A Tired, Fed Up High School Student's Guide to Shakespeare

Paraphrase! This isn't too different from annotating a poem. Think about what Shakespeare is trying to say. Consider word play, symbolsim, and imagery. Try to put the text into your own words.

Shakespeare uses the same literary devices that the authors we read use today, such as similes, metaphors, alliteration (in sonnets), etc. Many of his works contain unusual word order.

Helpful Tips - Read out Loud! This will help you understand the rhythm (often Iambic Pentameter) Shakespeare uses. - Pay attention to speech: often characters of different classes will speak in different rhythms. Characters of lower class or supernatural characters tend to use a rhyme scheme.

A Tired, Fed-up High School Student's Guide to Shakespeare

DON'T BE AFRAID TO LOOK UP A WORD OR READ AN ANNOTATED EDITION.

MAKE CONNECTIONSThink about other books you've read or movies you've seen. Can you make any connections?

By and by: before long; eventually

LITERARY DEVICES

Watch the Plays!Once you know the language, watching a play (whether it be live or a film) is much more fun, and can really help you understand the text.

The Globe Theatre, London