Bell-Work 824/9/12 Find one other classmate to work with (you MUST work with someone else). Pass notes back and forth between your teammate—all written conversation must be school appropriate. Keep it simple-ask questions or make simple statements about what you did this weekend, your favorite sports team, etc. YOU MAY NOT TALK AT ALL.

Shakespeare’s Language Methinks thine verbage could useth some “spicing up” How to better understand exactly what Shakespeare was saying in his plays and sonnets…

What’d he just say? Have you ever tried to read Shakespeare, or any other poem or play that is written in old English? It’s hard to read, isn’t it? Some of Shakespeare’s sentences are hard to understand, but here are a few terms that you should learn that will make reading Romeo & Juliet easier:

Thou Subject: "Thou art my brother.“ “Thou” most closely means “you” Example: “You are too kind”  “THOU art too kind”

Thee Thee - Object: "Come, let me clutch thee." “Thee” can also mean “you”

Thy Possessive Adjective: "What is thy name?“ “Thy” is similar to our word “your” Example: “Girl can I get your digits?” becomes “Woman, can I geteth thy numerical digits?”

Thine Possessive Noun: "To thine own self be true.“ Also most closely means “your”

Ye Ye - Subject: "Ye shall know me." “Ye” usually means “you all” (it refers to a group) but it can also mean “you”

Verbs in Elizabethan times Simply add an -est or –st or –eth to a word (typically the verbs). These were used often with the 2nd person familiar pronouns (thou, thee, etc): "Thou liest, malignant thing." -est or –st are more present tense, -eth is more past tense Example: Jump  jumpeth or talk  talkest or did  didst

Examples: "What didst thou see?" "Why canst thou not see the difference?" "What time should'st thou callest?“ "Didst thou drinkest thy Coke when thou wast thirsty?"

Sentence Structure Take a look at these sentences—Shakespearean sentence structure was slightly different from ours today: "A glooming peace this morning with it brings." (Romeo and Juliet) "That handkerchief did an Egyptian to my mother give." (Othello) "Thy shape invisible retain thou still." (The Tempest)

Other common words: ‘twas = it was ‘twere = it were ‘tis = it is or it’s (or sometimes just “is”) “What ho!” = “What’s up?” “Whoa!” “What’s that?” etc. “cuz” = cousin (could also be like saying “bro”) “Hark!” = hello!

Group Work: Get back in your bell-work groups. Transform your conversations from earlier into “Shakespearean conversations” – Add endings to your verbs – Use words from the handout – Change “you” and “your” to “thee” and “thine”, etc.

Homework: Find your favorite joke or pick-up line in modern English (make sure it’s school appropriate) Translate this joke or pick-up line into a Shakespearean joke or pick up line using your notes and handout (also check Progressbook for helpful links) Due tomorrow!! 4/10

Exit slip Before you leave class: on a post-it note, write down a “Shakespearean version” of a recent Facebook status or “tweet” of yours—or a Shakespearean sentence about what you did this weekend For example: – “I think it’s so cool to be a Winter Park Wildcat” becomes “Methinks ‘tis wonderful to be a Winter Park Wildcat” etc.