Making Sense of Shakespeare

"It's Greek to me"

— Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Meet Your Guide: Amelia J, HSC English Specialist

Hi there! My name is Amelia J, and as a HSC English teacher, HSC marker, and private tutor with 15 years of experience, I’m excited to help you make sense of Shakespeare! I hold a Master of Teaching (English and Ancient History) from the University of Sydney and have spent almost a decade guiding students through Shakespeare’s plays—both in the classroom and through personalised tutoring.

I love Shakespeare, and I know that understanding his plays can feel overwhelming. Shakespeare’s plays are written in what can seem like a whole other language, Early Modern English. Add on that his lovers speak in poetry and the fools speak in riddles, and you’ve got a challenge on your hands. I’m here to share my tips on decoding Shakespeare’s language, themes, and literary devices—so you can approach your HSC English exams with confidence.

How Do I Understand Shakespeare?

The focus on Shakespeare’s language in HSC English can be overwhelming. The pressure piles on, and you feel like every word counts. You zone out, or even just miss what a certain expression means, and suddenly you feel lost.

In these moments, you can’t see the forest for the trees. You’re sweating the small stuff and getting bogged down in the details.

Instead, sit back, relax, and watch a production!

The actors in a production have already done the hard work of interpreting the text for you. Shakespeare wrote his plays to be performed, not just read. His words make much more sense when embodied by a cast of actors.

Instead of asking yourself whether you understand every word, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I know what’s happening in the scene?
2. Do I know who the characters are and what archetypes they fit? Who is the lover, who is the fool, who is the villain?
3. Do I understand their relationships? Who is in love with whom, who wants revenge, who holds power?

At this stage, just focus on the key characters and remember them by distinct clothing, hairstyles, or voices in the production you’re watching.

If you can answer those three questions, then you’re keeping up! Keep focusing on big-picture developments until the play ends.

Congratulations—you’ve made sense of Shakespeare! And hopefully, you’ve enjoyed it along the way.

Best Shakespeare Adaptations to Watch for HSC English

Stuck on which Shakespeare production to watch? Always prioritise the version your teacher recommends and check its rating before pressing play. But here are some iconic adaptations:

• Romeo and Juliet – Romeo + Juliet, Directed by Baz Luhrmann (1996)
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, starring Michelle Pfeiffer (1999)
• Macbeth – ShakespeaRe-told: Macbeth, starring James McAvoy (2005) (note: not in Shakespeare's words, a modern retelling)
• Hamlet – Hamlet, starring David Tennant (2009) or Hamlet, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (2015)
• The Tempest – The Tempest, RSC in collaboration with Intel (2016)
• Much Ado About Nothing – Much Ado About Nothing, starring Kenneth Branagh & Emma Thompson (1993) or Much Ado About Nothing, starring David Tennant & Catherine Tate (2011)

Bonus Tip: Need a plot outline before watching? The Bell Shakespeare website has reliable resources on all major Shakespeare plays, including a synopsis (plot summaries) and character breakdowns of each one.

How Do I Analyse Shakespeare?

So, you’ve understood the play—great first step! You know roughly what’s going on and who ends up dead or married.

Now, your teacher wants you to analyse a speech, write a paragraph, or start crafting an essay.

Here are my 10 top tips for analysing these dense works of literature effectively:

1. Focus on the key speeches discussed in class—soliloquies and monumental scenes. If you find yourself wading through a section of his words that you haven't studied in class, prioritise the key speeches until you feel more confident in the deep end.
2. Use reliable online resources. The Bell Shakespeare website is one of many excellent tools to decode his words. Make sure the website you use are reputable and, if you use AI tools, always double-check its answers with an expert—AI has been known to get confused by Shakespeare!
3. Use No Fear Shakespeare for to understand the vibe, but ignore it once you get the gist. Modern translations help get a sense of the message, but they often cut out all Shakespeare’s poetic devices, wordplay, and rhythm—which are key to your emerging analysis.
4. Look for Shakespeare’s favourite literary devices: allusions, motifs, metaphors, similes, antithesis, dramatic irony, and puns. You don’t need to analyse every sentence—just the most powerful and technique-heavy lines.
5. Recognise key themes and collect strong quotes related to them. Shakespeare loves harping on about revenge, love, fate, mortality, magic, madness, illusion and reality, performance, loyalty, sacrifice… If your teacher mentions a key theme, find some technique packed quotes that address it.
6. Understand Shakespeare’s historical and social context. If you’re discussing a female character, for example, reflect on the role of gender in Shakespeare's context and on stage in the Globe theatre. If a King is murdered, consider the role of the monarchy and the Great Chain of Being.
7. Play with the order of things in a sentence. Shakespeare’s phrases are often awkward to ensure he sticks to the rhymes and rhythm that he has chosen. Consider how you might flip phrases around to make more sense of his words..
8. Know what key Shakespearean words mean. Wherefore means why, art means are, thou means you. Use the footnotes in your edition for trickier words, or check out Shakespeare’s Words, an online dictionary that provides definitions for Shakespeare's language.
9. Seek out personalised support. Tutors on Learnmate are available to support you in decoding Shakespeare’s language and unearthing the hidden gems of analysis.
10. Most of all—have fun with it! Shakespeare wrote his works to be performed for the masses as entertainment. You don’t need to understand every word to enjoy his stories, characters and language.

Final Thoughts

Stepping back from the dense language, enjoying the plays as pieces of entertainment and getting some extra support can make the challenge of Shakespeare surmountable. I hope these tips help you decode and enjoy the beautiful language and beguiling stories of the Bard!

Learnmate’s tutors are here to help you analyse Shakespeare’s plays, refine your essay-writing skills, and feel prepared for your HSC English exams.

Need extra guidance? If you found these tips helpful, I’d personally love to support you as your tutor this year. You can view my profile on Learnmate and contact me to discuss tutoring options. Alternatively, Learnmate's tutors can help analyse Shakespeare's plays, refine your essay-writing skills, and feel prepared for your HSC English assessments. You can connect with other HSC English tutors on Learnmate here.