Survivor: Shakespeare Edition
Chris Snider
November 5, 2009
Filed under A & E, Features, Student Life
With the first quarter over, classes are bound to start getting tougher: math concepts will be more complicated, science classes will investigate very strange and difficult concepts (like how gravity doesn’t exist! –Physics joke-) and English classes are starting to analyze more in-depth works of literature. With this last thought in mind, many high school students rue the day when their English class will tackle one of the most difficult subjects: Shakespeare! (Insert scary screams of terror here.) It is inevitable: every student at some point must become acquainted with the belovéd Bard. However, have no fear, Snider-man is here, and I have compiled several tips on how to grapple with this beast!
1) Get a Copy That Can Work for YOU
Students are almost always given a copy of whatever Shakespearean play they are to read. However, these school-owned texts are often not the most useful things in the world. They often have very few explanatory notes and students are rarely allowed to write in them or make their own notes. Buying your own copy has two advantages. One: you can take all of your notes in the book so that you can see what line of the play you are referencing, and two: if you get the right copy, it has numerous notes to help you understand what is happening or what certain words and phrases mean.
In Macbeth, the Thane Macbeth is "cursed" (this is often a point of debates) by these three "Weird Sisters." He finds nothing but misery and death in his ambition to become King of Scotland.
I have found that there are two really good companies that print Shakespearean plays specifically for the benefit of students. No Fear Shakespeare gives a line-by-line modern “translation” of the play. Senior Mariel Mitton recommended reading the No Fear Shakespeare version “so you can actually understand it. Even Mrs. Hadden (last year’s IB/AP English 4 teacher) needed it. During our class discussions, she would always ask us what our book said.”
“When you buy a copy of the play, make sure it has a line-by-line modern translation. It helps a lot, especially if you have trouble understanding Old English,” says Senior Megan Fife, who also took IB/AP English 4.
The other version is the Folger Shakespeare Library. This company includes detailed summaries of each scene and copious explanatory notes of nearly anything that a teacher might ask or would sound good in an essay. It also has several essays on the play in the back, as well as where to find information on Shakespeare’s language and his common uses of grammar. This version is better suited for those students who don’t have too much trouble understanding Shakespeare’s language but may need help understanding some of his allusions or other literary tools.
2.) Find Several Supplements
You may think that you have everything figured out when you go to write that essay on Macbeth, Midsummer Night’s Dream, or Julius Caesar, but do you? You may have gotten a decent copy of the play so that you feel you have a handle on the play, but did you catch all of the motifs, alliterations, themes, religious connections, or layers of meanings? It is extremely useful to get information from multiple sources as well as different viewpoints.
Regardless of what your English teacher might say, Sparknotes and Cliffnotes are not from the Devil; in fact they are very useful. With that said, it should be noted that these and other sources are to be used as supplements, meaning that they are to be used in conjunction with your own thoughts and ideas, which means reading the play for yourself, and not reading the Sparknotes summaries alone.
Sparknotes, as well as other sources like PinkMonkey and BookRags, are useful
Hamlet makes his famous speech to the chapfallen skull. Hamlet is a play that both describes Prince Hamlet's difficulty in taking action against the man who murdered his father, as well as analyze the human psyche.
because they give a broad spectrum of themes and literary devises that are not always apparent to the average student as well as analyses on these subjects. For instance, while reading Macbeth, anyone will notice the repetition of “blood” since Macbeth is one of the shortest plays ever written by Shakespeare but still uses the word “blood” over sixty times. However, one may not notice the motif of children since most students wouldn’t know that Shakespeare rarely ever mentions children, thus the fact that they are often mentioned wouldn’t jump out at them. Also, one may notice, for instance, the theme of action versus inaction in Hamlet, but would not know how to start an essay on it; various supplements will often give one a springboard to jump off of as well as additional support for their theme.
3.) Always Ask for Help
This is likely the most important tip of all. Nothing, not even Sparknotes or enchanted quills, can compare to the help a friend or teacher can give you. (Think of how Hermione saved Ron’s butt on a regular basis; you get my point.) Every class has one really talented student; don’t be afraid to ask them for help, they may be able to lend some tips not found here that could immensely improve not only how well you understand Shakespeare, but also how to figure out literature in general.
Teachers are also very useful; they get paid (however small of a paycheck) to help you learn. It’s what they are there for. Since they know what will be tested and are also very well acquainted with the material, they can guide you and help you with whatever you are having difficulty with, whether it’s Shakespeare’s language, his allusions, or the symbols. Teachers can often find you an example of the level they want you to grasp the text and teach you how to reach that level.
4.) Don’t Cram and DO the Assignments
More than likely, your teacher will assign the Shakespearean play in segments as well as give you several assignments along with reading the play. This is not to make your
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet describes the forbidden love between two people. Their love is forbidden due to the prejudices of their families. Thus they choose death over living apart from each other.
life miserable; reading the play in segments helps one get through the ordeal. More than likely, the assignments are used to help you draw out the themes, meanings of the symbols, the motifs, etc. so that it will become easier to do on your own later on. However, if you procrastinate or blow off the assignments, then you will not receive the lessons that come with them. Also, if you put off reading or do not read the play at all, you guarantee yourself a failure. No matter how many times you read the summaries, actually reading the play will stick in your mind better, and teachers have an annoying habit of knowing what Sparknotes leaves out of their summaries. (They’re not stupid; they know there are help sites and they know what questions to ask to find out which students rely heavily on them.)
5.) Practice and Prepare
Once you have finished reading the one particular Shakespearean play that you must complete for the year, that does not mean that Shakespeare stops existing. You will have to read more Shakespeare later on, no matter how much you may dislike it. For example, last year’s IB/AP English 4 class had to read two Shakespearean plays since it was part of the IB curriculum. Thus, one of the best things you can do is to familiarize yourself with some of his other works, especially his more famous works, since those are often used in classes and are often referenced.
I am not saying that you should be a nerd, (although my editor would disagree *cough Catlin cough*) and read works such as Hamlet or King Lear in your free time. That would practically be asking for loads of ridicule (or perhaps a hug from Mrs.
Shakespeare: Learn it, live it love it. If you can't read the caption, it reads: "Talent- no one will be reading Stephanie Meyer in 400 years." So true.
Creamer). It should be noted, however, that I highly recommend re-reading the play so that you can review all of the points that your teacher reviewed, and you always find things you never noticed the first time you read the play.
You will also find it beneficial to read a synopsis of whatever Shakespearean play you will have to read the following year so that you are not taking a walk in the dark when you encounter it. If reading isn’t your thing, you may want to watch the movie or the play since Shakespeare’s plays were originally intended to be watched rather than read in the first place. Either way, you cannot go wrong by preparing yourself.
If by some strange force, you feel the need to embrace your inner Frederick Grimm (who read Hamlet for fun), however, feel free to read these works of literature whenever the fancy fits you. You may find you enjoy reading Shakespeare’s work.
Test Time: how many of you noticed that I had a motif of alliterations? If yes, then you have nothing to fear when reading Shakespeare! If not, you might want to re-read this.
For a breath of levity, check out the following link:
Star Wars Hamlet Parody Hilarious
