Honestly... if you really want to put the work in on understanding the fist volume of Capital. I would suggest looking for David Harveys' series on Capital Vol 1. Watch the 1,5 hour lecture, read the chapters. Then watch the lecture again, if you haven't grasped it. And so on... Espescially the first 4 chapters are tedious and kinda boring... But once his concepts are developed, and he puts it all together, things make a lot more sense.

But yeah... Harvey, his lectures are worth listening too if you want to understand what it's all about. And he's also honest, when it comes to talking about the criticisms that excist out there. Also, Marx wrote a "criticism" of political economy. His main targets are: Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Maltheus, ... You kinda need to have a little bit of background on what those guys are saying. Harvey does a good job, giving you more background and delving in on the notes that Marx made.

Yes, das kapital is a challenge but worth the effort