Oft pupils, thou hast ask'd: "Why dost thou writeth so?”
Thou hast said: "Thy words maketh me mad!"
Translation: Often students have asked me why I write the way I do. They have said that the way I write is so confusing that it makes them crazy!
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Why is reading Shakespeare so difficult?
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The goal of this lesson is to make you more familiar with
Shakespearean Vocabulary
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In the end, I hope you will feel more like this about reading Shakespeare!
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As we go through this, use the "Translation Please!" handout to fill in the meaning and example of
some of Shakespeare's commonly used words. Fill in your own example as well to show you know
how to use the word.
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Shakespeare Says…
We Say… An Example From The Bard!
Thou You (Subject) Thou shalt be king!
Thee You (Object) I give this to thee
Thy Your I see thy glory
Art Are Thou art changed.
Fill in the meaning and example of some of these commonly used words. Fill in your own example as well to show you know how to use the word.
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Shakespeare Says…
We Say… An Example From The Bard!
Hast Have A friend thou hast in Ephesus
Hath Has His majesty hath appointed this
Wilt Will Wilt thou be gone?
Dost Do What dost thou know?
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Shakespeare Says…
We Say… An Example From The Bard!
Shall/Shalt Will Thou shalt be king!
Whence Where Whence is that knocking?
Hence From Here Help me hence!
Whither Where Whither has thy vanished?
Fill in the meaning and example of some of these commonly used words. Fill in your own example as well to show you know how to use the word.
Shakespeare also often uses apostrophes to replace letters!
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Shakespeare Says… We Say…
O’er Over
‘T / T’is It / It Is
Flow’rs Flowers
Kill’d Killed
You will now complete an activity sheet which will
allow you to change sentences from modern
English, to Shakespearean (or Elizabethan) English
based on the new words you just learned!
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1. Thou art a summer's day that hath come after th' winter snow.
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2. Hence forth, I dost proclaim to thee that thou art th' angel of my life.
3. Whence is th' flow'r I sent? T'is (or it is) on thy table at home?
4. Dost thou know whence to go? I shall direct thee to go o'er there.
5. Th' smile on thy face hast gone. Art thou angry?
You will now imagine that you are Shakespeare. Use the new terms you learned,
as well as The Bard's Dictionary (handout) to write a paragraph about the topic of your choice.
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Fonts Not Appearing Correctly?
Install the following font to your computer and reopen this presentation.
http://www.fontspace.com/font-diner/cherry-cream-soda
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