MARCH 3 (A) AND MARCH 4 (B)

Switch your homework poems.

Mark each other’s iambic

pentameter.

SHAKESPEARE

An Introduction to Shakespearean Language

Quick-WriteWrite a short scene of a play about any topic of your choosing. The short scene should contain 4 lines (or more) of dialogue between two characters. SKIP LINES (We will be revising.)

The content is less important than the words and sentences themselves! Be sure your sentences are grammatically correct.The following activity will be easiest if you keep to short, simple sentences!

Shakespearean Language

Differences from Modern English we use today• Meter, esp. iambic pentameter• Inverted Sentence Structure• Interrupting Phrases• Word Omission• Pronouns• Verb Inflection• Coined Words

All examples in this presentation are taken from Romeo and Juliet.

Inverted Sentence Structure

Modern English: Subject – Verb –

Object

I ate the

sandwich.

Shakespearean Language: Object –

Subject – Verb

The sandwich I ate.

Or: Subject – Object – Verb

I the sandwich ate.

Note: This inverted structure can also occur with predicate adjectives and nouns.

Inverted Sentence Structure

People in Shakespeare’s time did not really speak

this way.

Why, then, did Shakespeare write this way? • Create a specific poetic rhythm• Emphasize a certain word• Give different characters different speech

patterns (method of characterization)• Create rhyme scheme

Label the sentence structure of the following lines from Romeo and Juliet. Then, rewrite the sentences to fix the inverted word order.

A glooming peace this morning with it brings.

In the instant came the fiery Tybalt.

Black and portentous must this humor prove. Of honorable reckoning are you both.

Look back to your short scene. Label the subject (S), verb (V), and object (O) for each sentence that has a transitive verb. You will invert the structure later.

Inverted Sentence Structure

Interrupting PhrasesSeparated Sentence Elements and Long Interrupters Sometimes subjects will be separated from their

verbs or verbs will be separated from their objects by long, delaying interruptions

Again, Elizabethans did not speak like this. So, why do it? Interruptions often provide important background

details Separation of basic sentence elements requires the

reader to attend to those supporting details

Interrupting Phrases

What is the true subject and verb of the following lines? Underline all that interrupts it.

Three civil brawls bred of an airy wordBy thee, old Capulet, and Montague,Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets.

Look back to your short scene. Pick one line to add more details to by adding an interrupting phrase between a subject and verb or between a transitive verb and its direct object.

Word Omissions

For the sake of the rhythm and rhyme, Shakespeare often left out letters, syllables, and whole words.

We do the same thing in our informal speech every day.

Formal English: Have you been to class yet? Formal English: What is up with that?Informal English: Been to class yet? Informal English: Wha’sup wi’that?

A few examples of Shakespearean omissions/ contractions…‘tis = it is i’ = in e’en = evenope = open e’er = ever ne’er = nevero’er = over oft = often a’ = he

Word Omissions

What words do you think are being omitted from the following lines?

Were you ‘by?

And gladly shunned who gladly fled from me.

Look back to your short scene. Make the following omissions:

• At least one word• At least one letter (add an apostrophe as

Shakespeare would have

PronounsPronouns Modern

EnglishShakespearean

LanguageSubject You

“You are my friend”

Thou“Thou art my friend.”

Object You“I give you my love.”

Thee“I give thee my love.”

Possessive Adjective

Your“Here is your sword.”

Thy“Here is thy sword.”

Possessive Noun

Yours “This medal is yours.”

Thine “This medal is thine.”

Plural Subject You (you all)“You are all mighty lords.”

Ye “Ye are mighty lords.”

Pronouns

Replace the pronouns in the following lines with its Modern English counterpart.

…Upon thy life I charge thee, Whate’er thou hearest or seest, stand all

aloofAnd do not interrupt me in my course.

Look back at your short scene. Replace all pronouns accordingly.

Verb Infl ection

Shakespeare conjugated verbs by adding an “-est” or “-st” suffix with 2nd person pronouns (you). Occasionally, a “-th” ending would replace an “s”.

Modern English: You lie.Shakespearean Language: Thou liest.

Modern English: What did you see?Shakespearean Language: What didst thou see?

Modern English: Why can’t you see the difference? Shakespearean Language: Why canst thou not see the difference?

Verb Infl ection

Underline the verbs in the following lines:

And yet no man like he doth grieve my heart.

If though art moved, thou runnest away.

Look back at your own skit. Inflect any action verbs that come after “you.”

Shakespeare’s Words

Shakespeare is credited with inventing over 1700 new words. He used several strategies to make this happen:

1.Adding a prefix of suffix on to a pre-existing word2.Combining two pre-existing words into one, new

compound word3.Changing the part of speech of pre-existing words 4.Creating it from scratch!

Invented Words: Words Shakespeare Coined-Folger Shakespeare Library

Coined WordsGuess which two words in the following lines from Romeo and Juliet were coined for the first time here:

And yet, I warrant, it had upon its browA bump as big as a young cockerel’s stone

And in his needy shop a tortoise hung, An alligator stuff'd, and other skins

And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars.

Sure wit, follow me this jest now till thou hast worn out thy pump

Look back at your short scene. Add at least three new words you created.

Add a footnote. For each word’s footnote, state the definition and the strategy used to create your words.

Revise Your ScriptRe-write your scene completely applying all relevant elements of Shakespearean Language, including:

• Iambic pentameter• Inverted Sentence Structure• Interrupting Phrases• Word Omission• Pronouns• Verb Inflection• Coined Words

Just for Fun: Idioms!Many of our common idioms come from Shakespearean plays. Here are some examples from Romeo and Juliet.

How many do you recognize? What do they mean?

Star-crossed lovers Parting is such sweet sorrow A plague on both your houses Violent delights have violent ends What's in a name? A rose by any other name would

smell as sweet. Wild-goose chase

Read the prologue aloud together.

Complete the worksheet individually. Use everything you have learned up to this point to help you complete the questions on the worksheet.

From Shakespeare in Love: From Romeo and Juliet

(1968): From Romeo + Juliet (1996):

Romeo and Juliet: The Prologue

Romeo and Juliet: Synopsis and

Character Chart