Shakespeare: I find it difficult, help please.

[merlotmerlin]

Watching a film or play is OK, I let the words wash over me and I sort of get what is going on.
I want to read the stories but there are so many words, I just don't stick with it. (It's worse than Dickens)
Are there any abridges versions that I can read to get the story in say 100 pages or less of modern English.
I do it with the Bible, I read a modern translation, Good News say but go back to Authorized (King James) edition for the quotes and poetry and the sense of continuity over the centuries.
I would prefer not a version for Children.

If you’re not enjoying reading Shakespeare (or dickens or whoever) then stop?

There are wonderful books called No fear Shakespeare that have a translation of the text side-by-side into modern English. Highly recommended.

As you say, it is really important to think about your 'why' - why do you want to read Shakespeare, specifically? (You have answered some of this above). It's going to be difficult for you to read Shakespeare/ Dickens for pleasure if you don't actually get pleasure out of reading them.

If you just want a good story... well, there are lots of modern stories out there which are just as good, to be honest, and won't give you the kind of distress you're currently experiencing with the archaic language.

And with Shakespeare, the story isn't really the reason he is so famous and renowned. His stories are actually very simple. It's the language itself, and it sounds like that is the bit you're struggling with (as many people do!)

So ask yourself if you want to understand the language? Is that something you care about/ will enjoy/ get some satisfaction from?

If so, then yes, the thing to do is to find a summary of the story so that you understand the basic gist of what's going on. But then, you need to sit down with the original text and get yourself a study guide, and read them together, so that you can decode and understand the language.

If you don't do the second step, then honestly, you might as well read a better story written by a modern author :)

You say you want to do it for pleasure, and for some people decoding archaic language is just not pleasurable, and there's nothing wrong with that.

You don't need to read Shakespeare - you can just find other stories that you will get pleasure from.

But if this is pleasurable for you then go for it!

Is there an evening class at a local uni or online you can take? A structured approach would give you the tools needed instead of dipping in and out.

Otherwise, reading aloud to yourself and buying annotated versions is a good start, I like Folger.

We have a modern English and a graphic version of Macbeth. These

https://amzn.to/4cv56xN
https://amzn.to/4cx2Bek

I could take a photo of some bits if that would be helpful?

I agree with other posters, they are not designed to be read like books. They're play scripts. Watch the films (multiple different versions as there are so many interpretations) and go see them in theatres if you can.

I love Shakespeare, studied Eng Lit at uni, have written countless essays on Shakespeare in my youth, but I've never sat and read the Complete Works for pleasure (except the sonnets - but still better read by a talented actor).

Go to the Globe if you can, it's a fantastic experience. And see a comedy, not a history 😬(The only history I've ever enjoyed had David Tennant in it, which was the sole reason I liked it...)

I read fast and tend to skim-read prose, so something like Dickens I would skim the 'too many words' bits and just get the gist. If you're not a fast reader this would be difficult and I can see how the books would be a bit hard going, but they are good stories. They were originally published in instalments, so perhaps you'd get on better reading them a few chapters at a time and then having a break for a week or two in-between.

If you want to read for pleasure just read whatever you like. Don't force yourself to read classics just because you feel you should. When I want to start reading again I always go back to Terry Pratchett, Harry Potter, and the formulaic but well written romances that were popular 20ish years ago - authors like Katie Fforde and Trisha Ashley.

@Singleandproud which area of BBC IPlayer should I look at please?

There's a great small series on BBC iplayer that puts a lot of his plays in context of historical and life events.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gjkzvc

Read it out loud! You might feel a little bit silly to start with but the joy of Shakespeare for me is the rhythm and the musicality. Once you find the cadence of a passage, it’s amazing how it flows. Fully agree with pp who says it’s meant to be heard, not read.

I had to do Shakespeare as part of various English studies, and there is no other way to understand it than in a theatre IMHO.

But if you are just wanting to understand the phrases that are still in existence today, maybe google the saying on 'you tube' and see if there is a short clip of the phrase and the explanation. I've just done 'to thine own self be true' and there is an explanation, the clip from Hamlet, and some clips of it being used in modern films etc.

