DECODING SHAKESPEARE

Decoding Shakespeare

I ate the sandwich• I the sandwich ate.• Ate the sandwich I.• Ate I the sandwich.• The sandwich I ate.• The sandwich ate I.• Rearrange the words in the order that makes the most

sense to you (I ate the sandwich).  This will be one of your first steps in making sense of Shakespeare's language.

Poetry vs. Prose• We speak in prose (language without metrical structure).  • Shakespeare wrote both prose and verse (poetry).  \

• Blank Verse:  unrhymed iambic pentameter.• Iambic Pentameter:  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'

Omissions

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.  We say:• "Been to class yet?"

"No.  Heard she’s givin' a test.“

• To decipher, try to think of what words he omits.

Examples

• 'tis ~• ope ~• o'er ~• gi' ~• ne'er ~

• i' ~• e'er ~• oft ~• a' ~ he• e'en ~

A few examples of Shakespearean omissions/contractions follow:

Make it easier• Treat Shakespeare as a foreign language. This means don't get

hung up on every expression that's not clear. Only check footnotes a couple or three times per page (or you will chop up the flow too much). Let things drop as you try to figure out what the main events and themes are for the segment you are reading.

• Imagine a Performance. Think of a scenario (in both place and time) and create a production in your head. Imagine friends, family, or actors playing the roles. Try to imagine the voices of those people as you read the different parts.

• Take notes as you read or listen. It will help you stay more engaged with the text. I suggest you take notes while keeping in mind your goal of sharing your learning with others. Ask questions of the text that you might ask of others, or make the subject of a blog post.