How to Read and Understand Romeo and Juliet

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Go to your local bookstore and purchase a book that tells the story in simpler words.

   Normally these books are called "Shakespeare Made Easy"
   
   and cost around $6.99.
2. 2

   Step 2: Look at the two sides of the book.

   You'll notice that one side is written in Shakespearean language and the other side is English translated.
   
   Read the Shakespearean and when you come along a difficult spot, look to the other side for help. , They have excellent pages on each act, descriptions of the characters, analyses and quizzes. , Sometimes if you read alone you might miss a deeper meaning.
   
   If you read in a group or with a friend you have more thought and insights than your own. , This way you can see what is going on, and get the main idea.
   
   However, remember that each director and actor has their own interpretation about the roles and the story. , This way you will understand his time and the whole work. (Look up Shakespeare, the Globe Theater, the Renaissance, etc.) , William Shakespeare was a genius in the art of writing.
   
   With almost every sentence he used some form of structure.
   
   If you know what a sonnet is or a couplet, then the book will seem a lot more meaningful.
   
   Here is an example of a sonnet, that he used in the beginning to start of this story:"Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
   
   From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
   
   The fearful passage of their death-marked love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."'
   
   What are characters' traits? What is going on in the story (what's the relationship between the Montagues and the Capulets? How come Shakespeare never states where the hatred came from?)? How do they function? What might they mean? Try to catch as many details that occur to be meaningful to you as possible.
   
   If you can, write them down and think as you read, and find more information about them later.
3. 3

   Step 3: Go to "Cliffs Notes" or "SparkNotes" online if you don't want to purchase the book.

4. 4

   Step 4: Read with a partner.

5. 5

   Step 5: Go and see the play or movie.

6. 6

   Step 6: Get a little information on Shakespeare and the Elizabethan England before you read the book.

7. 7

   Step 7: Be able to recognize poetry forms.

8. 8

   Step 8: As you read

9. 9

   Step 9: think about the characters and scenes.

Detailed Guide

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