Transcript Shakespeare*s English

 In your packet, for each word, record their location in the play.
Based on the sentences I’ve given you, craft a definition for each.
 Nuptial: Act I, Sc. i., 1
 On the eve of our nuptial, my fiancé and I attended a rehearsal dinner.
 Idolatry: Act I, Sc. i., 111
 I love chocolate so much that it is almost idolatry.
 Woo: Act I, Sc. i., 17
 In an effort to woo shoppers, the store offered a “buy-one get-one” sale.
 Vexation Act I, Sc. i., 23
 My little brother is a constant vexation; he follows me everywhere I go.
 Abbreviations: Act1:1:23= act 1, scene 1, line 23
 Sovereignty: Act I, Sc. i., 84
 Libyan protestors have declared that the people shall have sovereignty over the
country.
 Folly: Act I, Sc. i., 205
 It was folly to believe that we could ever get away with speeding past a cop.
 I did amend things with my mother after our fight so I don’t think
she’s still mad at me.
 I have great hopes for my progeny and secretly I hope my son goes to
college but I cannot force this.
 A girl’s chastity involves modest behavior; abstain from sex until you
are married.
 Our dress code requires girls to be modest: cover everything of
importance up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c64f0C4TGq0
Old English: 543-1066 AD
• The Vikings move in
• Nu scilun herga hefenricæs uard metudæs
mehti and his modgithanc”
• http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/stella/readings/
recordings/Old%20English/beowulf.wav
Middle English: 1066-1470
• The French move in
• “Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote”
http://www.vmi.edu/fswebs.aspx?tid=34099&id=4
3281
Early Modern English: 1470-1650
• The Printing Press comes to England
• “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.
And therefore is winged cupid painted blind.”
Modern English: 1650-Present
• England moves everywhere else.
 In Shakespeare’s day:
 NO dictionaries
 NO grammar books
 Shakespeare was a poet:
 He had to change things to fit his structure
 He invented many words to effectively describe things
 Ex. Eyeball, moonbeam, skim milk
 Elizabethans loved the sound of their language
 It was meant to be heard and performed
 Word play, or puns, were used frequently
 The three main differences between Shakespeare’s language and ours are:
 His pronouns
 His verb endings
 The way he orders his words
The three main differences between
Shakespeare’s language and ours are:
His pronouns
His verb endings
The way he orders his words
• Shakespeare uses the pronouns “Thee” and “Thou”
• We just say “You”
Thou-subject: “Thou art my brother.”
Thee-Object: “Come, let me clutch thee.”
Thy-Possessive Adjective: ”What is thy
name?”
Thine- Possessive Noun: “To thine own self
be true.”
 Notice the 2nd Person pronouns. In Modern English, we use the pronoun “YOU.”
Singular Pronouns
Plural Pronouns
1st
2nd
3rd
1st
2nd
3rd
Subject
I
Thou
He/she/it
We
Ye
They
Object
Me
Thee
Him/her/it
Us
You
Them
Possessive
Adj.
My/mine
Thy/thine
His/her/its
Our
Your
Their
Possessive
Noun
Mine
Thine
His/hers/its
Ours
Yours
Theirs
Modern English
You
Your/s
We
Shakespeare’s
English
Thee
Thy
Ye
Thou
Thine
• Shakespeare had to use special verb endings to identify that
word as a verb.
• Ex. Is the word “love” a noun or a verb?
• We know based on clues in the sentence around the word.
 With the pronoun “Thou,” add the verb ending:
est, -t, or –st
 -
 Ex. Thou canst not text in class.
 Ex. Thou lovest the summer sun.
 With the pronouns “He/She/It” add the verb ending:
 -th instead of –s
 Ex. She giveth me some money.
 Some verbs you might see in Shakespeare:
Today
Early
Mod.
English
You
Thou
Are
Have
Will
Can
Shall
Do
Art
Hast
Wilt
Canst
Shalt
Dost
Wast
Hadst
Wouldst Couldst
Shouldst didst
 Modern English usually has a strict word order:
 Subject, Verb, Object
 Ex. “I ate the sandwich.”
 But Shakespeare and Yoda often mess this up:
 Ex. “When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not.”
 In the sentence “I ate the sandwich,” identify the parts of
speech:
 Subject:
 Verb:
 For us word order changes meaning:
 Ex. The sandwich ate I.
 To put these sentences back in order:
 Place the subject before the verb.