by Samantha Pope, tutor in English Literature, English Language, Spanish and creative writing.
Posted September 2025
As a student, Samantha used to dread Shakespeare but now enjoys his works and helping others to enjoy them, too. As an A Level examiner, Samantha can give a masterclass on Shakespeare to A Level students.
Many students approach studying Shakespeare in trepidation, at best, and in fear and loathing at worst. The Bard has a reputation for being difficult, incomprehensible and boring, which is a shame because once you overcome your misapprehensions, then you can find a lot to like in Shakespeare.
You might think: “Of course she says that: she’s a literature teacher.” But I didn’t always feel this way about Shakespeare; I dreaded him when I was taking my GCSEs and A Levels and, although I loved reading, Shakespeare wasn’t at the top of my list of authors (honestly – he wasn’t even on the list). He seemed too difficult, too remote from my everyday life to be relevant.
Now I am older I can appreciate Shakespeare much more than when I was a teenager. You might think that this revelation is not much use to you, but I wanted to share my ideas to hopefully help you get the most out of your Shakespearean studies. You never know, you might learn to love him!
While Shakespeare’s language can be a challenge to newcomers (and sometimes even to those of us who have read him more extensively), the more of his works that you read, the more accustomed you become to deciphering some of the trickier passages. Equally, many of the texts nowadays have side-by-side translations or explanations of more difficult words. I find the Oxford Shakespeare series excellent in this way and use it with my students.
On the other hand, don’t get too bogged down by the accompanying footnotes and explanations or you’ll never finish reading the play. These footnotes can be helpful, of course, but they also can really slow down your progress and make reading feel like a chore. Try to get as much as you can just by reading the lines and refer to the glossary as and when needed.
Additionally, it always helps to see a play performed. Don’t forget that Shakespeare was written for the theatre – in his lifetime he did not intend for his words to be read. Once you have some background about the plot of the play, and the different characters, try to watch it being performed, either live if you can or search for dramatisations on YouTube or BBC iPlayer. These bring the words to life and allow the beauty of the language to shine through. Also, don’t be afraid to give it a go yourself: read passages aloud to make more sense of them and hear their rhythm.
The Royal Shakespeare Company has an excellent section on their website where you can learn more about individual plays, watch actors discussing how they interpret their roles, and view extracts from performances. Shakespeare Learning Zone | Royal Shakespeare Company. This can be helpful for whatever stage you are at in your learning and is particularly relevant for A Level students, who have to consider different interpretations of plays within their analyses.
Once you have overcome your initial reluctance or fear or dread, a new world opens up for you. Thematically, Shakespeare writes about issues that are as relevant now as they were centuries ago and most involve the strengths and weaknesses of the human character. His works really are masterpieces in the study of human emotions. In ‘Macbeth’, we have the destructive force of ambition. In ‘Hamlet’, we have indecisiveness and moral debates about right and wrong. In ‘Othello’, jealousy drives the dramatic action. ‘Julius Caesar’ features the ever-present theme of political turmoil. If these plays were not enduringly significant, writers would not be penning modern adaptions. ‘West Side Story’ is based on ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and both explore the fall-out of forbidden love amongst rivals, while ‘The Lion King’ is based on ‘Hamlet’.
Shakespearean plays can be problematic these days with regards some of the expressed views and characterisations. Accusations of sexism, racism, misogynism and homophobia have been levelled at some of the works and, while we can see this nowadays, remember when the plays were written. The world was a different place, and the attitudes expressed then would not have been necessarily offensive to contemporary audiences.
On the other hand, you could argue that Shakespeare’s intention in ‘Othello’, for example, was to show how poorly his titular character was treated by a racist society and to challenge these beliefs. Similarly, any interpretation of the (mis)treatment of women can be countered with the consideration that Shakespeare might have been challenging societal norms. This is another aspect of Shakespeare that I enjoy: contemplating the surface versus the hidden messages.
Shakespeare also lives on in our everyday lives through the various words and expressions he invented, which are still in use today. According to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, we should thank Shakespeare for giving us:
He is also attributed for giving us expressions such as: ‘the apple of my eye’, ‘laughing stock’, ‘wild goose chase’ and ‘faint-hearted’.
So, you can’t get rid of him that easily!
You might try all this and still never love Shakespeare. That’s OK: not everyone does and there is no requirement to! However, you can learn to appreciate the massive and ongoing impact he has had on English literature and culture. So, to at least survive your studies in Shakespeare, approach him with an open mind. You never know how you might feel in weeks, months or years to come.
We hope that you have enjoyed reading our blog and feel ready to tackle Shakespeare with new enthusiasm! You may be interested to read a related article on ‘Reading for Pleasure’. To read one of our other blog posts, please return to the main blog page. If you would be interested in attending a revision course or booking some online subject tuition, please contact us today for further information or apply via our online application forms.
Do you enjoy reading for pleasure or do you find it a chore? Picking up a book might seem like the last thing you want to do after school, but you might find you enjoy it, and the benefits may surprise you.