How To Understand Shakespeare

From “Othello” to “Romeo and Juliet,” everyone has heard of Shakespeare’s plays, but many students would rather be inside Hamlet’s skull than sitting in the audience.

Never fear – experts from the IU Department of Theatre and Drama have advice for not only understanding, but even enjoying, the Bard’s dramas.

“Shakespeare is really powerful, and I think most people don’t get how powerful it is,” said Trish Hausmann, the department’s house manager.

Hausmann deals one-on-one with audience members for every department play and said many people, especially students, are intimidated by Shakespeare.

“Their only interaction with Shakespeare has been in high school,” she said, where it was likely not engaging and possibly not well-taught. “They’re afraid of it, they’re intimidated by it and they don’t have to be.”

One of the departments dramaturges, or script analyst, Tom Shafer said Shakespeare in the United States has a slight stigma, in part because of bad productions and perhaps poor teaching over the years.

Hausmann recommends looking up a plot summary, character list and historical context before going, especially because the Bard often has a cast of dozens of named characters and many productions will have one actor playing multiple parts, she said.

“Take five minutes and look online to get a little bit of background,” she said. “Just a little bit of prep work can make the difference when you’re sitting there ... that can make the difference between being completely lost and knowing what’s going on.”

For students who might not trust Wikipedia, Web sites like SparkNotes, “No Fear Shakespeare,” CliffsNotes and Pink Monkey provide an alternative for plot summaries
and character descriptions.

John Kinzer, director of audience development for the department, said students should be looking for the gist of a play – not enough material to write a term paper. He discourages students from reading the entire script.

Shafer said annotations can either aid or confuse readers looking at a play for the first time.

“The notes can be helpful, but they can also be scary,” Shafer said. “I didn’t want to read a doctoral thesis. I just want to read a play.”

Theatergoers should also come in with a receptive mindset, Hausmann said.

“People have to come in with an open mind and know that this isn’t your grandma’s Shakespeare,” she said, citing last season’s “Measure for Measure,” which kicked off with an orgy in the opening scene.

Once the lights go down, attendees should focus on the play and forget about stressors such as homework.

“Get rid of the cell phone, get rid of distractions and concentrate,” she said. “If you don’t immerse yourself in it, you won’t get it.”

Not that immersion is that difficult, Hausmann said.

“I think the comedies are easier to understand because humor can transcend the time barrier really well,” she said, adding that “Hamlet,” the department’s Shakespeare production for the season, is surprisingly funny. “He’s talking to a skull. ... He’s trying to make everybody think he’s crazy and that’s funny. And that transcends.”

One reason the plays are still popular is that the stories are timeless, Hausmann said.

“So many contemporary films have Shakespeare plots as a basis,” she said, including teen films “10 Things I Hate About You” and “She’s the Man.” “People are more familiar with Shakespeare than they realize.”

In fact, the same plot lines can be seen as far back as ancient Greece.

“Shakespeare was the master plagiarizer,” Hausmann said. “It’s just a matter of he did it better.”

“Better” might be a relative term, as Kinzer and Shafer each said language is the biggest barrier for modern laypeople.

“Shakespeare didn’t write for you and me,” Shafer said. “He wrote for the people of his time and he wanted to entertain them.”

Even this can be overcome with time and exposure, Shafer said, comparing watching Shakespeare to reading the King James Bible or listening to rap music.

“After you spend some time with a rap artist, you get it. ... If you’re growing up with it, you have no problem,” he said. “I think the same thing’s true of Shakespeare.”