O this learning, what a thing it is! -William Shakespeare

Well-known Facts about Will Born April, 1564 in Stratford on Avon Parents John & Mary Shakespeare Grammar school education Married Anne Hathaway Nov. 28, 1582 had three children- Susanna, 1583 and twins Hamnet & Judith, 1585 The Lost Years, : There is no record of Shakespeare’s activities between these years.

Well-known Facts about Will Shakespeare relocates to London sometime after the birth of the twins theaters closed due to the Black Plague Shakespeare used this time to write sonnets which were published in 1609 Bought a share of the company Lord Chamberlain’s Men- a good investment

Lesser-known Facts -Plays not published until 7 years after his death -Plagiarist -2 nd most quoted (huge body of work!), after the Bible

Sound familiar? “Eaten out of house and home” “flesh and blood” “Cruel to be kind”“dead as a door-nail” “Knock,/knock! Who’s there?” “a laughing stock” “Too much of a good thing”“neither rhyme nor reason” “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” “suspect foul play” “Something wicked this way comes”“vanished into thin air” “To thine own self be true” “slept not one wink” “ A tower of strength”“be that as it may” “tongue-tied”“It’s Greek to me” “seen better days” “live in a fool’s paradise” “that is the long and short of it” “it is high time” “a sorry sight”“one fell swoop” “method in the madness”“full circle” “it smells to heaven”“the world is your oyster”

Will

The Globe Theatre Built in 1599 The most magnificent theater in London Shakespeare was 1/5 owner He earned 10% of the total profit The Bard retired to Stratford around 1613 and lived on the profits he earned from the Globe

Elizabethan Theatre

Spectators

Shakespearean Drama

Monologue A speech given by one character on stage, usually spoken to another character

Soliloquy a long speech given by a character alone on stage to reveal his or her private thoughts. "Alas, poor Yorick!”

Aside a quiet remark to the audience or another character that no one else on stage is supposed to hear.

Will says... Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. ~ William Shakespeare

Reading Shakespeare What the heck is this guy talking about?! But, for my own part, it was Greek to me!

Shakespeare’s Language Why is it so hard to understand? We speak Modern English Elizabethan’s spoke Early Modern English Many words have changed or been lost

Elizabethan Words to Know An, And Anon Aye But Haply Happy Hence If Soon Yes Except for Perhaps Fortunate Away, from here Hie Hither Marry Whence Wilt Withal Would Hurry Here Indeed When Will, will you In addition to Wish

Shakespeare’s Language Why is it so hard to understand? Shakespeare had an extensive vocabulary (about 30,000 words!) and even created words (about 2,000!) that we still use today.

Shakes. Words- to name a few! critical aggravate reliance countless monumental obscene forefathers frugal hurry majestic homicide summit bedroom fashionable lackluster moonbeam outbreak puking zany worthless varied undress skim milk submerge eyeball laughable luggage mimic assassination

Poetry vs. Prose Dialogue in Shakespeare’s plays is presented in either poetry or prose form. – Pay attention to the form of characters’ speech, because it can give you information about that character’s importance or rank. Important or noble characters tend to speak in poetry. Less-important or lower-ranking characters tend to speak in prose. In special situations, a high-ranking character may speak in prose or a low-ranking character may speak in poetry.

Shakespeare’s Language Why is it so hard to understand? Poetry We speak in prose (language without metrical structure). Shakespeare wrote both prose and verse (poetic language and style). So, it is important that you understand these and the following terms:

Shakespeare’s poetry Why is it so hard to understand? Iambic pentameter- 70%! a pattern of rhythm (meter) of five beats of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables; ten syllables per line. 'So fair / and foul / a day / I have / not seen' 'The course / of true / love nev/er did / run smooth'

Shakespeare’s poetry Why is it so hard to understand? Poetic dialogue may be either blank verse or rhymed verse. *Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter. Brabantio: This accident is not unlike my dream. Sometimes, a line of blank verse is divided between two or more characters. Iago: Are your doors locked? Brabantio: Why? Wherefore ask you this?

