merrysa arbet`s blog

Having trouble reading Romeo and Juliet? Can't understand it? Here are steps on how to read it.

edit Steps

1.
1
Go to your local bookstore and purchase a book that tells the story in simpler words. Normally these books are called "Shakespeare Made Easy", and cost around $6.99.
2.
2
Look at the two sides of the book. You'll notice that one side is written in Shakespearean language and the other side is English translated. Read the Shakespearean and when you come along a difficult spot, look to the other side for help.
3.
3
Go to "Cliffs Notes" online if you don't want to purchase the book. They have excellent pages on each act, descriptions of the characters, analyses and quizzes.
4.
4
Read with a partner. Sometimes if you read alone you might miss a deeper meaning. If you read in a group or with a friend you have more thought and insights than your own.
5.
5
Go and see the play or movie. This way you can see what is going on, and get the main idea.
6.
6
Get a little information on Shakespeare before you read the book. This way you will understand his time. (Look up Shakespeare, the Globe Theater, etc.)
7.
7
Be able to recognize poetry forms. William Shakespeare was a genius in the art of writing. With almost every sentence he used some form of structure. If you know what a sonnet is or a couplet, then the book will seem a lot more meaningful. Here is an example of a sonnet, that he used in the beginning to start of this story:

"Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."

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edit Tips

* A Sonnet is a 14 lined poem that rhymes in this format: AB AB CD CD EF EF GG.
* If you watch the movie or play it might be changed around a bit, so on an exam you might get an answer wrong. It's always best to read the book.
* If you read the book with Shakespeare Made Easy, do not only read the right side. If you receive a test, you might get a few questions wrong. For example, if they give you a quote from the left side you will have no clue what it says!
* If you work in a group, pick members who won't goof off, that way you will actually spend your time deciphering this story.
* Get a detailed plot outline for the story. If you know what's going to happen, you will have a better time following along.

edit Warnings

* Don't cheat and rely on the cliff notes. This is taking out the fun and appreciation of learning about Shakespeare.