Shakespeare’s LanguageLearning how to read Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Language 1. Shakespeare frequently made contractions of words that we write

separately today. He also dropped letters, particularly vowels, at the ends of words and in the ending –est.

Orsino: ’Tis [it is] not so sweet now as it was before. (1.1.8)

Toby: She’ll none o’ [of] th’ [the] Count. (1.3.104)

Toby: O knight, thou lack’st [lackest] a cup of canary! (1.3.79)

Andrew: And you love me, let’s do’t [do it]. I am dog at a catch. (2.3.61)

* Remember: if you see the apostrophe ( ’ ), then something has been omitted.

Shakespeare’s Language 2. Shakespeare omitted entire unstressed

syllables or consonants from the beginning or middle of words.

Viola: Whoe’er [whoever] I woo, myself would be his wife. (1.4.42)

Malvolio: Were not ev’n [even] now with the Countess Olivia? (2.2.1)

Shakespeare’s Language3. Shakespeare used many words (such as the adverbs hence, thence,

whence, hither, thither, and whither and the pronouns thy, thou, thee, and thine) that we no longer or rarely use today. Words that have dropped out of the language are called archaic.

Olivia: Whence [from what place] came you, sir? (1.5.175)

Duke: Then let thy [your] love be younger than thyself [yourself], (2.4.36)

[hence – from now; thence – from that time or place; whence – from what place?; hither – to this place, nearer, from here;thither – there; whither – from where? thy –your; thou – you; thee – you; thine – yours; prithee – please; Ay – yes; ho – look there]

Shakespeare’s Language4. Archaic words include forms of verbs with endings such as –th

and –st, as well as irregular verb forms such as spake (spoke).

Olivia: Why, how dost [do] thou, man? What is the matter with thee? (3.4.24-25)

Shakespeare’s Language

5. Shakespeare freely used words as different parts of speech, sometimes inventing words in the process.

Tools for The Text: Paraphrase• Examine the following lines from the very beginning of Twelfth Night,

when Duke Orsino demands more music, hoping it will cure his lovesickness.If music be the food of love, play on,Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,The appetite may sicken, and so die.That strain again. It had a dying fall;O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet soundThat breathes upon a bank of violets,Stealing and giving odor. Enough, no more.'Tis not so sweet now as it was before.

• One possible paraphrase might read:• If it's true that music is the food of love, keep playing. Give me too

much so I'll be stuffed and I won't want it any more. Play that bit again! It definitely had the right sound to make my appetite die. It sounded as sweet as a breeze that blows across a patch of violets. Taking their scent and giving it to me. Stop, that's enough. It's not as sweet as it was before.

Tools for the Text: Imagery• Another great tool to further and deepen your understanding of Shakespeare is imagery.• Let's look at Duke Orsino's monologue again:

If music be the food of love, play on,Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,The appetite may sicken, and so die.That strain again. It had a dying fall;O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet soundThat breathes upon a bank of violets,

• Take a look at the words in bold. Step one is to write down the first few images that come into your mind:• Food:___________________________________________________________• Love:___________________________________________________________• Excess:_________________________________________________________• Sicken:_________________________________________________________• Dying:_________________________________________________________• Sweet:_________________________________________________________• Breathes:_______________________________________________________• Violets:_________________________________________________________

• Now ask yourself what those images mean to you. How do they make you feel? What kind of actions do they make you want to do? What words effect you most?

• Now that you've found some personal connection to these words, say the monologue out loud and allow those images to fill your mind. Allow them to effect you and your audience as you speak.