Shakespeare’s Language

Cornell Notes

• What did almost all plays do?

• Shakespeare’s Words

– He introduced _______ words

– He knew _________ words

• What did the Elizabethans omit in their writing?

• My four words

• Rewrite a five times sentence like Shakespeare

The Elizabethans

• They loved language• Even poorly-written plays usually

rhymed and alliterated• Sound of language was more

important than logic of sentence structure– E.g. they changed word order or

repeated words for emphasis

William Shakespeare

• Introduced nearly 3,000 words into English

• His vocabulary is upward of 29,000 words (quadruple that of an average well-educated person!)

So…why is it so hard to understand?

• Many words have shifted meaning since Shakespeare’s day, or have fallen out of use

Still hard to un’erstand…

• Letters, syllables, or whole words were sometimes omitted

'tis: it iso'er: overne'er: never

e'er / ere: everoft: oftene'en: even

Understand it not I

• Word order was more flexible. I ate the sandwich.I the sandwich ate.Ate the sandwich I.Ate I the sandwich.The sandwich I ate.The sandwich ate I.

Understand? Get it?

• Pronunciation was quite different from ours, so Shakespeare’s perfect rhymes usually are imperfect rhymes to us

love / prove

Some Tips• Thou vs. You

– Thou = an informal address to one's friends or social inferiors

– You = a formal address to strangers and social superiors

• Forsooth = No kidding

• Marry!, By my faith = Wow

• Alack, Alackaday, Alas, Fie, Out upon it! = Darn it!

• God's wounds, S'wounds, Zounds = swearing• Prating = Babbling, talking too much• Perchance = Maybe• Forswear = To lie or cheat• Betimes = Very early in the morning

With thanks to:http://www.bardweb.net/language.htmlBest, Michael. Shakespeare's Life and Times. Internet Shakespeare Editions, University of Victoria: Victoria, BC, 2001-2005. <http://ise.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/>.http://www.shakespearehigh.com/classroom/guide/page1.shtmlhttp://www.krucli.com/shakespeare_intro's.htm

What do these two passages have in common?

Lord Chief Justice: "Your means are very slender and your waste great." Falstaff (an obese and high-living man): "I would that my means were greater and my waist slenderer."

Romeo and Juliet: Mercutio is a young man with wit and little seriousness. As he lies dying: "Ask for me tomorrow and you will find me a grave man."

They both contain PUNSPUNS.

Lord Chief Justice: "Your means are very slender and your waste great." Falstaff (an obese and high-living man): "I would that my means were greater and my waist slenderer."

Romeo and Juliet: Mercutio is a young man with wit and little seriousness. As he lies dying: "Ask for me tomorrow and you will find me a grave man."

Pun

• A joke that comes from play of words

• Can make use of a word’s multiple meanings or of a word’s rhyme

• Ex) In “Battle Report”, the phrase “Drops a note” plays on the two meanings of note as a message and as a musical note.

What device is Shakespeare using in these passages?

"Death, death, O amiable lovely death."

"Parting is such sweet sorrow."

They are both OXYMORONSOXYMORONS.

"Death, death, O amiable lovely death."

"Parting is such sweet sorrow."

Oxymoron

• a combination of words with opposing or contradictory meanings

• Ex) “the sound of silence” or “cool fire” or “jumbo shrimp”

What do these passages illustrate?

Shylock, a character in The Merchant of Venice, feels mistreated and says: "You foot me as you spurn a stranger cur."

When Cleopatra thinks she is the victim of some fast talk from Antony, she says: "He words me, girls, he words me."

They both are INVENTIVEINVENTIVE with language.

Shylock, a character in The Merchant of Venice, feels mistreated and says: "You foot me as you spurn a stranger cur."

When Cleopatra thinks she is the victim of some fast talk from Antony, she says: "He words me, girls, he words me."

What do these passages illustrate?

King Henry IV, who was not fat, was called "portly."

In The Merchant of Venice, a servant who intends to hurry tells his mistress he will go with all "convenient" speed.

When Antony makes an alliance with Octavius in Julius Caesar, he calls him his "competitor."

They contain words that have SHIFTED MEANINGSHIFTED MEANING.

King Henry IV, who was not fat, was called "portly”. (stately; imposing)

In The Merchant of Venice, a servant who intends to hurry tells his mistress he will go with all "convenient" speed. (near at hand)

When Antony makes an alliance with Octavius in Julius Caesar, he calls him his "competitor”. (one who strives in common/agrees)

What are these passages examples of?

King Henry IV says the soil of England will no longer "daub her lips with her children's blood."

In A Midsummers' Night Dream, the course of young love is described as "swift as a shadow, short as any dream, brief as lightning."

In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo says, "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun."

They all use FIGURATIVE FIGURATIVE LANGUAGELANGUAGE.

The soil will no longer "daub her lips with her children's blood” = England will no longer be at war (METAPHOR)

The course of young love is described as "swift as a shadow, short as any dream, brief as lightning” = it moves extremely quickly (SIMILE)

Romeo says, "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun“ = she is a bright beautiful light (METAPHOR)