While I was reading the end of Act II (Act II Scene IV) I thought I had just read a pivotal point in the play but wasn't sure if I quite understood it. I hopped on to SparkNotes to find a summary of the Act to make things more clear, but instead I found No Fear Shakespeare. I remembered one of our classmates mentioning it in class so I decided to check it out.
As you can see in the picture, No Fear Shakespeare has the original Shakespeare text with a modern "translation" right beside it. Not only did it clarify any questions I had but it also adds useful information like specific places (i.e. sanctuary in Westminster Abbey) and names. I found the names particularly helpful in keeping the dialogue straight because it's easy to get mixed up in who a person is talking about.
So thank you, No Fear Shakespeare. I think you're an excellent tool that doesn't dumb down Shakespeare, or take away from the original text (because it is right there to compare). If only I would've had this in grade school!
