Most people are under the impression that Shakespeare is too difficult to understand, that it’s “like a different language.” But the truth is, Shakespeare’s language is our language, the one you're reading right now. The first reason it seems foreign is because the bard uses a different set of rules. But once you learn the rules, you essentially break the code. You recognize patterns and comprehend meaning without having to Google every single word. After awhile, you’ll be able to understand Shakespeare on the first read! (OK, maybe the second…)
Yes, Shakespeare is intimidating because Will and his contemporaries used language to convey intense feelings. In fact, everyone in the late 16th century used language in this way. Language was spoken like music. When people fought, their words cut like daggers. When professing their love, they spoke in romantic arias. Today, we express our excitement with words like “lit” or "sick." We fight via text message using acronyms such as “smh,” which I just discovered means, “shaking my head.” We use our own code today just like Shakespeare did in his time! In "The Tempest," Shakespeare wrote, “I would not wish any companion in the world but you.” Now we say: “Squad goals.” Let’s face it: language has undergone a serious reduction.
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Shakespeare’s plays are written in iambic pentameter. Each line consists of 10 syllables meant to be spoken in a pattern of alternating stressed and unstressed beats. This structure intimidates readers new to Shakespeare. “Why can’t it just be regular?” we have all wondered at some point. Charlie Rose recently interviewed actress Mercedes Ruehl. In speaking about her performance in a contemporary play, she said, “It flies because of the restrictions.” Though she was not referring to Shakespeare specifically, the phrase struck me as an absolutely perfect way to describe Shakespeare! The biggest and broadest human feelings are condensed into the parameters of the rhythmic structure and beautifully articulated in a way that is not too concise and not too over-the-top. It packs a punch! Doesn’t that sound like what we’re all doing in life? We’re given a certain amount of time here on this planet and are compelled to fill it with as much beauty, sorrow and life as we can. This is why I love Shakespeare and part of the reason why it is still relevant 400 years later. Even though we have modern versions of Shakespeare's works like "10 Things I Hate About You," "West Side Story" and "The Lion King," the original plays are still being studied and performed. But then if we have these stories retold in our modern vernacular, then why don’t we just forget about those wordy originals altogether? Well, they fly because of the restrictions!
In "As You Like It," Shakespeare has Rosalind—who is disguised as a dude and has accidentally caught the eye of another girl—say:
“I pray you, do not fall in love with me,
For I am falser than vows made in wine.”
What a cool, densely packed two lines to say “Wait, no, I’m not who you think I am!” To make a reference to drunk promises expands our minds and helps us realize in a humorous way just how “false” Rosalind is. It’s an awesome metaphor and Shakespeare’s works are full of them. You might even say “metaphor goals.”
Another cool example of Ol' Bill's genius is in Ophelia’s famous speech. It begins with the line “O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown.” This line has four long ‘O’ vowels, vowels that we make naturally when we are in highly emotional states. Think about it: when we cry or shout angrily, we don’t shout consonants. Vowels are very emotional. We can really get a sense of Ophelia’s distress by the number of ‘o’s in this first line alone. Later in the speech, she says:
“And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,
That sucked the honey of his music vows,
Now see that noble and most sovereign reason
Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.”
‘Deject’ and ‘wretched’ are words that sound like what they mean. They are a mess of consonants as chaotic as the feelings they represent. And the last line about bells contains the phrase “jangled, out of tune and harsh.” If you say the line out loud (with a liquid ‘u’ on ‘tune’), it literally sounds like the dissonant clanging of bells. The words do not flow nicely together like the first line of the speech with its repetitive, symmetrical vowels: instead the sounds are choppy and unpleasant to the ear. Not only is the language metaphoric, the sounds themselves are tiny metaphors too! Shakespeare did this intentionally you guys, and that is precisely why he is the man.
So, next time you roll your eyes at the thought of reading “Hamlet” because you’ve pre-decided that it’s too hard or it’s a different language or it’s boring, think about this: You have the opportunity to consume a story that not only has heightened drama, but is told in a heightened way. The language and sounds tell the story as much as plot and the characters all say their innermost feelings and thoughts. It’s like getting to read a regular good story but with special features! Shakespeare’s genius allows the audience to have x-ray vision for the duration of the story. You know exactly what the characters are up to at all times. If someone’s sad, you get a soliloquy explaining why. If someone is in love, they profess it. If someone is hatching an evil plot to kill someone else, they will literally stop the progression of the narrative to give the audience a head’s up in what’s called an 'aside.' If the language still distracts you, at least you don’t have to wrack your brain to figure out someone’s motivation or their true feelings.
The thing that's the most difficult to fathom about Shakespeare is his genius. He wrote his plays for everyone as they depict so perfectly the human experience. Once you break 'the code,' I think you'll find he has a lot to say. You may even steal some of his best lines and use them in everyday life: how badass would it be if you insulted someone with a line like, “Thou has no more brain than I have in mine elbows"? Now that, is a burn that may requireth ice.
