How do I approach Shakespeare?

The key to Shakespeare's work is understanding them. Grasping their meaning and understanding the language. Once you have that, you can begin to analyse any Shakespearean text. The meaning behind the text is what most examiners and teachers are looking for, but you have to justify your understanding of the text's message with language analysis. One can easily be absorbed in the symbols and meaning of sonnets and plays, but they have to be supported by firm analysis from which you infer your suppositions about the text.