Hamlet+in+Prose-+Something+We+Can+All+Understand

Shakespeare's language may not be as different from ours today as we think, but many of us may still have difficulties really understanding it. I find that usually a reader can get the crux of what is happening in the plot and the relationships between the characters, but sometimes Shakespeare's writing leaves one stumped.

As for a personal example, in act 1, scene 2 (Page 27 of our books), King Claudius says, "That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound/ In filial obligation for some term/ To do obsequious sorrow. But to persever/ In obstinate condolement is a course/ Of impious stubbornness." Whether it is the vocabulary being used, the syntax, or anything else that makes these lines so confusing, it doesn't matter. I could read through this line 30 times and still not fully understand it. Other readers may find many other examples throughout this play whose meanings are mysteries. This is when a text that translates Shakespeare's writing into language anyone can understand would truly be a life-saver.

I think almost all modern high school readers would appreciate something that turns Hamlet (or any Shakespearean piece) into prose, or ordinary language for speaking and writing in. If you visit the following site, it breaks Hamlet down, line by line, into prose. If while reading for class, there is an area you simply cannot understand and don't have a chance to ask for clarification, click [|this link].

Referring back to the above example, this is how the site provided translates this confusion into clarity: "...You must know that your father lost a father; and his father in turn lost his; and the survivor is bound, in filial obligation, for some term of sorrow. But to persevere in obstinate condolence is a course of unholy stubbornness."

This still is not the way we, as teenagers, talk to one another, but it certainly is easier to comprehend. This link can be effective in clarifying any area where Shakespeare leaves you feeling lost by giving another, more simple way of saying the line with the same meaning.

If the link above does not work, copy and paste this one into the browser: http://www.lynchmultimedia.com/Hamlet.html

The site was provided by a company called Lynch Multimedia which re-did many of Shakespeare's pieces in prose and posted them for students and other readers. On the site, "Book One, Chapter One" means "Act One, Scene One," etc.

Chelsey Porth Hour 1