# Enjoy Shakespeare with a modern translation beside every line

> A scene that lost you in school reads like a TV script, with the backstory you never got.

Pick any public-domain classic and a scene. AI lays out the original next to a plain modern version, adds the history you need, and explains the lines people still quote.

- Page: https://thesolocreators.com/prompts/classic-play-with-modern-translation/
- Category: Learn anything faster
- Made for: Everyone
- Works in: Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini
- Time: About 5 minutes per scene
- Effort: Just copy and paste

## The prompt

Fill in the parts in [square brackets], or leave them and the AI will ask you for them.

```text
Help me read [CLASSIC WORK, e.g. Macbeth] in a way I'll actually enjoy. Start with [SCENE OR CHAPTER, e.g. Act 1, Scene 3]. It's in the public domain, so you can quote the original.

1. In two or three sentences, tell me what's happened so far and who's on stage.
2. Lay out the scene in short chunks: the original lines, then a plain modern version right under each chunk. Keep the modern version natural, the way people talk now.
3. Add a short box of history: anything a reader at the time would have known that I don't (customs, beliefs, real events, word meanings).
4. Point out any line people still quote today and why it lands.
5. End with one question that makes me think about the scene, and wait for my answer.

Use sources for the history and tell me when something is debated. When I type next scene, continue the same way.
```

## Step by step

1. Open Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini
2. Paste the prompt and fill in the work and the scene
3. Read the side-by-side version and ask about any line
4. Type next scene to keep going

## What you'll get

A scene laid out in original and modern English side by side, with a short history box, the famous lines explained, and one question to think about.

## Good to know

**Which AI tools does this work in?** It works in Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini. On this page, Claude and ChatGPT open with your prompt already typed in. No paid plan is noted for this one.

**How long does it take?** About 5 minutes per scene. It's rated "Just copy and paste". There are 4 steps, listed above.

**What do I need before I start?** Just your details for 2 blanks: classic work and scene or chapter. You can skip any, and your AI will ask for them.

**What will I get back?** A scene laid out in original and modern English side by side, with a short history box, the famous lines explained, and one question to think about.

Idea spotted on X, shared by @AskPerplexity: https://x.com/AskPerplexity/status/2109305615155941774. The prompt is The Solo Creators' own version.

## Go further

Ready-made skills in the Solo Creators AI Studio (https://thesolocreators.com/studio/) that fit this: Watch It For Me (Drop any video link and get the step-by-step playbook, the full timestamped transcript, and the best quotes. Without watching it); TLDR (Your AI stops writing walls of text: every reply leads with the next action, numbered and skimmable).

From AI Use Cases and Prompts by The Solo Creators: https://thesolocreators.com/prompts/. Free to use; please link back to the page when you share it.