Discourse Analysis:
Shakespeare for Dummies.
Instantly, the first thing the reader is drawn to is the title of the main text: “Shakespeare… Difficult? Zounds! ‘Tis all much ado about nothing!” This text is highlighted in bold, and uses a pun to suggest to the reader that the article they are about to read will be light-hearted, despite the agenda being somewhat serious. The phrase “much ado about nothing” is significant as the writer is assuming that the reader must have some sort of contextual knowledge beforehand in order to understand the Shakespeare reference. The next thing the reader is guided to on the page is the grouped text in bold. Again, the overall tone is informal and colloquial language is used such as “snappy summaries.” Along with this, the writer is trying to build a relationship with the reader by asking rhetorical questions, intending to persuade the reader: “did Romeo and Juliet seem like a foreign film- without the subtitles?” To add to this, the imperative verb “relax” is conversational, as if the writer actually knows the reader. This is all done in order to persuade the reader to purchase this particular book, or at least read the content. After this, the reader is subconsciously guided to the bullet point list of all the benefits the book has to offer, for example “improve your understanding of the language.” By relating this to the reader, it makes them feel as if this book is going to help them in some way, and so they may be keener to buy it.
