How can I better understand Shakespeare?

If you are not accustomed to the language and syntax of Shakespeare, the nature of his plays, sonnets and poems may be difficult to decipher. The first thing is to remember is that Shakespearean language is english, regardless of how foreign or alien it may at first seem. Because of this, it means that Shakespeare can be understood.

Shakespeare's plays may be extremely challenging, due to their long, complex natures, with main plots and subplots, and multiple characters walking off and on the stage throughout the script. However, the thing to remember with them, is that they were not made to be read, but to be seen! Whilst many people may tell you that you should always read books before you watch their film adaptations, this is certainly not the case with Shakespeare! Try a few performances or film adaptations of the play that you are studying, if only to better understand the storyline. Then, when you are reading the written script, you can attempt to recall this storyline, or else watch the play alongside you reading it, perhaps pausing the production after each new scene, so that you can read it with the plot still fresh in your mind. If you're still struggling with deciphering the script, remember that not every scene may be essential to entirely understand, so do not waste weeks staring at one verse, knowing that it makes no sense to you. Understand the plot of the play, and be able to pick out a few quotations to illustate the points that you make in your essays: these are the only skills looked for at GCSE level.

The essay points themselves can, of course, vary. You may have a question on a particular character, such as the Nurse in "Romeo and Juliet"; in this case, you can write about her physical purpose in the play, to act as a link between Romeo and Juliet, as well as her more metaphorical purpose, in how she acts as a maternal figure for Juliet, or how she adds some level of comedy to the tragic play, this being a common element of Shakespeare. On the other hand, you may be faced with an extract question. Consider this: How does Lady Macbeth use language to manipulate her husband in the following extract?

MACBETH

We will proceed no further in this business.
He hath honoured me of late, and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon.

LADY MACBETH

Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since?
And wakes it now to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time,
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valour
As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting I dare not wait upon I would,
Like the poor cat i'th'adage?

MACBETH

Prithee, peace.
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more is none.

LADY MACBETH

What beast was't then
That made you break this enterprise to me?
When you durst do it, then you were a man.
And to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man. Nor time, nor place
Did then adhere, and yet you would make both.
They have made themselves and that their fitness now
Does unmake you. I have given suck and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn
As you have done to this.

MACBETH

If we should fail?

LADY MACBETH

We fail?
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail.

Here you may consider the consistant use of questions that the character turns to, taunting her husband as she manipulates him. She further appeals to Macbeth's masculinity as she considers how acting would make him more of a "man"; this encourages him to listen, whilst also insulting him to the extent that she may be suggesting he is not a man now. In this way, you can pick out language, as well as referring to the form and structure of the verse, that helps you to illustrate your point. Whilst you may want to focus on the actual words on the page, it is important to remember that factors like line breaks, ceasurae (commas, full stops, or other forms of punctuation within the middle of a line), can provide important evidence and essay points for you, too.

Understanding Shakespeare's language is, in itself, one that becomes easier with practice; whether it is a poem or a play, if this is the first time that you have studied Shakespeare, the best advice is to take it slowly! It is perfectly natural not to understand everything, and you don't need to yet, just explore the text and try to get as much as you possibly can out of it.