Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Language EvolutionLanguages do not just happen; they are the result of many hundreds and even thousands of years of development. The English as we know it is relatively new and is in a constant state of change. Every day hundreds of new words enter the language and many are dropped. The English language contains about 300,000 words but your vocabulary is about 3000 and you get by on a daily basis with about 150. By contrast, William Shakespeare had a vocabulary of 15,000 words and invented many of the words and phrases that we still use today. Just take a look on the wall…

Old English - 800 A.D.

• Faeder ure thu the eart on heofonum, si thin nama gehalgod. Tobecume thin rice. Gewurthe thin willa on eorthan swa swa on heofonum.

Middle English – 1300 A.D.

• Oure fadir that art in heuenes, halwid be thi name; thi kyngdom cumme to; be thi wille don as in heuen and in erthe; gif to us this day ouer breed oure substaunce; and forgeue uo us oure dettis as we forgeue to oure dettours......

Modern English – 1600s (Shakespeare’s time)

• Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. and lead us not into temptation....

Confusing Shakespearean Words

• Thou = you• Thee = you• Thy = your• Thine = your/yours• Thyself = yourself• Ye = y’all

Additional Words:• Ere = before• Ho = now• Art = are• Canst = can• ‘tis = it is• ‘twill = it will• Doth = does• E’en = even• E’er = ever• O’er = over• Fie = curses

Shakespeare and … hip hop?

• Even though hip hop and Shakespeare are many centuries apart, there are still some similarities between them. Let’s discuss thematic similarities first:– In groups of four, select a pair of hip

hop/Shakespeare passages. Two members of your group will perform them and the other two members will write down the performance choices and passage analysis on the worksheet provided.

Conventions of a Sonnet

• A sonnet is a poem with the following features:– Lines: Fourteen lines– Meter: Iambic pentameter– Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDCDEFEFGG

• Rhyme pattern. If the lines have the same letter, then the last words rhyme with each other (ex: 1st and 3rd line rhyme – both are A; 2nd and 4th lines rhyme – both are B)

– Sonnets were typically love poems written from a man to a woman expressing his feelings for her

Meter

• Hearing the rhythm of a poem is difficult, so let’s try it in a song first…

• Lose yourself in the music the moment you own it you better never let it go

• Rap has rhythm, it is just not consistent:– And the beat goes on: da da dum da dum da da

Types of meterFoot type Style Stress pattern Syllable count

Iamb Iambic Unstressed + Stressed Two

Trochee Trochaic Stressed + Unstressed Two

Spondee Spondaic Stressed + Stressed Two

Anapest Anapestic Unstressed + Unstressed + Stressed Three

Dactyl Dactylic Stressed + Unstressed + Unstressed Three

Amphibrach Amphibrachic Unstressed + Stressed + Unstressed Three

Pyrrhic Pyrrhic Unstressed + Unstressed Two

Some words even have different meanings depending on the emphasis of the syllables…

• Suspect vs. suspect– Suspect = a person who might have committed a

crime– Suspect = to view something with suspicion

• Content vs. content– Content = things included in something– Content = satisfied/at peace

Iambic = rhythmPentameter = syllables

• If something is in ‘pentameter’, it means that it has five sets of two syllables (10 syllables)

• Is this pentameter?– Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

• Is this pentameter?– Don’t stop believing; hold on to that feeling

How can we tell the difference between blank verse (iambic

pentameter) and prose in Shakespeare’s plays?

• Just take a look at them…• Which of the following speeches is spoken by

someone of the upper class (iambic pentameter), and which is spoken by someone of lower class?

Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel,--Will they not hear? What, ho! you men, you beasts,That quench the fire of your pernicious rageWith purple fountains issuing from your veins,On pain of torture, from those bloody handsThrow your mistemper'd weapons to the ground,And hear the sentence of your moved prince.Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word,By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,Have thrice disturb'd the quiet of our streets,And made Verona's ancient citizensCast by their grave beseeming ornaments,To wield old partisans, in hands as old,Canker'd with peace, to part your canker'd hate:If ever you disturb our streets again,Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.For this time, all the rest depart away:You Capulet; shall go along with me:And, Montague, come you this afternoon,To know our further pleasure in this case,To old Free-town, our common judgment-place.Once more, on pain of death, all men depart.

When good manners shall lie all in one or two men'shands and they unwashed too, 'tis a foul thing.Away with the joint-stools, remove thecourt-cupboard, look to the plate. Good thou, saveme a piece of marchpane; and, as thou lovest me, letthe porter let in Susan Grindstone and Nell.Antony, and Potpan!

Conventions of a Sonnet

• A sonnet is a poem with the following features:– Lines: Fourteen lines– Meter: Iambic pentameter– Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDCDEFEFGG

• Rhyme pattern. If the lines have the same letter, then the last words rhyme with each other (ex: 1st and 3rd line rhyme – both are A; 2nd and 4th lines rhyme – both are B)

– Sonnets were typically love poems written from a man to a woman expressing his feelings for her

Is this a sonnet?"Mother dear, may I go downtown Instead of out to play, And march the streets of Birmingham In a Freedom March today?" "No, baby, no, you may not go, For the dogs are fierce and wild, And clubs and hoses, guns and jails Aren't good for a little child." "But, mother, I won't be alone. Other children will go with me, And march the streets of Birmingham To make our country free." "No, baby, no, you may not go, For I fear those guns will fire. But you may go to church instead And sing in the children's choir."

