I don't think a plain English adaptation is very helpful. His work isn't about the story, but the language. The work is poetry, both literally and figuratively, and a plain English adaptation is like somebody telling you about their favorite song.
Better, I think, is to see a good film adaptation. Shakespeare was never intended to be read, but to be performed. There's a lot in the text that isn't apparent until you've studied it closely, but a good performance will bring it right out in the open.
These are all good, accessible versions of his plays. You don't need to be an expert to understand and enjoy them. (They're very roughly in order of my favorites, if that matters to you.)
I won't guarantee you'll like them. There's really nothing wrong with that. People get snobby about Shakespeare, and they shouldn't. It's OK to say, "Yeah, it's not for me". But under all the snobbery, there really is great text and great performances that people genuinely enjoy. If you're interested in that, these films are the places I'd start.
Agreed. It's perfectly fine if you don't get all the mythological and historical allusions when you're watching a Shakespearian play. Just let the language wash over you. By all means, if it's your thing study it afterwords but I'd definitely start with a good performance rather than painfully work your way through an annotation that explains every reference in the text.
There are also tons of Macbeth productions, although the best is probably Polanski's which some will have an issue with.
I read some Shakespeare in class with a book that had translation notes on every page.. one page of play and one page of notes.. every page. The language is strange to everyone, which is part of what makes it "magical" sometimes ! It really is made to be performed, and often makes awkward reading I think. Lots of the drama is based on the personalities of the actors and actresses.. Some people make a show of learning the lines and shouting and such, which to me, is part of learning.. Plain language text in a book would lose almost all of that.. perhaps find a video to try?
Ignore anyone who may look down on using this. The “plain English” version is often redundant, and of course the language in the original has metre and sometimes rhyme (take a look at the opening of Macbeth: https://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/shakespeare/macbeth/page_2...), but the “plain English” version is occasionally genuinely useful, and overall I find it valuable. Most of the time (at least after you get the hang of the language, if you haven't read anything from that period before) you'll be reading just the original, but having the “translation” right there can help.
