his plays. Whether its a podcast reading his works or reading out loud, both can help a reader Altogether, knowing what works for a reader to understand Shakespeare can help him/her study the play’s text closer. 


Macb, Allie. “How to Understand Shakespeare.” Owlcation,Owlcation, 22 Jan. 2012, owlcation.com/humanities/How-To-Understand-Shakespeare.

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