1. Decoding Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Josefino Rivera, Jr. Survey Romeo and Juliet February 11-12, 2009

2. Prologue Chorus Two households both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents strife. The fearful passage of their death-markd love, And the continuance of their parents rage, Which, but their childrens end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

3. Patterns? What did you notice… …about the beat or rhythm? …about the number of steps per line? …about the rhyme?

4. Iambic Pentameter Romeo and Juliet Two house|holds both|alike|in dig|nity, 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 Foot = group of syllables Pentameter = five feet In fair | Veron | a where | we lay | our scene… U/ U / U / U / U / Iamb = describes the # of syllables and how they should be accented. In this case two syllables: first unaccented, then accented

5. Europe

6. Verona, Italy

7. Verona

8. Juliet Capulets Home

9. Juliets Balcony

10. Why is Shakespeare so complicated? 1.Vocabulary 2.Personal Pronouns 3.Conjugations 4.Syntax, or the arrangement of words and phrases, are not in its usual places.

11. Personal Pronouns Subject (whats doing the action) Object (what the action is being done to) Genitive (pronouns always with object following) Possessive (pronoun that replaces genitive + object) 1st singular IMeMy/MineMine 2nd singular (informal) ThouTheeThy/ThineThine 3rd singular He/she/itHim/her/itHis/her/itsHis/her/it 1st plural WeUsOurOurs 2nd plural or singular (formal) YeYouYourYours 3rd plural TheyThemTheirTheirs

12. Second Person Personal Pronoun Examples Shakespeare Subject: Thou villain Capulet! Object: What shall I groan to tell thee? Genitive: Remember thy swashing blow! Possessive: With more of thine Today Subject: You villain Capulet! Object: What shall I groan to tell you? Genitive: Remember your swashing blow! Possessive: With more of yours

13. Your Turn Translate the following Shakespearean phrases into modern day English: Thou art mad! I am happy for thee. That is thy weapon! That is thine! Translate the following modern day phrases into Shakespearean English: You are lying! This is for you. Where is your homework? Is that yours?

14. Conjugations Verb forms used after thou (2nd person singular, informal) generally end in -st or -est to know: thou knowest to make: thou makest to love: thou lovest A few verbs have irregular thou forms: to be: thou art, thou wast to have: thou hast to do: thou dost shall: thou shalt will: thou wilt Your Turn: Go to any page in R&J and identify a new verb conjugation and its infinitive

15. Shakespearean Syntax: The Why Shifts from normal To create the rhythm he seeks To use a lines poetic rhythm to emphasize a particular word To give a character his or her own speech patterns (regular) To allow the character to speak in a special way (incidental)

16. Shakespearean Syntax: The How Inversion From: Subject+Verb To: Verb+Subject From: Subject+Verb+Object To: Object+Subject+Verb

17. Parts of Speech The dog bit the boy. The = article Dog = noun (the subject) Bit = verb Boy = noun (the object) The boy bit the dog. Very different meanings even though the words are the same.

18. Shakespearean Syntax and the Commutative Property Commutative Property: The word "commutative" comes from "commute" or "move around," so the Commutative Property is the one that refers to moving stuff around. For addition, the rule is "a + b = b + a"; in numbers, this means 2 + 3 = 3 + 2. For multiplication, the rule is "ab = ba"; in numbers, this means 2×3 = 3×2. Shakespearean Syntax follows a similar property.

19. Subject+Verb Inversions Today: subject+verb Shakespeare: subject+verb OR verb+subject From He goes OR Goes he Benvolio: Here were the servants of your adversary And yours close fighting were I did approach: I drew to part them: in the instant came The fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepared (5) Your turn: Lady Montague: O, where is Romeo? Saw you him to-day? (5)

20. Subject+Object Inversions Today: subject+verb+object Shakespeare: subject+verb+object OR object+ subject+verb From I hit him to Him I hit Benvolio: So early walking did I see your son. Becomes [did] I [saw ] your son walking [so] early. Your Turn: Benvolio: Towards him I made.