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Shakespeare and His Language An Introduction To Shakespeare

The document provides background information about William Shakespeare and discusses why his works can be difficult to understand due to the use of old English terms, sentence structures, and poetic devices. It also summarizes key plot points and characters from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.

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40 views2 pages

Shakespeare and His Language An Introduction To Shakespeare

The document provides background information about William Shakespeare and discusses why his works can be difficult to understand due to the use of old English terms, sentence structures, and poetic devices. It also summarizes key plot points and characters from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.

Uploaded by

itsmedd1
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Who was Shakespeare?

Playwright/poet in the 16th century


Famous for plays and sonnets
Born April 23, 1564
Died April 23, 1616
Alive during reign of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I
Why is it hard to understand?
Thee and thou
Funny verb endings
Archaic (old) vocabulary
Odd sentence structure
Poetic
Metaphors
Iambic pentameter
Ye olde language lesson
Thou-subject
Thou art my student.
Thee-object
Come let me teach thee.
Thy
What is thy name?
Thine
To thine own self be true.
Ye-plural subject
Ye need to calm down.
Verb inflection
-est or -st
Thou liest! Thou didst text thine friend!
You lied! You did text your friend!
Sentence structure
Traditionally, we use pretty simple sentence structures.
Shakespeare did not always do this.
In groups, try to come up with as many sentences that make
sense as possible.
Sonnet
14 lines
Strict rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Volta- (turn) change in tone, mood, or stance
3 quatrains (group of 4 lines) and a couplet (2 lines)
Volta is usually at the end
Romeo and Juliets prologue is a sonnet!
Tragedy
A dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious theme, typically
that of a great person destined through a flaw of character (tragic flaw), to die.
What will Romeos tragic flaw be?
What will Juliets tragic flaw be?
Other characters and their tragic flaws?
Romeo
Son and heir of the Montagues
16 years old
Super fine
A player
*Romeo means roamer or wanderer
Juliet
Daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet
Stunningly beautiful
13 years old
Naive
*Juliet means young and youthful
Mercutio
Related to prince
Romeos BFF
Reckless, joker
*Mercutio means subject to sudden change
Tybalt
Juliets cousin
Vain
Super picky about manners
Aggressive
*Tybalt means brave people
Benvolio
Romeos cousin
A good friend
Peacemaker
*Benvolio means well-meaning
Sampson and Gregory
Servants to the house of Capulet
Aggressive and bull-headed
Immature
*Sampson and Gregory are named after famous warriors which mocks how anti-
heroic they are
Prince Escalus
Prince of Verona
Kinsman of Mercutio and Paris
Wants to maintain the peace in Verona
*Escalus refers to scales of justice - keeping balance
Oxymoron: the use of paired opposites in a phrase or description.
An oxymoron is a situation, place, or thing in which opposites coexist.
You see and hear oxymorons all the time: on TV commercials, on restaurant
menus, and in political talk.
Examples: jumbo shrimp, bittersweet, peace force, firm pillow,
alone in a crowd.

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