Shakespeare’s Language

Background Shakespeare wrote in what is now labeled as Early Modern English by linguists.

Of course to the Elizabethans, they were just speaking English.

Today Vs. Shakespeare Time

We speak in prose (language without metrical structure).

Shakespeare wrote his plays in both prose and verse (poetry).

Most of his plays are written in blank verse. This was considered artistic language at the time.

Poetic TermsIambic Pentameter:

five Beats of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables; Ten Syllables Per line.

Blank Verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter.

'So fair / and foul /a day /I have / not seen’

'The course / of true / love nev/er did /

run smooth'

BOLD= stressed (a beat)

Shakespeare Quirks

Shakespeare sometimes inverted the typical English word order to keep his verse in iambic pentameter.

I ate the sandwich. = Subject, Verb, Object (SVO). ◦Most common word order in English.

The sandwich ate I. =Object, Verb, Subject

(OVS). ◦Most common Shakespeare order.

Shakespeare Quirks

Like us, Shakespeare often used contractions.

We omit words and parts of words to speed up our speech.

"Been to class yet?" "No. Heard Love's givin'

a test." "Wha'sup wi'that?”

"Have you been to class yet?" "No, I have not been to class. I heard that

Miss Love is giving a test today." "What is up with that?"

Shakespeare Quirks

Shakespeare often dropped letters and syllables to make words fit in iambic pentameter.

'tis=it is i'=in ope = open e'er = ever o'er = over oft = often gi'=give a'=he ne'er = never e'en = even

Shakespeare Quirks

Pronouns were mostly the same, but there were a few different ones in use.

The most striking differences are the use of formal and informal second person, both in singular and plural forms.

REMIND US: WHAT IS A PRONOUN?

He Played with the ORDER of wordsRearranged them:

Separated them:

Omitted (left out words):

Language is Different

Words we don’t use anymore:

Some Words he uses have different meanings:

He created NEW words!

AccommodationAssassinationDexterouslyDislocateObsceneReliancePremeditateIndistinguishableAnd HUNDREDS more

appeared in Shakespeare’s plays FIRST!

Why did Shakespeare write this way?

To make the words fit the five beats per line

To make it rhymeHe liked to play with

wordsHe thought the words

sounded good that way

Shakespeare in Early Modern English

thou/thee youthy/thine yourdoth doart arehither to hereyonder over therehenceforth from now onhence from hereshall will, shouldwherefore whywilt willtis it iswould wishhence from herest, est, lt, t, th, eth take them off

Shakespeare’s Language

DAY TWO

DO NOWWhat did Ben Jonson mean when he said,

“He was not of an age but for all time?”Why do we study Shakespeare?

“Before the time I did Lysander see

Seemed Athens as a paradise to me.”

- Helena

- Separate beats

- 2 clauses: Label underline words SUBJECT,

VERB, OBJECT

Shakespearean Glossary

‘Tis = it is ‘Twas = it was A’ = he Anon = soon Art = are Ay = ah yes Dost = do Doth = does E’en = even E’er = ever Ere = before/rather than Fain = glad/ gladly Fie = (disgust, shame) Gi’ = give Hast = have Hath = has Hence = from here Hie = hurry

Hither = to here I’ = in Marry = unite Nay = (denial, rejection) Ne’er = never O’er = over Ope = open Prithee = (politeness) Shalt = shall Thee = you Thou = you Thither = there Thy = your Thine = your Whence = from which Wherefore = why Whither = to which place Wilt = will

I did sleep all night.

I all night did sleep.

Did sleep all night I.

Did sleep I all night.

All night I did sleep.

All did sleep I.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

1. Define funny words

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

2. Identify subject, verbs, objects in funny sentences.

Let me not get in the way of the joining of two minds in love. Love is not love if it changes when a change is found in a lover or disappears when a lover leaves.

O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark

That looks on tempests and is never

shaken;

It is the star to every wand'ring bark, Whose worth’s unknown, although his

height be taken.

1. Define funny words

O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark

That looks on tempests and is never

shaken;

It is the star to every wand'ring bark, Whose worth’s unknown, although his

height be taken.

2. Identify subject, verbs, objects in funny sentences.

Oh no, love is a constant unchanging light that shines on storms and is never shaken; it is the star that guides every wandering boat, whose value is beyond measure, although it’s height can be measured.

Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

1. Define funny words

Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

2. Identify subject, verbs, objects in funny sentences.

Love is not under time’s power, though time has the power to destroy rosy lips and cheeks. Love does not change with the passing of brief hours and weeks, but lasts even to the end of time.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

1. Define funny words

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

2. Identify subject, verbs, objects in funny sentences.

If I am wrong and can be proven wrong, I never wrote, and no man ever loved.

Exit Ticket: 3/20On a sheet of notebook paper:

How does Shakespeare describe “Love” in this poem? Give at least 3 examples from the sonnet.