Experiencing a Shakespeare play

If you already know what will happen in the play, you can focus on Shakespeare’s specific presentation of events. You should also keep a list of the characters—and their various names—beside you as you read. (Many plays have characters that adopt alternate personas or are given new titles. Catalogue to keep confusion at bay!)

Shakespeare did not compose five-act plays. This ordering principle was added by publishers and editors. Use this imposed structure as a guide to help you understand Shakespeare’s use of in media res, the reversal of fortune of his tragic heroes, and the extent of his foreshadowing.

Shakespeare’s most famous plays are tragedies. His histories contain many tragic elements and critics adopted the term “problem play” to explain “tragicomic” works like The Merchant of Venice. Do any of the characters in the play you are reading exhibit a fatal flaw? Is there a form of catharsis? Could you classify this work as a tragedy? Why or why not?

Mark deviations from blank verse. Couplets can denote exits, punctuate arguments, and render forms of romantic attachment. Sonnets can appear in a prologue, epilogue, or the occasional speech. Prose can dominate a comedy (c.f. The Merry Wives of Windsor) and play a significant role in tragedy (c.f., Hamlet).Examine every shift from poetry to prose: is this shift separating classes of characters? indicating the difference between communicative modes? signifying a character’s mental state?

Remember dialogue is a form of characterization. What can you say about the cadence or tone of a character’s voice? What words, images, or phrases recur in their speech? Do their speech patterns remain consistent throughout the play? (If speech patterns appear to change, explore the context of this change.)

Analyze long speeches. Long speeches delivered by characters to other characters on the stage are monologues. Are the monologues in the play intended to inform? persuade? deceive? Long speeches delivered by characters alone on stage are soliloquies. These “solo” speeches necessarily pause the action of the play. Does this pause affect the plot? change the mood? aid in characterization? further a theme?

Pay attention to patterns (i.e., motifs). Do actions recur or repeat? Are there characters that use the same style of figurative language? What imagery is recurrent throughout the play?

Look for opposites. Shakespearean drama delights in contrast (“To be or not to be/That is the question”). Foil characters and irony (dramatic, situational, and verbal) abound. What do these distinctions demonstrate?

Muse on the musicality. There is more to Shakespeare’s poetry than rhyme and meter. Be on the lookout for assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, and elision. How might these stylistic flourishes complement the message?