Shakespeare’s Language- Part 2 Task 6

Shakespeare is credited by the Oxford English Dictionary with the introduction of nearly 2,000 words into the language. His vocabulary, as culled from his works, numbers upward of 17,000 words (quadruple that of an average, well-educated conversationalist in the language).

Shakespeare Meaning Affeared Afraid Constant Settled/determined Dig-Yougoodden Give you good evening Festinately Quickly Happily Accidentally Huggermugger Secrecy Mell To mix/meddle Nice foolish

Shortened Words in Shakespeare’s Writing… Meaning ‘tis It is ope Open o’er Over gi’ Give ne’er Never i’ In e’er Ever oft Often a’ He e’ev Even

Anon (Now), create an original sentence using some of Shakespeare’s language… Be ready to share your Shakespearean sentence with the class!! Examples: Dost thou know the time? Dost thou love Shakespeare’s language? naught= nothing nay=no hath=has hither= toward doth= do ‘twixt= between

Reading Shakespeare- TIPS 1. Go slow – Reading Shakespeare is not the same as watching T.V. The language is poetic and challenging at times.  If you try to race through it, the complexity of the words and phrasing will frustrate you, and all of its beauty will be lost. 2. Use the footnotes- You can be in on Shakespeare’s jokes and historical references by reading the annotated text!

TIPS (Continued) 3. Don’t skip the soliloquies ˚. The soliloquies in Shakespeare’s works are not interruptions to the action of the play: they are the action. 4. Ask questions. Question the actions of the characters, the placement of events, and the themes presented. 5. See it after you read it. While there is much to be gained from reading a play, it is ultimately an incomplete experience. Shakespeare’s poetry is even more striking and radiant when delivered by able actors during a well-made production. **We will be acting the play out in class and viewing the film throughout our reading** Soliloquy- When a character speaks his/her thoughts aloud in a play.

Shakespearean Insults Watch the following link, focusing on 0:00-1:00 and 3:00-5:50 and answer the question on the worksheet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdCjKH5IKJ8

Video #2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMkuUADWW2A Youtube video – “Shakespeare – The History of English (3/10)”