Most people have probably encountered Shakespeare’s works before in high school English. However, most people probably struggled with reading Shakespeare, and that is a shame. Shakespeare occupies much of the English literary canon, and it would be unfortunate if students could not appreciate his work just because it is not contemporary English. Should anyone want to start reading Shakespeare, here are some tips and recommendations to get started.
The first thing to consider is the text one is reading from. Most textbooks that have Shakespeare have notes in the margins or footnotes. These are fine in classes where students are not expected to care about Shakespeare but just to get the gist. The Folger Library’s books offer notes on the left side of the book, and the right page has the text of the play. The notes are detailed and plentiful for those who need them. Those who do not can just read from the right side with minimal eye movements needed to get through the play. For those who do not like notes because they are distracting or for whatever reason, it is always a strong option to watch the play. There might be some things that a performance cannot explain like a footnote could, but the emotions and direction of the play will be evident.
But what play out of Shakespeare’s thirty-some plays should a person begin with? “Romeo and Juliet” is his most famous play and the one that most people start with. However, “Romeo and Juliet” has been so thoroughly ingrained in pop culture that if it does not match expectations, it can be quite disappointing. A better play to start out with might be “Macbeth.” It is fairly well-known, but it is not so popular. It also has one of the simplest plots in any play. The whole play follows Macbeth as he becomes king of Scotland and succumbs to the consequences of his actions to become king. A comedy suitable for beginners might be “Much Ado About Nothing.” The play has three storylines that intersect quite a lot, and as a whole, it is easy to follow. Also, it is the play that struck Dr. Benjamin Chan out of his “Jeopardy!” winning streak, so it might just save someone else in a trivia game.
After reading a few plays, it is probably not even necessary to read the notes because the reader’s familiarity with Shakespeare’s language grows. At first, reading Shakespeare might seem awkward, but the experience of reading compounds. After reading a few plays, hopefully, everyone can learn to understand Shakespeare and appreciate his contributions to world literature more fully.