Shakespeare’s LanguageIt is not as difficult as it seems.

Language Change

Languages do not just happen – they are the result of many of hundreds and even thousands of years of development. The English as we know it is relatively new and is in a constant state of change. Every day hundreds of new words enter the language and many are dropped. In addition, the English language is spoken in many dialects around the world.

• The English language contains about 300,000 words, but your vocabulary is about 3000 and you get by on a daily basis with about 150.

• By contrast, William Shakespeare had a vocabulary of 15,000 words and invented many of the words and phrases that we still use today.

• Let’s take a look at Old English - how many people think Shakespeare wrote …

Old English – the following passage is from the time of King Alfred or about 800 A.D.

• Faeder ure thu eart on heofonum, si thin nama gehalgod. Tobecume thin rice. Gewurthe thin willa on eorthan swa swa on heofonum.

• Do you think you know what it means?

Middle English – the same phrase is written as it would have appeared in the time of Geoffrey Chaucer (1320-1384)

• Oure fadir that art in heuenes, halwid be thi name; thi kyngdom cumme to; be thi wille don as in heuen and in erthe; gif to us this day ouer breed oure substaunce; and forgeue uo us oure dettis as we forgeue to oure dettours …

• Does this one make a little more sense?

Modern English – here is the same passage as it appeared in 1611 or about the time of Shakespeare.

• Our father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation …

• So is Shakespeare’s language all that different?

• Learning to read Shakespeare is a bit like learning a foreign language, but it is well worth the effort.

• Here are a few tricks to understanding Shakespeare – this will help you impress the ladies as well !

1. Thou, thee and thy – These mean you, you, and your, respectively. These words dropped out of our language a couple centuries ago, but Shakespeare uses them. The verb that is used with “thou” changes as well.

• Example: “ Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit, Wilt thou not Jule?”

• Translation: You will fall backwardwhen you have more wit,Will you not, Jule?

2. Inversion – Sometimes Shakespeare will invert the verb and the subject.

• For instance, he might write, “Went I to Bellarmine.” instead of “I Went to Bellarmine.”

• Example: “Then dreams he of another’s benefice.”

• Translation: He dreams of another’s benefice.

3. Diction – There are three problems with Shakespeare’s word choice.

• First - he uses words that no longer exist in the English we speak.

• Second - he uses words that are in our language, but now have a different meaning to us.

• Third – he uses words that are in our language, but we simply don’t know what these words mean – you should look them up.

Some translations to help you …still = always soft = slowly, gentlymark = listen an = if fell = cruel, fierce, deadlyto-night = last night perforce = we must, you mustkind = true to one’s natureay = yesfain = gladlyanon = at onceplague, pox, ague = diseasewherefore= whyTHESE ARE JUST A FEW

OFTHE DIFFICULT WORDS …

4. Contractions – for purposes of rhythm Shakespeare uses contractions to cut out syllables.• Examples:

– o’ = on– th’ = the– i’ = in– ‘t – it– ta’en = taken– ‘em = them– ‘a = he (often)– o’er = over

Copy these lines down and translate them on a separate piece of paper.

1. For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.

2. Tickling a parson’s nose as a’ lies asleep.

3. O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?

4. Do not swear at all/ or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self …

5. A plague a both your houses.

6. Tybalt, liest thou there in thy bloody sheet?