Shakespeare is studied by both scholars of literature as well as actors. So how exactly should we view his work? And is his work best experienced as a piece of literature or as a piece or theatre?
It seems a lot of people have strong feelings about this one way or the other. I’m going to give a non-answer, which is that it depends. I think every person should approach Shakespeare in their own way. For an aspiring actor, as an example, they probably are better off thinking about the works as pieces of theatre. For an English literature student…well, obviously they’ll be approaching the plays more as literature.
For someone who fits in neither of those categories, however, how should they treat Shakespeare? There’s no one right answer. It depends on the play, and it depends on the production you would be watching. In terms of which plays I would suggest starting with, see my post about that from earlier in the week.
For what it’s worth, I don’t actually think reading the plays vs. watching them are as different as they may seem at first. In fact, they have a lot in common. Both (when done well) are going to explore the subtleties, the ambiguities, and the complexities in the characters, situations, and language.
That said, I would point out a few things to keep in mind.
If you are watching the play (on stage or on screen), remember that many decisions regarding interpretation are going to be made for you. If you are watching Hamlet, for example, you may not get a sense that Shakespeare is quite ambiguous about whether or not Gertrude had anything to do with the death of Hamlet’s father. That is a choice the actress would make for you. If you were reading it, you would be able to decide for yourself. However, viewing the play can add to the experience, too, by providing visual clues. Even things like costume and set design can make your experience with the play richer and fuller – something that you may not get if you were simply reading the play. And it’s worth noting that these were meant to be performed.
The main advantages of reading the plays, however, in my opinion are that there is much more left up to you as the reader. You can decide whether or not Gertrude was confederate with Claudius in the murder of Hamlet’s father. You can decide whether or not a particular line has some unexpected comic potential. Because of that, reading the plays can (although not always) make for a more personal experience.
Let your own preferences dictate how you decide to approach Shakespeare. If you’re not a huge reader, don’t let someone make you feel that you have to read the Bard in order to really understand him. And similarly, if you’ve never been able to really find a Shakespeare movie/production that interested you, don’t hesitate to read the plays just because they were intended for the stage. Any way that works for you to approach the Bard is perfectly fine.
