Shakespeare tips?

Question:so i'm in high school and going to be in a play by shakespeare. i think it is really hard to read it and understand what is going. do you have any tips on how to comprehend/learn your lines/anything at all? specifically i am helena in a midsummer night's dream, but if you have any general shakespeare tips that would help too! just anything!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: so i'm in high school and going to be in a play by shakespeare. i think it is really hard to read it and understand what is going. do you have any tips on how to comprehend/learn your lines/anything at all? specifically i am helena in a midsummer night's dream, but if you have any general shakespeare tips that would help too! just anything!

1) Dont speak with a Shakesperian accent. These really are people just talking, so dont try to present it as a poem.
2) Let the words express the feeling. Shakes was really really good at using the sounds of the words (like music) express what the feelings are behind them.
3) If you can break through the language difficulty, Shakespere will often tell you what you should be feeling - he puts it right out there.
4) Shakespere also likes lists - if you dont get the feeling from one description, he backs it up with several other images.

I know you won't want to copy someone else's performance, but you might find it helpful to watch one or more of the many productions of MND that have been filmed. I've found that hearing the words spoken aloud makes the play much more understandable, and then when I go back to the written word, it makes much more sense. (And it's fabulous!)

Although it may be a bit daunting in the beginning, this is how the folks talked then. So learn to RELISH the language. Enjoy being so expressive. This was one of the keys that opened it up for me. They had nothing but time back then, and using the extended speeches, the 'lists' (as mentioned), the descriptive phrases, it's all combined to create this effect of RELISHING what you are saying. ENJOY!