O this learning, what a thing it is! -William Shakespeare
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Well-known Facts about Will Born April, 1564 in Stratford on
Avon Parents John & Mary Shakespeare Grammar school education
Married Anne Hathaway Nov. 28, 1582 had three children- Susanna,
1583 and twins Hamnet & Judith, 1585 The Lost Years, 1585-1592:
There is no record of Shakespeares activities between these
years.
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Well-known Facts about Will Shakespeare relocates to London
sometime after the birth of the twins. 1592-94 theaters closed due
to the Black Plague Shakespeare used this time to write sonnets
which were published in 1609 Bought a share of the company Lord
Chamberlains Men- a good investment
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Lesser-known Facts -Plays not published until 7 years after his
death -Plagiarist -2 nd most quoted (huge body of work!), after the
Bible
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Sound familiar? Eaten out of house and home flesh and blood
Cruel to be kinddead as a door-nail Knock,/knock! Whos there? a
laughing stock Too much of a good thingneither rhyme nor reason
Neither a borrower nor a lender be suspect foul play Something
wicked this way comesvanished into thin air To thine own self be
true slept not one wink A tower of strengthbe that as it may
tongue-tiedIts Greek to me seen better days live in a fools
paradise that is the long and short of it it is high time a sorry
sightone fell swoop method in the madnessfull circle it smells to
heaventhe world is your oyster
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Will
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The Globe Theatre Built in 1599 The most magnificent theater in
London Shakespeare was 1/5 owner He earned 10% of the total profit
The Bard retired to Stratford around 1613 and lived on the profits
he earned from the Globe
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Elizabethan Theatre
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Spectators
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Shakespearean Drama
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Monologue A speech given by one character on stage, usually
spoken to another character
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Soliloquy a long speech given by a character alone on stage to
reveal his or her private thoughts. "Alas, poor Yorick!
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Aside a quiet remark to the audience or another character that
no one else on stage is supposed to hear.
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Will says... Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good
we oft might win by fearing to attempt. ~ William Shakespeare
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Reading Shakespeare What the heck is this guy talking about?!
But, for my own part, it was Greek to me!
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Shakespeares Language Why is it so hard to understand? We speak
Modern English Elizabethans spoke Early Modern English Many words
have changed or been lost
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Elizabethan Words to Know An, And Anon Aye But Haply Happy
Hence If Soon Yes Except for Perhaps Fortunate Away, from here Hie
Hither Marry Whence Wilt Withal Would Hurry Here Indeed When Will,
will you In addition to Wish
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Shakespeares Language Why is it so hard to understand?
Shakespeare had an extensive vocabulary (about 30,000 words!) and
even created words (about 2,000!) that we still use today.
Poetry vs. Prose Dialogue in Shakespeares plays is presented in
either poetry or prose form. Pay attention to the form of
characters speech, because it can give you information about that
characters importance or rank. Important or noble characters tend
to speak in poetry. Less-important or lower-ranking characters tend
to speak in prose. In special situations, a high-ranking character
may speak in prose or a low-ranking character may speak in
poetry.
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Shakespeares Language Why is it so hard to understand? Poetry
We speak in prose (language without metrical structure).
Shakespeare wrote both prose and verse (poetic language and style).
So, it is important that you understand these and the following
terms:
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Shakespeares poetry Why is it so hard to understand? Iambic
pentameter- 70%! a pattern of rhythm (meter) of five beats of
alternating unstressed and stressed syllables; ten syllables per
line. 'So fair / and foul / a day / I have / not seen' 'The course
/ of true / love nev/er did / run smooth'
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Shakespeares poetry Why is it so hard to understand? Poetic
dialogue may be either blank verse or rhymed verse. *Blank verse is
unrhymed iambic pentameter. Brabantio: This accident is not unlike
my dream. Sometimes, a line of blank verse is divided between two
or more characters. Iago: Are your doors locked? Brabantio: Why?
Wherefore ask you this?
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Shakespeares Use of Poetry Rhymed dialogue is usually written
in iambic pentameter. Rhymes may occur at the ends of alternating
lines, or at the ends of two lines next to each other (called a
couplet). Rhymed dialogue may focus on love or other strong
feelings. A rhymed couplet may summarize, foreshadow, or
dramatically close a scene. Away, and mock the time with fairest
show: False face must hide what the false heart doth know.
