Learning about Shakespeare

Do you go to school? If so, the chances are you will have to learn about the life and works of William Shakespeare. For some people this is great news. They love reading about the life and works of a long dead English playwright. But for others, the very word “Shakespeare” sends a shiver down their spine and they want to run to the hills before hearing so much as a ‘thee’ or ‘thou’. If this is you, Fear Not! Here is our guide on learning about Shakespeare in a fun and groovy way.

Watching Shakespeare

Shakespeare plays should be watched, not read! Did you know that Shakespeare’s plays were not published until 7 years after his death? His friends from the theatre published his plays for prosperity’s sake. Shakespeare didn’t see the point of publishing his plays, because he wrote them to be performed. The players knew the lines off by heart. If people wanted to know the stories and hear the dialogue they should go to the theatre. I don’t think he envisioned students studying his plays in minute detail in the classroom 400 years after his death. So when you approach the Bard (poet) for the first time you should watch his plays.

This is why Shakespeare didn’t publish his plays.

“But I don’t understand Ye Olde English”

If you watch a Shakespeare play you may not understand everything the actors are saying. However, you can still follow the plot as you watch their movements and expressions. I don’t understand everything that is happening as I watch an Italian opera, but I can follow the story by watching the actors and listening to their tone. We only communicate 10% of what we are trying to say through the words we use. Most of our communication is through body language and tone. So don’t worry if you don’t understand the language yet, you can still follow the story.

“But Shakespeare plays are soooo long”

Yes. Yes the are. Hamlet drones on for 4 hours. Talk about padding (adding too many unnecessary scenes). Leave watching full length Shakespeare plays to people with really long attention spans. For most of us there are great films and adaptations, which make more sense and are much shorter. Here are some suggestions to watch:

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales:
Back in the early 1990’s the BBC broadcast a series of animations of Shakespeare plays. Some great British actors voiced the characters, including members of the esteemed Royal Shakespeare Company such as Zoe Wanamaker. The series was groundbreaking at the time and used lots of different animation styles. They look a bit dated now, but they are a good way to introduce children to the stories and language of Shakespeare.

This is the Shakespeare Animated Tales version of The Tempest

Box Office Movies
In the late 1990’s and early noughties adapting Shakespeare plays for film was all the rage. Kenneth Brannagh produced some great hits like, A Much A Do about Nothing and Henry V. I fell in love with Hamlet (the play, not the character, he’s a bit of a self absorbed idiot) when I watched Zefferelli’s, Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson. There were some really unique adaptations such as Love’s Labours Lost and The Tempest, staring a female (Helen Mirram) as Prospero.

There were also some modern takes to the plays such as Baz Luthramann’s, Romeo and Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. By the way, if you are a student, don’t reference the Luthramann’s version in your paper when you are talking about Romeo and Juliet. He adds a lot of artistic licence to the original works and in the original play, Romeo and Juliet don’t spy each other through a fish tank. Students have failed exams using this film as their primary reference point.

Warning: this scene is not in the original play.

My favourite Shakespeare Film is The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons. I think it gives us a real sense of what Renaissance Venice looked like and how the Jewish community were treated.

Reading Shakespeare

Okay, we admit it, reading Shakespeare can be a real drag. It’s dry and uninteresting. It was written to be performed, not to go through with a fine tooth comb and ask questions like, “what did the author really mean when he wrote “and”? But those are the sort of questions you are asked in English lessons right? So how do you make reading Shakespeare fun?

Read Cartoon Strips
Cartoon strips are a great ways to visualise a story and they can be amusing too. I introduced Sops to Shakespeare when she was only 6 years old. I bought her this book. It has comic strips telling the story of some plays. It also has stickers, so children can add characters to scenes. It’s quite fun to read together.

Another great resource for Shakespearean Comic Strips is the Good Tickle Brain blog. I discovered a great chart on what Shakespeare play to read from this site, and I have been an avid follower ever since. The artist breaks down entire plays in just 3 panels. The images are adorable and some of her ideas are hilariously funny.