Shakespeare’s Use of Poetry Rhymed dialogue is usually written in iambic pentameter. Rhymes may occur at the ends of alternating lines, or at the ends of two lines next to each other (called a couplet). Rhymed dialogue may focus on love or other strong feelings. A rhymed couplet may summarize, foreshadow, or dramatically close a scene. Away, and mock the time with fairest show: False face must hide what the false heart doth know. ´ˇ´ˇ´ˇ´ˇ´ˇ ´ˇ´ˇ´ˇ´ˇ´ˇ

Shakespeare’s Use of Prose Prose lacks a consistent rhythm and sounds like ordinary speech. – Shakespeare usually used prose for common characters. Notice the lack of consistent rhythm in the porter’s speech from Macbeth. Porter. Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell gate, he should have old° turning the key. (Knock.) Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ th’ name of Beelzebub? ° Here’s a farmer, that hanged himself on th’ expectation of plenty.... (Knock.) Knock, Knock! Who’s there, in th’ other devils name?... (Knock.) Anon, anon! (Opens an entrance.) I pray you, remember the porter. – °have old: grown old °Beelzebub: the Devil.

Shakespeare’s Use of Prose – Noble characters who usually speak in poetry may lapse into prose to signal a change in tone, attitude, or emotion. In Act V of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, overwhelmed by guilt and madness, speaks in prose. Lady Macbeth. Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One: two: why, then ‘tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow’r to accompt?° Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? °to accompt: into account.

Shakespeare’s poetry Why is it so hard to understand? Unusual word order I ate the sandwich. Ate I the sandwich. I the sandwich ate. The sandwich I ate. Ate the sandwich I. The sandwich ate I. Did people actually talk this way?! Why can’t he just say it the normal way?!

Unusual Word Order

Tips for deciphering unusual word order

Shakespeare’s poetry Why is it so hard to understand? Omissions/Contractions Again, for the sake of his poetry, Shakespeare often left out letters, syllables, and whole words. These omissions really aren't that much different from the way we speak today. Let’s take a

Omissions/Contractions A few examples of Shakespearean omissions/contractions: 'tis ~ it is ope ~ open o'er ~ over gi' ~ give ne'er ~ never i' ~ in e'er ~ ever oft ~ often a' ~ he e'en ~ even

Omissions/Contractions We say: "Been to class yet?" "No. Heard Maczuga's givin' a pop quiz." "Wha'sup wi'that?" We leave out words and parts of words to speed up our speech. If we were speaking in complete sentences, we would say: "Have you been to class yet?" "No, I have not been to class. I have heard that Miss Maczuga is giving a pop quiz today." "What is up with that?"

What else can you do to “decode” Shakespeare’s language? Shakespeare will be some of the most difficult reading you will ever attempt. BE PATIENT! HERE ARE SOME OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BETTER UNDERSTAND...

What else can you do to “decode” Shakespeare’s language? 1.Read the introduction 2.Read everything at least twice 3. Try reading aloud 4. Imagine that you are acting the part: what are you telling the audience? 5.Keep a list of characters 6.Let the punctuation guide your reading. –Do not pause or stop at the end of a line unless you see punctuation there. –Do pause or stop for punctuation that occurs in the middle of a line. 7. Read the footnotes!!!

What else can you do to “decode” Shakespeare’s language? 8. Watch for archaic words—words that are no longer commonly used in modern English. Hither, thither, whither mean “to here,” “to there,” and “to where.” 9. Note how Shakespeare uses the pronouns thou and thee, and ye and you. Th– forms were used in talking to one person who was an intimate friend or to a person of a lower of rank. Y– forms were used in talking to several persons, to one person who was a social equal but not an intimate friend, or to a person of higher rank. 10. Paraphrase Shakespeare’s language using your own words.

What else can you do to “decode” Shakespeare’s language? *If you can’t understand a particular passage, it’s probably about sex. *Always remember you are reading play scripts that are intended to be spoken, not read silently. Imagine how the scene would look and what the actors would be doing!

Shakespeare’s poetry Why is it so hard to understand? What else can you do to “decode” Shakespeare’s language?

Reading Journals What the heck does that mean? I wonder, why did she say that? OK! Now I get it!

Meet Othello (1.2.) We see Othello for the first time in this scene: Is he what you thought he would be? Is he respected by his associates? How do you know? What contrasts are there between the way Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio have described Othello and the way he looks and behaves when he actually appears?

Meet Othello (1.2) Do you notice basic differences in attitude between Cassio and Iago in their short conversation following Othello’s exit (lines 50-54)? Why is Brabantio convinced that Othello must have used witchcraft on his daughter? Why does he have difficulty believing his daughter could run to Othello’s “sooty bosom”?