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Brush Up Your Shakespeare

Brush Up Your Shakespeare . Shakespeare’s Language. Elizabethan Language. Elizabethans (English people living at the time of Shakespeare) loved language Even poorly written plays usually rhymed and used alliteration (five fine fellows)

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Brush Up Your Shakespeare

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  1. Brush Up Your Shakespeare Shakespeare’s Language

  2. Elizabethan Language • Elizabethans (English people living at the time of Shakespeare) loved language • Even poorly written plays usually rhymed and used alliteration (five fine fellows) • The sound of the language was more important that the logic of the sentence structure—if writers wanted to change word order or repeat words for emphasis, they did.

  3. Elizabethan Language • Linguists believe that Shakespeare introduced nearly 3000 words into the English language. • Shakespeare’s vocabulary is upward of 29,000 words • That’s 4 times that of an average, well-educated person today.

  4. Why is it so hard to understand? • Well, first of all, that 29,000 words is a lot of words! • Many words have changed meaning, spelling, and pronunciation since Shakespeare’s time. • Many words just aren’t even used any more.

  5. Why is it so hard to understand? • Letters, syllables, or whole words were sometimes omitted. • Examples: • ‘Tis means it is • O’er means over • Ne’er means never • E’er means ever • Oft means often • E’en means even

  6. Why is it so hard to understand?

  7. Why is it so hard to understand? • Pronunciation was quite different from ours, so Shakespeare’s perfect rhymes usually don’t seem like rhymes to us. • For instance love and prove used to rhyme in Shakespeare’s day.

  8. What types of poems did Shakespeare write? • Shakespeare wrote dramatic poetry poetry most of the time, but sometimes he wrote prose. • Prose is any writing that is NOT poetry.

  9. Shakespeare’s Poetry • Shakespeare’s poetry was usually written in blank verse. (Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter) • Sometimes he wrote rhyming couplets, or sonnets. • Poetry was used so that the passages showed high feelings. • Poetry was also used for comedic effect (comedy) for lower-status characters.

  10. Tips • Thou vs. You • Thou=an informal way to talk to friends or “social inferiors” • You=a formal address to strangers and “social superiors”

  11. Tips • Forsooth=No kidding • Marry! or By me faith=Wow • Alack/Alackaday/Alas/Fie/Out upon it!=Darn it!

  12. Tips • God’s wounds/S’wounds/Zounds=swearing • Prating=Babbling, talking too much • Perchance=Maybe

  13. Tips • Forswear=to lie or cheat • Betimes=Very early in the morning.

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