Many actors and English students have told me they are afraid of Shakespeare. They don’t understand his work and think they never will. Actors have even gone so far as to turn down roles with my theater company, saying, “I can’t do Shakespeare.” It takes a lot of convincing, but once I give them a few tips, they realize they can perform Shakespeare and even enjoy it.
If you’re Shakespeare-phobic, there are things you can do to get over your fears and open yourself up to more opportunities. With a little bit of work, you’ll soon be quoting the Bard.
First, get a sense of the story. A site like shmoop.com can offer short summaries of the plays that are easy ready and often funny. Next, if you’re really serious about this, take a look at Sparknotes’ “No Fear” versions. These will give you Shakespeare’s language side-by-side with the modern equivalent so you can really get a sense of what every single line means. (You can purchase hard copies of these as well.)
At this point, you’ve got an idea of what’s going on but you still want to know: what’s up with the language?
READ: 10 Tips for Speaking (and Performing)
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