She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair, And bathed rose petal sweet, And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands, And white shoes on her feet. The mother smiled to know that her child Was in the sacred place, But that smile was the last smile To come upon her face. For when she heard the explosion, Her eyes grew wet and wild. She raced through the streets of Birmingham Calling for her child. She clawed through bits of glass and brick, Then lifted out a shoe. "O, here's the shoe my baby wore, But, baby, where are you?"

Is this a sonnet?I ask them to take a poemand hold it up to the lightlike a color slideor press an ear against its hive.I say drop a mouse into a poemand watch him probe his way out,or walk inside the poem's roomand feel the walls for a light switch.I want them to waterskiacross the surface of a poemwaving at the author's name on the shore.But all they want to dois tie the poem to a chair with ropeand torture a confession out of it.They begin beating it with a hoseto find out what it really means.

Is this a sonnet?Not marble, nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than unswept stone besmear'd with sluttish time. When wasteful war shall statues overturn, And broils root out the work of masonry, Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burnThe living record of your memory. 'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmityShall you pace forth; your praise shall still find roomEven in the eyes of all posterity That wear this world out to the ending doom.So, till the judgment that yourself arise, You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.

Yep, Sonnet 55. But what on earth is it saying??

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than unswept stone besmear'd with sluttish time. When wasteful war shall statues overturn, And broils root out the work of masonry, Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burnThe living record of your memory. 'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmityShall you pace forth; your praise shall still find roomEven in the eyes of all posterity That wear this world out to the ending doom.So, till the judgment that yourself arise, You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.

How to paraphrase sonnets

• When dealing with Shakespeare’s language, it is a lot to try to figure out not only what he is saying but also trying to work through the language. So let’s practice with some pieces that you may be more familiar with…

• Pop Sonnets is a Tumblr that takes modern day pop songs and comes up with a sonnet that roughly paraphrases portions of the songs. Would you rather hear a sonnet written by Shakespeare or one inspired by Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, or Kesha?

Paraphrase – Put in your own words. Not a summary – goes line by line.

I am an energetic traveler. I give each attractive woman I meet an invitation to come on my boat and sit on my lap. When traveling, countries often ask for a tax, but your tax will be cheap because your attractive body pays it for you. It doesn’t matter if you come from Rome or France; I’ll speak the same language. Even though I’ve traveled the world, I don’t speak the languages. But I don’t need lots of words as long as you talk dirty to me. Jason Derulo – Talk Dirty to Me

Your turn! In pairs, select one of the following pop songs. I will provide you with the pop sonnet. Read it carefully, then provide a paraphrase on a

separate sheet of paper. Please don’t write on the Pop Sonnet.

4. Ke$ha – Tik Tok6. The Temptations – My Girl8. Jimmy Eat World – The Middle9. Don McLean – American Pie10. Justin Bieber – Baby11. Taylor Swift – Shake it Off13. Sam Smith – Stay With Me14. Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball16. Spice Girls – Wannabe20. Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk21. Eminem – Lose Yourself22. NSYNC – Bye Bye Bye24. The Killers – Mr. Brightside

32. Sir Mix a Lot – Baby Got Back33. Bruno Mars – Just the Way You Are49. Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’56. Will Smith – The Fresh Prince of Bel Air57. Magic! – Rude60. Ariana Grande/Iggy Azalea – Problem61. Idina Menzel – Let it Go64. The Chainsmokers - #SELFIE66. Taylor Swift – We are Never Ever Getting Back Together71. Beyonce – Single Ladies72. Miley Cyrus – Party in the USA73. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe

Petrarch: Typical love sonnetThe way she walked was not the way of mortals but of angelic forms, and when she spoke more than an earthly voice it was that sang: a godly spirit and a living sun

Fidessa – Typical love sonnetMy Lady's hair is threads of beaten gold; Her front the purest crystal eye hath seen; Her eyes the brightest stars the heavens hold; Her cheeks, red roses, such as seld have been; Her pretty lips of red vermilion dye; Her hand of ivory the purest white; Her blush AURORA, or the morning sky. Her breast displays two silver fountains bright; The spheres, her voice; her grace, the Graces three; Her body is the saint that I adore; Her smiles and favours, sweet as honey be. Her feet, fair THETIS praiseth evermore.

Sonnet 130My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;Coral is far more red than her lips' red;If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delightThan in the breath that from my mistress reeks.I love to hear her speak, yet well I knowThat music hath a far more pleasing sound;I grant I never saw a goddess go;My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rareAs any she belied with false compare.

“Sonnet 18” – Your Turn! Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;But thy eternal summer shall not fadeNor lose possession of that fair thou owest;Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

So now that you have paraphrased Sonnet 18… wanna hear it rapped?• Akala – TED talk• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSbtkLA3GrY