Explain vessel carried around by Shakespearean character (5,2)
I believe the answer is:
clear up
'explain' is the definition.
(clearing up is a kind of explaining)
'vessel carried around by shakespearean character' is the wordplay.
'vessel' becomes 'cup' (cup is a type of vessel).
'carried around' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'by shakespearean character' becomes 'lear' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'cup' placed around 'lear' is 'CLEAR-UP'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for clear up that I've seen before include "Straighten out" , "how conditions may improve" , "Sort out" , "be less untidy" , "Solve a mystery - become brighter" .)