I would be lying if I said that Shakespeare is easy to read, and unfortunately there’s not really any short cuts in terms of acclimating yourself to the language. Nobody starts reading Shakespeare and understands everything immediately, so don’t worry if it’s frustrating at first. Even now, I’m not always 100% sure if I’m comprehending something correctly! Here is a good place to start to become more familiar with pronoun usage, I find that what’s trickiest for many people in the beginning is getting thou/thee/thy/etc. straight! Most editions of Shakespeare plays nowadays will include many footnotes, so if you stumble across a word that doesn’t make sense to you, check the footnotes! Chances are, it’s an outdated word that no longer holds the same meaning in contemporary English. Otherwise, there’s no shame in using resources like No Fear Shakespeare, which includes a contemporary “translation” alongside the original text.
I think the best way to learn how to understand Shakespeare’s English more “fluently” is simply to keep reading. The more you read, the more comfortable with the language you’ll become. It gets easier, I promise! Another thing that I’ve found to be helpful is watching the plays performed either on stage or in film, sometimes the words on the page make more sense when they’re being spoken aloud. When watching a film/TV adaptation at home, I like to follow along with a copy of the play. :) There’s loads of great adaptations out there, and here’s a small list of some of my personal recommendations.
I hope this is helpful! If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to hit me up again. Good luck, and most importantly…have fun! (And if any followers have their own suggestions or tips, I’d love to hear them as well!)
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