I felt anxious in my English lessons at school when the Shakespeare plays were handed out. What did the words mean?! It seemed like a riddle. A theatre degree later and I share this secret with every one of my students: NOBODY understands every word of Shakespeare text when they first read it and if they say they do....they're lying! It takes a bit of time and effort but I promise that Shakespeare's texts don't need to be scary or intimidating. A lot of the way he wrote was just a way of helping the actors perform it the way he imagined on stage. Whether your child support as they study Shakespeare in KS3 English or they need to build their confidence tackling the bard for GCSE English Literature, bring me the play and we will break down key scenes, themes and characters together. 45 minutes - 1-2 key scenes (recommended for KS3) 60 minutes - 1- 2 key scenes (GCSE level analysis) 90 minutes - 2-3 key scenes (GCSE level analysis)