Study Tips
How to Understand Shakespeare
By Emma Clarke · · 4 min read
Quick answer
Shakespeare gets easier once you stop trying to understand every word and read for the overall meaning first. Read a plain-language summary alongside the text, watch a performance to see how lines work aloud, and focus on themes and character rather than decoding every archaic phrase.
Meaning first, words second
Students often freeze on unfamiliar words and lose the thread entirely. The better approach is to grasp the overall meaning of a scene first, then return for the detail.
You do not need every word to follow the story. Reading for the gist, then re-reading for the specifics, is far more effective than translating line by line from the start.
Use a parallel text
Editions with the original on one page and a plain-English version on the facing page are genuinely useful, not cheating. They let you check your understanding and build confidence with the language.
As you read more, you rely on the modern version less. It is a scaffold, and the aim is to need it progressively less over a term.
See it performed
Shakespeare wrote plays to be watched, not essays to be read. Seeing a scene performed — live or filmed — makes lines that look impenetrable on the page suddenly clear through tone, gesture and situation.
A confusing soliloquy often becomes obvious once you hear it delivered. Watching before or alongside reading transforms comprehension.
Focus on theme and character
Exams reward understanding of themes, characters and the writer's methods far more than word-by-word translation. Ambition in Macbeth, power in Julius Caesar, love and conflict in Romeo and Juliet — these are what questions ask about.
Directing your attention to the big ideas, rather than the vocabulary, aligns your effort with what earns marks.
Learn the language patterns
A handful of recurring features — thee and thou, inverted word order, words that have shifted meaning — account for most of the difficulty. Learning these patterns unlocks a great deal at once.
Once you know that 'wherefore' means why, not where, and that Shakespeare often reorders sentences, the text becomes markedly more readable.
Read actively, not passively
Annotate as you go: note who is speaking, what they want, and how the mood shifts. Active reading keeps you engaged and builds the detailed knowledge essays need.
Passive reading of Shakespeare tends to wash over you, especially at first. Marking up the text keeps your attention anchored.
Frequently asked questions
How do I understand Shakespeare's language?+
Read for overall meaning first rather than decoding every word, use a parallel modern-English edition to check understanding, and learn the recurring patterns like inverted word order and shifted meanings.
Is it cheating to read a modern translation?+
No — a parallel text is a scaffold that builds confidence and understanding. As you read more, you rely on the modern version less, which is exactly the intention.
Why should I watch a performance?+
Because Shakespeare wrote plays to be watched. Seeing lines delivered with tone and gesture makes passages that look impenetrable on the page suddenly clear.
What should I focus on for exams?+
Themes, characters and the writer's methods, which is what questions actually ask about — not word-by-word translation. Directing effort there aligns it with the marks.
Why does Shakespeare's word order seem strange?+
He often inverts sentences for rhythm and emphasis, and uses words that have since changed meaning. Learning these patterns makes the text markedly easier to read.
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