The question begs itself: Why would anyone want to simply read Shakespeare out loud? With the plethora of recordings, films and prose retellings of Shakespeare’s renowned works, what is the value of this exercise?
The point is, reading Shakespeare aloud, even alone or simply with friends, can help you and others around you to better understand the text, and gain greater enjoyment from some of the finest works of English literature. After all, Shakespeare’s plays were written to be performed, and often, a good reading can help create a more understandable, more engaging rapport between the reader and the Bard. There are, however, a number of ways you can improve your reading – even if you’re the only one who will ever hear it.
1. Get comfortable with the text. Read particularly difficult passages several times through. Look out for punctuation, unusual sentence constructions – often, Shakespeare’s sentences are built in ways that have long fallen out of common use – with archaic vernacular. Shakespeare is a great vocabulary builder, and indeed, is remembered for creating a cache of English vocabulary on his own.
2. Watch your language! Not only are there new and old words to be learned – the way Shakespeare uses language can be difficult to understand. When the text is formatted like poetry, be it in a soliloquy or regular dialog, it’s because it is: Much of Shakespeare’s work is in blank verse, which means that it displays a marked rhythm – in this case, a soft beat, then a more heavily-emphasized one (ta-DUM) - but the lines don't have to rhyme. Five such beats in each line make up iambic pentameter, which, in turn, makes up blank verse. If the emphasis seems odd or stilted, practice until it comes more naturally.
3. Don’t forget to “read” punctuation: It’s there to indicate emphases and pauses, dramatic or otherwise, in language, and often, the sense of a phrase is lost when punctuation is ignored. “To be, or not to be” wouldn’t be half as dramatic as it is without that pause in the middle, would it – or is that the question?
4. Practice proper enunciation: Pronounce each word clearly, and take your time. It’s not a race to get to the end of the soliloquy or scene, and you certainly haven’t won if your audience has been left in the dust by your speedy delivery. Make sure even contractions are pronounced as written: “It were” has one more beat than “’twere” – and if ‘twere said, ‘twere best ‘twere said as written. Don’t worry if you have an American accent – due to the era in which the US was settled, many Americans have accents much closer to Shakespeare’s than their modern, English counterparts!
5. Read with friends. After all, the plays weren’t written as one man shows – liven up your Shakespearean explorations with friends and family, and share opinions on characters and plots. “The play’s the thing,” and what better than to enjoy it in company?