Shakespeare plays are designed to be watched, not read.

Re Dickens - at least some of them he 'performed', in a series of readings. Perhaps audio books would be a good option for him? I read dickens a lot as a teen but tended to skip some of the long descriptive passages, hearing them read well can bring them alive.

Shakespeare on Toast is excellent.
There are lots of books about Shakespeare quotations (i only realised after doing A levels quite how much Shakespeare there is in our everyday lives)

If you want the stories first - the BBC Shakespeare Retold are excellent. MacBeth, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Nights Dream and the very best one of all Much Ado About Nothing (really really really excellent)

Then try to get DVDs of those 4 and watch them knowing (roughly) the plot, and then you can listen to the language because you're not trying to work out what they're on about. Or Cliff Notes type things?

But i simply cannot recommend Shakespeare on Toast (Ben Crystal i think) enough.

also agree with PP that you really need to see rather than read. Can thoroughly recommend The Handlebards if they are anywhere near you. They make EVERYTHING into a comedy in parts, because that's how plays were performed.

@HelpMeUnpickThis if you just search Shakespeare and then you want The BBC Television Shakespeare, it looks like they've taken some off and it's only As You Like It and MacBeth but it's Lawrence Olivier and has madness speech at the end is fantastic he looks like he has truly lost his mind.

Also BBC sounds has David Tennant's MacBeth which is great to listen to, his Scottish accent adds a fantastic touch

Try these study notes. They're from the RSC, so must be good!

Other study notes are also available, like Cliff's Notes.

No Fear Shakespeare Study Guides – The RSC shop

I’m glad my post was useful, @merlotmerlin

I definitely recommended audio versions in that case. Someone who knows what they are doing will make the language sing, it’s wonderful.

In a similar manner, I had told my son how much I love PG Wodehouse’s use of language. He couldn’t get it, so I got him an audiobook and he thought it was hilarious.

Hearing it read (or acted) well changes the experience completely from slogging through unfamiliar texts.

Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing are nice introductions to Shakespeare - less flourishing ACTORLY stuff than Lawrence Olivier, more comprehensible.

I keep hearing quotations, "To thine own self be true"; "Milk of human kindness" etc. and so many are Shakespeare. I started Googling for them.
At home I have A "Complete Works" book. When I start reading looking for the context of a quote I get lost. Unfamiliar language, archaic words and so many characters.
Look up quotes from Shakespeare that are from one play. Watch the play, either at the theatre or on screen. You could use a study guide as well.
Shakespeare's plays are meant to be watched not read.

Similarly I have the 'too many words' problem with Dickens. Again I want to read him for pleasure not for a multi hour sermon.

Start with A Christmas Carol- it's short. Or start with a Dickens book that you know the story (e.g. Oliver Twist or Great Expectations). Read it in installations.
Dickens wrote stories that were published in installments and wasn't read in one go. For example, if you commute by train, you could read a little bit in the morning and a bit in the evening.

If you just want to read for pleasure, read what you like.
I try to read classics but sometimes i just want to read a page turner.

We've seen quite a few stage to screen productions, from the RSC and National Theatre, they're an excellent way of watching good performances if you're out in the sticks and without it costing an arm and a leg.

My DD loves Shakespeare and you can buy a Shakespeare dictionary to look up things like the phrasing and also the Shakespeare insult generator which is a fun flip book format.

Really though, a flick through the Sparknotes I linked above with the modern English and the traditional side by side will be really useful.

Have a look at the Open University free online courses. They have a lot on language and literature. Here's one to get you started. There's also one on how to read Great Expectations.
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/reading-shakespeares-as-you-like-it/content-section-0?active-tab=description-tab

Second this. I’m an English teacher and always give this to GCSE classes to read before we study the play. You might also find the Litcharts Shakescleare parallel translations helpful.

Shakespeare plays are better on stage than on the page.
The sonnets are a good way to enjoy Will.