Introduction to Shakespeare

The scope of British Literature so far…• Anglo-Saxon period (450-

1066)• The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes

came to the British Isles from Northern Europe (Denmark and Scandinavia) and fuse into one tribe.• Beowulf• Old English

This is Old English:Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum,þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.

Shakespeare did not write in Old English.

The scope of British Literature so far…• Medieval period (1066-1500)• The Normans invade Great Britain

(1066) and French becomes the new language of the ruling class. Old English is influenced by the French and evolves into Middle English. • The Canterbury Tales

This is Middle English:Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote

The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour,

Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

Shakespeare did not write in Middle English.

And that brings us to…• The Renaissance (1500-1660)• Normans and English fuse into one

culture (much like the Anglo-Saxons).• English becomes the dominant

language.• The printing press helps spelling

and grammar become standardized.• Early Modern English• The King James Bible (1611)

Early Modern English:The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me

beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

This is the language Shakespeare wrote in. It is modern English, and very understandable.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)• Born in Stratford upon Avon.• Born on April 23. Died on April 23.• Often called “The Bard of Avon,” or

just “The Bard.”• Didn’t receive formal higher

education.• Married Anne Hathaway in 1582,

had a baby six months later. (Hmm…)

• His most famous theater was called The Globe.

• The Globe burned down in 1613. (They fired a canon during a performance of Henry VIII.)

The Globe

His plays• Shakespeare’s plays can be put into four

categories:

• Comedy – ends in a wedding (Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream)• Tragedy – ends with death (Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear,

Romeo & Juliet)• History – a historical tale of England’s monarchy (Richard

III, Henry IV)• Romance – a drama with a more epic scope, and themes

of forgiveness and good conquering evil (Winter’s Tale, The Tempest)

The Globe

New words are frequently coined…

Yada yada yada…

…and sometimes they even make it in the dictionary.

Getting’ jiggy wit it!

That’s part of how languages evolve. But more often than not, new words will go out of fashion quickly, and nobody will use them anymore after that.

Recognize any of these words? Shakespeare came up with all of these.

• Accused• Addiction• Advertising• Amazement• Assassination• Backing• Bandit• Bedroom• Birthplace• Blanket• Blushing

• Bet• Bump• Buzzer• Cater• Champion• Circumstantial• Compromise• Countless• Critic• Deafening• Drugged

• Epileptic• Elbow• Excitement• Eyeball• Fashionable• Fixture• Flawed• Generous• Gloomy• Gossip• Gust

• Hint• Hurried• Impartial• Invulnerable• Label• Laughable• Lonely• Lower• Luggage• Lustrous• Majestic• Marketable• Metamorphize• Mimic

• Monumental• Mountaineer• Negotiate• Noiseless• Obscene• Outbreak• Premeditated• Puking• Radiance• Rant• Remorseless• Savagery• Scuffle• Secure

• Skim milk• Submerge• Summit• Swagger• Torture• Tranquil• Undress• Unreal• Varied• Vaulting• Worthless• Zany

• And many more

Fun fact:• You probably already knew that all the women in

Shakespeare’s plays were originally played by men, right?

• Shakespeare’s theater troupe always kept two pre-adolescent boys on hand for those parts: a “sassy brunette,” and a “cute blonde.”

Some notes on how to read Shakespeare• First, get over words like “thee” and “thou.” They

aren’t hard.

Singular Plural

1st person

I, me We, us

2nd person

Thou, thee You, ye

3rd person

He/she, him/her They, themMany foreign language have multiple words for “you,” but we don’t use them in English much anymore.

• Thou/thee: singular, informal (used for close friends, family, and subordinates)

• You/ye: plural, formal (used for multiple people, strangers, and superiors)

Some notes on how to read Shakespeare• Don’t be afraid of words with endings like “-st” or

“-th.” Singular Plural

1st person

I have We have

2nd person

Thou hast You have

3rd person

He/she hath They haveIt’s just a different verb conjugation than what we usually use nowadays. It’s pretty easy to figure those words out.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Some things to keep in mindThe language Shakespeare uses is not what’s difficult about his work.• Shakespeare uses frequent motifs and metaphors, and they

often go together. Pay attention to things that show up often such as fire, darkness, blood, or clothes that don’t fit (really).

• Shakespeare uses a lot of allusions. Use footnotes to help with allusions you do not recognize.

• Shakespeare uses a lot of personification. Does night have a cheek? No. Can days walk? No. Think about things figuratively.

• Apostrophes only mean that letters have been remov’d. Use context clues to figure these out.

• Most of his tragedies are written in iambic pentameter. But even when the line ends, the sentence keeps going until you see a period.

Sample textRomeo:O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!It seems she hangs upon the cheek of nightLike a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s* ear;Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!

*Ethiopian man

What does this mean? Don’t think of the language as scary, just break down the metaphors.How do the metaphors make the text more meaningful?

From MacbethMacbeth: She should have died hereafter;There would have been a time for such a word.— Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,To the last syllable of recorded time;And all our yesterdays have lighted foolsThe way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!Life's but a walking shadow, a poor playerThat struts and frets his hour upon the stageAnd then is heard no more. It is a taleTold by an idiot, full of sound and furySignifying nothing.

What three metaphors for life are given? What do they have in common?How does this add to the meaning of the text?

Frequently encountered words• Anon – soon• Attend – wait• Aught – anything• Aye – yes, always• Base – unworthy• Befall – happen• Chide – rebuke• False – deceitful• Forbear – stop• Gentle – honorable

• Ho – here, or hey• Ill – bad• Knave – scoundrel• Mark – notice• Office – responsibility• Straight – immediately• Warrant – promise