How to Translate shakespeare to current vernacular

Some of Shakespeare's plays may be tragedies, but reading them doesn't have to be.

Shakespeare is still famous for a reason. His writings are witty, astute and incredibly amazing. But you may not know that if you can’t muddle through the text. One way to uncover the amazement is to translate Shakespeare into current vernacular.

Instructions

1. Get rid of the “thee” and “thou.” Read it as “you.”

2. Tone down the lofty verbs. "Hath” is only a fancy way of saying “have” and “shalt” is simply a “will.”

3. Turn the “anon” into “soon,” the “ere” to “before,” and other small poetic phrases into their common terms.

4. Rearrange the sentences. Many phrases have the very before the noun or are missing a noun or verb, which is awkward and annoying to modern readers. For example, “Desires to be admitted to your presence,” simply means the person want to see you. “Let him come near,” is just saying, "OK, let him in."

5. Learn the context. Some of the phrases or references may still be baffling, especially in Shakespeare’s historical plays. If you get briefed on the history of the time and the political climate, you will understand and enjoy much more of the writing.

6. For extra help, read a version of Shakespeare that comes with footnotes or even get some CliffsNotes for an extra boost.

Tips & Warnings

• For a real fun project, don’t stop at translating Shakespeare into current vernacular, translate it into current slang, or even the language found in the novel Clockwork Orange.