Read abbreviated stories of the plays.
Before tackling the actual script, it is definitely worth knowing the story of the play. It will help you get to know the characters before you open your huge copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare. I bought this book recently for Sops now that she is older. She asked for it when we were in a bookshop. She is also a Shakespearean fan like me. It is a beautifully illustrated book and I highly recommend it.

Read out loud with friends
If you are comfortable reading out loud try reading some scenes with friends. Make it fun. Put on silly accents and try a bit of movement if you can. After you have read the scene talk it through with your chums to see if you have all understood it. For more help on understanding the language, the website, ‘No Fear Shakespeare‘ has translated the old English to modern English.

Performing Shakespeare

The best way to learn Shakespeare is to perform it. I am sure at some point in your school career you will be asked to act out a scene from a Shakespearean play. You may get to play a witch in Macbeth or Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream or kiss your best friend in Romeo and Juliet, making it awkward for everyone watching. You may be feeling a bit apprehensive about playing a Shakespearean character or you may be worried about forgetting the lines.

Fear Not! Shakespeare was an actor too and knew how challenging it is to learn lines off by heart. Although in Shakespeare’s time, school children were expected to learn a lot off by heart, including whole Christian services and bible quotes. However, some of the acting companies had to know several plays off by heart in each season. One night they could be performing Romeo and Juliet and another night it could be Julius Caesar. To make things easier for actors Shakespeare wrote a lot of his plays using a rhythm called ‘Iambic Pentameter’. He also used a lot of rhyming couplets in his works, so the words would just roll of the actor’s tongues.

Here is video on how Dame Judy Dench learnt how to play Shakespearean characters. She was taught by the founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sir Peter Hall.

Dame Judy Dench talking about Speaking Shakespeare

William Shakespeare had an interesting life. He was born on 23rd April 1564. His father, John Shakespeare was an alderman and a glove maker. He was a well respected member of the community and a member of the local guild. However, he was also a bit of a swindler and took part in illegal activities to get more money. He was also a secret Catholic. In Elizabethan England it was illegal to be a Catholic.

William Shakespeare went to a local Grammar school, but his father couldn’t afford William to study at University, so he joined the theatre instead. He started as an actor and wrote some plays. The plays became very successful and Shakespeare became rich. The queen favoured his plays and often asked The Lord Chamberlains’ Men (whom Shakespeare worked for) to perform in court. Eventually, Shakespeare was able to obtain a coat of arms for his father. This helped improve his father’s status in his own community. Shakespeare invested in a purpose built theatre called The Globe in 1599. Sadly it burnt down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII. It was rebuilt in 1614 but destroyed in 1644.

Shakespeare’s Globe was rebuilt and opened in 1997

Personal History

William Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway in 1582. She was 27 years old and Shakespeare was only 18 years old. They had two daughters, Susanna and Judith and a son named Hamnet. Sadly Hamnet died of unknown causes in 1596 aged 11.

The Shakespeare’s moved into one of the largest houses in Stratford called New Place. Unfortunately, William did not enjoy retirement for very long as he passed away on his 52nd birthday. The causes of his death are unknown, but some suspected it was alcohol poisoning, so maybe he went out to the pub for his birthday and had too much to drink?

Learning More

There are loads of great films, comedies and documentaries about William Shakespeare’s life and the times he lived in. Some of them are full of artistic licence (i.e. they are not true), but are very entertaining. I recommend ‘Bill‘, by the Horrible Histories crew. It’s a great family film. I also highly recommend the BBC series, Upstart Crow. It was written by the comedian, Ben Elton. It’s hilariously funny and very well researched. But there are some adult references and Shakespearean swearing.

Shakespeare boasting about his own writing

Useful Websites

Good Tickle Brain
BBC Bite Size: William Shakespeare
The Royal Shakespeare Company
The Globe Theatre
Sparknotes: No Fear Shakespeare

Are you a fan of Shakespeare? What is your favourite Shakespeare play? Have you ever been in a Shakespeare play? Tell us all about it in the comments box below or on our Forum.