Shakespeare

Shakespeare

• Sleep is the cousin of death…• I was not born under a rhyming planet..• Maybe it's hatred I spew maybe its food for the spirit…

• Majority of Shakespeare’s audience couldn’t read.• Used a lot of jokes to keep those at the lower levels happy.• His plays were in parts. Like soap operas or tv showsthat youneeded to “tune into” find out the next part.• Used themes that were popular of the time. WouldShakespeare’s plays today be about vampires and superheroesinstead of royalty and Italy?

Shakespeare• Born April 23rd, 1564 in Stratford -Upon-Avon

•Father was shopkeeper and“mayor” of town.

•Attended free grammar school until15. Read mythology and classics(being the Renassance and all).

•Married to Ann Hathaway (8 yearsolder) (he was 18, she 26)

•3 children (Susanna, Hamnet, &Judith)

•Lived most of his life in London.

Shakespeare

• Successful actor inLondon.•Leading poet•Member of a ‘TheChamberlain’s Men’•Wrote around 37 plays,154 poems•Retired to Stratford•Died on 1616

Shakespeare

• Most plays based on historical evens or OTHER plays.• No copyright laws in those days.•Took ordinary stories and made them EXTRAORDINARY!

Macbeth of ScotlandReign 1032-1057

The Tragicalhistory ofRomeus andJuliet by ArthurBrooke

Shakespeare

• Introduced nearly 2000 words Into English. • He revitalized English by making it a language of art. Before Shakespeare, English was “losing” artistically to The Romance Languages and German.

Common Sayings:• catching a cold•Disgraceful conduct•Elbow Room•Fair Play

Words•Assassination•Barefaced•Bumps•Countless•Critical•Dwindle•Exposure•Gloomy•Monumental•Suspicious

Shakespeare•Accused•Addiction•Amazement•Backing•Bandit•Bedroom•Courtship•Critic•Dawn•Design•Discontent•embrace

• Engagements• excitements• Eyeball• Fixture• glow•Hint•Luggage•Ode•Questioning•Reinforcement•Savagery•Tardiness•Watchdog

ShakespearePhrases:• As good luck would have it (The Merry Wives of Windsor)• Be-all and the end-all (Macbeth)• Dead as a doornail (Henry VI)• Eaten me out of house and home (Henry IV)• Faint Hearted (Henry VI)• For goodness sake (Henry VIII)• Full circle (King Lear)• Good Riddance (Troilus and Cressida)• In a pickle (The Tempest)• Kill with kindess (Taming of the Shrew)• Knock Knock! Who’s there? (Macbeth)•Laughing stock (The mErry Wives of Windsor)•Love is blind (merchant of Venice)

ShakespearePlays: •Comedies (Taming of the Shrew, Midsummer Night’s Dream)

•Histories (Henry V)

•Tragedies (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth)

•Romances (The Tempest)

Shakespeare

1. What was Shakespeare’s father?2. Married who?a) Anne Morrowb) Anne Boleync) Anne Rutledged) Anne Hathaway3. The theatre with which Shakespeare is mostclosely associated is the:a) National Advancementb) Monarchc) Globed) Thespian4. What are some common sayings?5. Around how many words did he introduce?

Why do we have such a hard time understanding his writing?

ShakespeareWhy so odd?

• A lot has happened to the English Language since the late1500’s.•Shakespeare was a poet, as well as an actor andplaywright, and because of this he interacted with languagedifferently than most others.• He used figurative language, slang and world play foreffect.• Write with poetic meter (rhythm of word sounds) in mind.• Used things that were happening in his time(contemporary).

Shakespeare• His English is different but still similar to ours.• Read carefully, keeping in mind the differences.• Don’t try to pronounce words you already know differently.Say them the way you know them.• You are not alone! Even your teachers have their ownTroubles understanding Shakespeare’s language.•Shakespeare IS writing in early Modern English. Not “OldEnglish which looks like this…..

From BeowulfÞæt wæs god cyning! = That was [a] good king!Lord’s Prayerand forgyf us ure gyltas, swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum.

= And forgive us of our guilts as also we forgive our guilty

Shakespeare• Shakespeare was more than comfortable altering hissentence structure to fit his rhythm. For example reversing thelocation of two words (“He goes” to “Goes he”, or “As couldmean “as though”). How can you tell what he means? Not asimple way, just keep in mind the CONTEXT.• “Had” often means “would have” ex: Had he not resembled/My father as he slept, I had done’t” -Macbeth.• Putting gender to genderless objects. “And never daremisfortune cross her foot, / Unless she do it under thisexcuse” (Merchant of Venice). In this line “her” and “she” bothrefer to misfortune.

ShakespeareGood News Everyone! Approximatley 90% of the words Shakespeare used in his playsAre still in use today. The bad news is that 10% of his words are Ones you never heard of. That is why you should use the Annotations (usually represented by a *). EX: “Slubber not business for my sake.” (Merchant of V)“Slubber” is an archaic word, and leaves the meaning of this lineConfusing. But your notes will tell you that “slubber” means“botch”. “Botch not business for my sake”. Almost there! “Don’t botch business for my sake”

Shakespeare• 3rd Person Singular: -th, not -s (eg:“she giveth”, not “she gives”)• 2nd Person Familiar: add -est, -st, ‘st(eg: “you givest,” not “you give”)

Elizabethan Verbs:Present TenseNow You are have will can shall doThen Thou.. art hast wilt canst shalt dostPast TenseNow You.. Were had would could should didThen thou… wast hadst wouldst couldst shouldst didst

•“anon”: soon

•“prithee”: please

•“hence”: here

•“wherefore”: why

Shakespeare

Get into partners and try write a script using Shakespeare’sLanguage. All characters should talk like Shakespeare.

You are ordering your favorite fast food from a drive through Speaker.