SHAKESPEARE:Understanding the language

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT SHAKESPEARE’S WRITING IN THIS

TUTORIAL:

1. Sometimes, you have to fill in words that are missing from his writing.

2. There are times when a passage makes more sense if you reorganize the words a little bit.

3. Shakespeare sometimes shortened words by using an apostrophe: ‘ or ’

4. Some words he used are no longer in use so you must familiarize yourself with them.

PART 1: FILL IN MISSING WORDS

In this example, Capulet’s party is coming to a close, and as the guests leave, he states:

“I thank you, honest gentlemen; good night.More torches here! Come on then, let's to bed.”There is a word that is clearly omitted at the end of the final sentence. Can you figure out what this word is and where it word belongs? Give it your best shot on the next slide.

CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE. THE OPTION YOU CHOOSE SHOULD NOT CHANGE THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, WHICH MISSING WORD IS THE MOST ESSENTIAL TO CLARIFYING THE SENTENCE?

“I thank you, honest gentlemen; good night.More torches here! Come on then, let's to bed.”A. Come on then, you, let’s to bed.

B. Come on then, let’s go to bed.

C. Come on then, let’s to bed now.

SORRY, TRY AGAIN

CORRECT! Adding the word “go” is the option that

makes the most sense! “I thank you, honest gentlemen; good night.

More torches here! Come on then, let's GO to bed.”

CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE. THE OPTION YOU CHOOSE SHOULD NOT CHANGE THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, WHICH MISSING WORD IS THE MOST ESSENTIAL TO CLARIFYING THE SENTENCE?

“Hie you to church; I must another way, To fetch a ladder…”

Hie you to church sir; I must another way,To fetch a ladder…

Hie you to church; I must another way,To fetch a tall ladder…

Hie you to church; I must go another way,To fetch a ladder…

SORRY, TRY AGAIN

CORRECT!

Adding the word “go” is the option that makes the most sense!

Hie you to church; I must GO another way,To fetch a ladder…

PART 2: RE-ORGANIZE THE WORDS

In this example, Benvolio tells Romeo of Juliet’s death:

“Her body sleeps in Capel's monument,And her immortal part with angels lives.”

Today, we would reorganize the final part of this quote so that it reads:

“Her body sleeps in Capel's monument,And her immortal part lives with angels.

WHICH OF THESE QUOTES HAS THE MOST CHALLENGING WORD ARRANGEMENT?

“For fear of that, I still will stay with thee;And never from this palace of dim nightDepart again…”

“Friar John, go hence; Get me an iron crow, and bring it straight unto my cell.”

SORRY, TRY AGAIN

CORRECT!

This is the original:“For fear of that, I still will stay with thee;

And never from this palace of dim nightDepart again…”

But this arrangement is more familiar to readers of today:

“I still will stay with thee, For fear of that;And never depart again from this palace of dim night”

PART 3: IDENTIFY WHEN WORDS HAVE BEEN SHORTENED WITH AN APOSTROPHE (UNFAMILIAR CONTRACTIONS)

SOME EXAMPLES:i'=ine'en=even‘tis=it isgi’=give

CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE: “Most miserable hour that ____time saw

In lasting labour of his pilgrimage!” e’er (ever)

e’en (even)

SORRY, TRY AGAIN

CORRECT!

In this quote, the word “ever” makes much more sense than “even”

“Most miserable hour that e’er time sawIn lasting labour of his pilgrimage!”

THIS IS TOUGH- SEE IF YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS PHRASE MEANS:

“God gi'god-den”God give you a good evening

God, get going

God gives golden

SORRY, TRY AGAIN

CORRECT!

Strangely, this was a common phrase at the time!

“God gi’ god-den”=God give you a good evening

“GREGORY, O' MY WORD, WE'LL NOT CARRY COALS.”

In this quote, the word o’ most likely means:over

on

oh

SORRY, TRY AGAIN

CORRECT!

“Gregory, ON my word, we'll not carry coals.”

PART 4: BE FAMILIAR WITH THE MEANINGS OF WORDS THAT ARE NO LONGER IN USE (ALL OF THESE ARE IN YOUR WORKBOOK, PAGE 9):

CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE:“ ______not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church door but

‘tis enough.”

hither

‘tis

pox

Go back to previous slide to see the words and their meanings if you need to:

SORRY, TRY AGAIN

CORRECT!

“ ‘Tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church door but ‘tis enough.”

Remember, ‘tis means “it is.”

CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE:

“We'll to dinner _______,”

fortnight anon thither

Go back to see the words and their meanings if you need to:

SORRY, TRY AGAIN

CORRECT!

“ We’ll to dinner thither.”

Remember, thither means “there.”

Can you figure out what word is missing in this same phrase?

go in now

SORRY, TRY AGAIN

CORRECT!

“We’ll GO to dinner thither.”

CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE:"At my poor house look to behold this night _______stars that make dark heaven light.”

earth treading fortnight nay

Go back to see the words and their meanings if you need to:

SORRY, TRY AGAIN

CORRECT!

"At my poor house look to behold this night Earth treading stars that make dark heaven

light.”

You are finished! Please take the tutorial follow-up survey now.

PART 4: BE FAMILIAR WITH THE MEANINGS OF WORDS THAT ARE NO LONGER IN USE (ALL OF THESE ARE IN YOUR WORKBOOK, PAGE 9):

PART 4: BE FAMILIAR WITH THE MEANINGS OF WORDS THAT ARE NO LONGER IN USE (ALL OF THESE ARE IN YOUR WORKBOOK, PAGE 9):