“a man for all time.” – ben jonson. students think shakespeare wrote in a foreign language....
TRANSCRIPT
“A man for all time.” – Ben Jonson
William Shakespeare
Evolution of English LanguageStudents think Shakespeare wrote in a foreign language.However, most teachers think their students are speaking a foreign language (YOLO?!?)
Beowulf read in Old-English (500-1000 AD)
Canterbury Tales read in Middle English (1100-1500)
Shakespeare read in Modern English (1500-1800)
Texting in today’s tech-driven world (1800-today)
Shakespeare is credited by the Oxford English Dictionary with the introduction of nearly 3,000 words into the language.
His vocabulary, as culled from his works, numbers upward of 17,000 words.
Shakespeare’s vocabulary is quadruple that of an average, well-educated conversationalist.
Scholars believe Shakespeare attended school until the age of 14.
History of English in 10 Minutes: Part 3 Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s Influence on English Language
Shakespeare’s Language—Hipster Shakespeare
“To be or not to be,—that is the question.” Hamlet
“All the world’s a stage.” As You Like It
“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by
any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and
Juliet
“Off with his head!” King Richard III
“Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good
night till it be morrow.” Romeo and Juliet
“But, for my own part, it was Greek to me.” Julius
Ceasar
“This above all: to thine own self be true.” Hamlet
Famous Shakespearian Quotes
The writing style includes blank verse, in which each line contains a fixed rhythm and is unrhymed. Iambic Pentameter is a rhythm alternating stressed and
unstressed syllables totaling 10 syllables per line. Rhyming couplet the last word of a line rhymes with
the next line. Heroic Couplet is used to signify the end of an act.
Prose does not contain any rhymes or rhythmic structure. Shakespeare will switch between blank verse, rhyme verse,
and prose to suit the mood of the play or to create a dramatic effect. For example, in Macbeth rhyming couplets are used when
supernatural events are taking place. In comedic scenes the characters will speak in prose which the
audience finds more relatable, and humorous.
Shakespeare’s Writing Style
Theater Terms to Know for Hamlet
Stage Directions—instructions written into the script of a play, indicating stage actions, movements of performers, or production requirements for the setting.
Monologue— Greek monos "single” and legein "to speak"— A speech given by a single person to an audience. Might be delivered to an audience within a play, or directly to the audience sitting in the theater and watching the play.
Soliloquy—Latin solus "alone" and loqui "to speak" — A speech that one gives to oneself. A character talks to himself, thinking out loud, so that the audience better understands what is happening to the character internally.
Aside—a remark that a character makes in an undertone to the audience or another character, but others on stage are not supposed to hear the remark.
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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act I
Foreshadowing refers to hints in the text about what will occur later in the plot.
Imagery is highly descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses—touch, taste, hearing, smell and sight.
From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 17
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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act I
Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces. External Conflict
involves outer forces such as nature or another character.
Internal Conflict exists inside a person.
From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 17
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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act IVerbal Irony occurs
when a character says one thing but means something different.
A pun is a play on words that have similar sounds but more than one possible spelling or meaning. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 17
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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act II
Allusion—a reference to a literary or historic figure or event.
Metaphor—makes a direct comparison between two unlike things that share something in common.
Repetition—A technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity
Soliloquy –a speech a character delivers alone on stage, with the purpose of revealing his innermost thoughts and feelings.
From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 95
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Structure of a Shakespearian Tragedy
Hipster Hamlet ACT II
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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act III
Soliloquy –character delivers a speech revealing his innermost thoughts and feelings.
Motivation—refers to reasons why a character behaves as he or she does.
Personification—giving human characteristics to non-human things or ideas. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 157
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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act III
Situational Irony—A contrast between what we expect to happen, and what really happens.
From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 15 7
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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act III
Theme—The central idea or message in a work of literature relating to life or human nature.1) Appearances versus reality2) Fate versus free-will3) Consequences of taking action and seeking
revenge4) Uncertainty of death and the afterlife5) Social codes of conduct 6) Poison and corruption of the individual or a
nation7) Madness8) Women’s role in societyFrom the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 15 7
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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act IV
Simile—A comparison of two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.”
Metaphor—makes a direct comparison between two unlike things that share something in common.
Imagery is highly descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses—touch, taste, hearing, smell and sight.
Inference—is a reasonable conclusion the reader can draw based on clues given in a work of literature.
From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 243
Hamlet Act IV—Hamlet’s Indecision
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Comic Relief—in order to ease the apprehension the audience is feeling after a dramatic scene in the play, Shakespeare incorporates a lighthearted and humorous scene.
Not JUST for laughs… Heightens the dramatic
tension—creates a contrast between low and high points—within the plot structure.
Literary Terms for Hamlet Act V
From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 311
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Dramatic Irony—when the audience has important knowledge that a main character lacks.
Symbol—a person, object, action, or place that stands for something beyond its obvious meaning.
Literary Terms for Hamlet Act V
From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 311
Hamlet Act V—Hipster Hamlet
Hamlet Act V—Shakespearian Tragedy