As opposed to Americans, do you think that the British have an easier time understanding Shakespeare?

Question

I enjoy reading Shakespeare but I have really had to work at it. There are enough words that I don't understand that I have a difficult time getting a rhythm like I would if I was reading Hemmingway or Joyce Carol Oates. I wonder if the British have an easier time of it.

Answer 1

Maybe a little. American pronunciation probably doesn't work when trying to get a rhythm or read the poetry (not to mention being torturous on the ears)

Answer 2

I think that we probably find it slightly easier, but perhaps not all that much so. When I studied Shakespeare at school I found it a good move to read the play in "Lamb's Tales of Shakespeare" beforehand to get the story line, so that I could concentrate on the nuances of the play without having to worry the plot. I found the history plays quite straightforward to read for pleasure (Charles and Mary Lamb didn't cover them!), but I was glad of help in the classroom with other plays. What is fascinating, though, is how what on paper looks like a difficult text is utterly transformed through a good stage (or even screen) performance. Somehow all complications are swept away and the audience responds readily. Perhaps only people who have studied Shakespeare attend such performances, and one shouldn't assume too much!

Answer 3

I don't think the British have it any easier with Shakespeare. The language and style of writing is 400 years old there as well as here.

Answer 4

The first Shakespeare play I read was Julius Caesar-I was eight at the time and I lived in Arkansas. My favorite play was and still is A Midsummer Night's Dream. They were a bit harder to understand because they weren't in modern english, but once someone explained most of the words to me I found them quite enjoyable.

Answer 5

Most of Shakespeare's language is still in use today, and so is not that inaccessible. Continued reading will make you more familiar with the usages and forms, and you'll find it easier as you go along.

Try reading it aloud. It was meant to be spoken and heard.

Answer 6

It is possible. The language is 400 years old but British education includes more readings from that era (and earlier) so they have more exposure.

Answer 7

I find it easy to read, but I could never write anything like it! The only line that baffled me for a while was:

"O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and deny thy name"


And so on. My answer was: Well he's right there in front of you! Then I found out that "wherefore" actually meant "why", which made a lot more sense!

Answer 8

i dont know. i could write something in early modern english [shakespearian] right now if i wanted [ im english] but i know alot of people in my class have trouble understanding what he is saying becuase he uses poetry and symbolism for getting his ideas across. not soley the evolution of language throughout the last 400 years.

Answer 9

hard stuff. research with a search engine. just that could actually help!