Im in 9th Grade and about to start studying Shakespeare, can some1 give me some tips 2 understand 'Old English?

Shakespeare actually wrote in modern English, not Old English. Old English would be something like the Canterbury Tales (by Chaucer....although even that might be Middle English....I can't remember). Anyway, so yes, Shakespearean English is very antiquated and can be difficult to understand, but it isn't technically Old English.

Technicalities aside, you need to buy a good copy of the plays that has good footnotes. My favorite is the Folger's editions that have the notes on the lefthand side and the actual text on the righthand side. You can also get copies that are called "Shakespeare Made Easy" -- these essentially cheat and have a full present-day version of the text on one side and the original on the other. In some cases, though, teachers don't like you to use these because it's kind of cheating. In other classes, teachers recommend these editions to their students, though, so you never know.

Shakespeare isn't necessarily how contemporary English was spoken in the day, its best to grasp it as drama, where English is worded to project...

Shakes, did this in comedy and in drama, where projection was the natural form of plays as we even see today in modern plays...

In breaking down shake's English, is like studying the entomology of words we use today, but the study of shake's work is more learning drama...

I cannot believe in the 21st century they still use shake's work, not for its antiquated verbiage, but its purely antiquated contextual significance in the modern world...

First of all, Shakespear's Elizabethian Olde English was written to be performed as parts in plays & farces to entertain the great unwashed, (poor) or London, so the words are important not only as dialogue between the players - but they are used as puns, double entendrees, sexually provacative banter, and slang of the day. The "Old English" writings were written to engage the audience, to draw them in to the performance; so it's best - I think, to gather together as many other students as there are main characters in whatever play you are "doing", and each speak his own part to the other individual to whom his conversation is directed. (It becomes much easier to understand aconversation between two people, when there is actually a dialogue between two people.

2nd, Before you begin to read the parts aloud, go through the written words and pick out those words or phrases you do not understand - and get someone to explain to the whole group what they mean - in the "language of the day". Example: If Shakespear and his fellow londoner's listened to a conversation between two homeboys from the 'hood talking to one another, and then to their girlfriends, how much of what the teens say would be incomprehensible or taken out of context by the "Englishmen'? - who thiunk we talk as funny as - we think they "talk funny"

Next, remember that your readings are from a PLAY, which is mean to have LARGER THAN LIFE CHARACTERS, DEALING, (USUALLY), WITH LARGER THAN LIFE ISSUES, - like ghosts, murder, suicide, star-crossed lovers, feuds, betrayal, and all manner of skullduggery , romance, drama, and comedy.

Now have fun with it. A lot of this stuff is like the Original rap - rhyming lyrics with or without musical score, dealing with some of the "hard" issues of the day, or just plain politics & fantasy, and the hilarity of everyday life. So when a Hunchbacked Tax Collector's servant proclaims " It is ever so my fine countrymen, that all manner of evil villanry rains down upon the humble servants of our lords and the good and true people, and not for reason of hideous twisted limb or malformed body, deformed in the womb of definant women-child who blasphemes against God by delivering her illegitimate spawn into this world, - only to survive to serve under the weight of the taxmans tribute, stolen each season by the Sheriff and his Guard".

ya buy the books where the left page is in old english and the right page is sort of translated to more understandable words. I have the one for julius caesar, and it was alot of help, and made the book very enjoyable. damn brutus

For me, it usually works to just force myself to read a half a page and then something clicks. It may or may not work the same for you, but it's worth a shot. Practice makes perfect.

No Fear Shakespeare on Sparknotes.com, free and in english!

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Shakespeare isn't hard to understand. He uses some words that aren't in common usage anymore, so you might need a dictionary. He also makes references to things that isn't really relevant today. For example, a character might mention a saint who is the patron saint of cooks, say, but today no one would know that so calling on Saint Hilda makes no sense to a modern reader.

'Thou'= you "Thee"=me 'Thy'=your "Hark"=Listen "Dost"= Does the "Mine"=my (as in "Mine ears")

you can buy books called "no fear shakesspeare" and they translate everything and explain it

there is romeo nd juliet mcbeth and a ton of others

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get the books from barnes and noble that are their brand. they have great side notes and basically analyze if for yo u.

that's you teacher's job