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Shakespeares Use of Prose Prose lacks a consistent rhythm and
sounds like ordinary speech. Shakespeare usually used prose for
common characters. Notice the lack of consistent rhythm in the
porters speech from Macbeth. Porter. Heres a knocking indeed! If a
man were porter of hell gate, he should have old turning the key.
(Knock.) Knock, knock, knock! Whos there, i th name of Beelzebub?
Heres a farmer, that hanged himself on th expectation of plenty....
(Knock.) Knock, Knock! Whos there, in th other devils name?...
(Knock.) Anon, anon! (Opens an entrance.) I pray you, remember the
porter. have old: grown old Beelzebub: the Devil.
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Shakespeares Use of Prose Noble characters who usually speak in
poetry may lapse into prose to signal a change in tone, attitude,
or emotion. In Act V of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, overwhelmed by guilt
and madness, speaks in prose. Lady Macbeth. Out, damned spot! Out,
I say! One: two: why, then tis time to dot. Hell is murky. Fie, my
lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it,
when none can call our powr to accompt? Yet who would have thought
the old man to have had so much blood in him? to accompt: into
account.
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Shakespeares poetry Why is it so hard to understand? Unusual
word order I ate the sandwich. Ate I the sandwich. I the sandwich
ate. The sandwich I ate. Ate the sandwich I. The sandwich ate I.
Did people actually talk this way?! Why cant he just say it the
normal way?!
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Unusual Word Order
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Tips for deciphering unusual word order
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Shakespeares poetry Why is it so hard to understand?
Omissions/Contractions Again, for the sake of his poetry,
Shakespeare often left out letters, syllables, and whole words.
These omissions really aren't that much different from the way we
speak today. Lets take a
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Omissions/Contractions A few examples of Shakespearean
omissions/contractions: 'tis ~ it is ope ~ open o'er ~ over gi' ~
give ne'er ~ never i' ~ in e'er ~ ever oft ~ often a' ~ he e'en ~
even
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Omissions/Contractions We say: "Been to class yet?" "No. Heard
Maczuga's givin' a pop quiz." "Wha'sup wi'that?" We leave out words
and parts of words to speed up our speech. If we were speaking in
complete sentences, we would say: "Have you been to class yet?"
"No, I have not been to class. I have heard that Miss Maczuga is
giving a pop quiz today." "What is up with that?"
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What else can you do to decode Shakespeares language?
Shakespeare will be some of the most difficult reading you will
ever attempt. BE PATIENT! HERE ARE SOME OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO TO
BETTER UNDERSTAND...
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What else can you do to decode Shakespeares language? 1.Read
the introduction 2.Read everything at least twice 3. Try reading
aloud 4. Imagine that you are acting the part: what are you telling
the audience? 5.Keep a list of characters 6.Let the punctuation
guide your reading. Do not pause or stop at the end of a line
unless you see punctuation there. Do pause or stop for punctuation
that occurs in the middle of a line. 7. Read the footnotes!!!
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What else can you do to decode Shakespeares language? 8. Watch
for archaic wordswords that are no longer commonly used in modern
English. Hither, thither, whither mean to here, to there, and to
where. 9. Note how Shakespeare uses the pronouns thou and thee, and
ye and you. Th forms were used in talking to one person who was an
intimate friend or to a person of a lower of rank. Y forms were
used in talking to several persons, to one person who was a social
equal but not an intimate friend, or to a person of higher rank.
10. Paraphrase Shakespeares language using your own words.
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What else can you do to decode Shakespeares language? *If you
cant understand a particular passage, its probably about sex.
*Always remember you are reading play scripts that are intended to
be spoken, not read silently. Imagine how the scene would look and
what the actors would be doing!
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Shakespeares poetry Why is it so hard to understand? What else
can you do to decode Shakespeares language?
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Reading Journals What the heck does that mean? I wonder, why
did she say that? OK! Now I get it!
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Meet Othello (1.2.) We see Othello for the first time in this
scene: Is he what you thought he would be? Is he respected by his
associates? How do you know? What contrasts are there between the
way Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio have described Othello and the
way he looks and behaves when he actually appears?
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Meet Othello (1.2) Do you notice basic differences in attitude
between Cassio and Iago in their short conversation following
Othellos exit (lines 50-54)? Why is Brabantio convinced that
Othello must have used witchcraft on his daughter? Why does he have
difficulty believing his daughter could run to Othellos sooty
bosom?
