William Shakespeare c. 1564-1616 b. Stratford-upon-Avon, England Playwright, Poet, Actor Most famous for his plays All but 2 of his 154 sonnets were published in 1609 Wrote during the Renaissance period Time of carpé diem poetry 1

Explicating Poetry: 5 Steps Examine the situation. Examine the structure. Examine the language. Examine the musical devices. Write about your conclusions!

Shakespearean Sonnets 1609 Quarto only source of most 152 Shakespearean Sonnets 3 categories of poems in Quarto: 1-126 addressed to The Fair Youth 127-152 addressed to The Dark Mistress A Lover’s Complaint a 329-line poem written in Rhyme Royal

Shakespeare’s Addressees The Fair Youth (sonnets 1-126) An unnamed young man Loving and romantic language Some suggest this may be a homosexual love, others find support that it is platonic, or father-son love The Dark Mistress (sonnets 127-152) Described as being dark-haired Sonnets written about her express infatuation and are more sexual 4

Shakespearean Sonnet Form Broken into 4 parts: 3 quatrains, 1 rhyming couplet 14 lines Written in iambic pentameter ( = unstressed syllable; / = stressed syllable): ∩ / / / / / Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? ∩ ∩ ∩ ∩ ∩ 5

Shakespearean Sonnet Form Rhyme Scheme: Quatrain 1: a b a b [introduces question] Quatrain 2: c d c d [tentative Quatrain 3: e f e f answers] Rhyming Couplet: g g [final answer] Volta: The turn or transition in line 9 which marks a shift in focus or thought 6

Shakespeare’s Language Singular Pronouns 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."

The funny verb endings… -st –est –t Used to show 2nd person Talking to someone Thou hast to do thine schoolwork. -t, -th, -eth/ -s Used to show 3rd person (closer to what we use now) Talking about someone She hath to do her homework.

Word Inventor Shakespeare is credited with creating over 1700 of our common words Change the part of speech Combine words Adding prefixes or suffixes Making up wholly original words

Here are some words Shakespeare came up with: Highlight the ones you’ve heard of

academe cold-blooded gossip negotiate unreal accused compromise green-eyed noiseless varied addiction courtship gust obscene hint vaulting advertising countless obsequiously ode gnarled worthless amazement hobnob critic zany arouse dauntless hurried dawn olympian assassination impede outbreak gravel backing deafening impartial panders bandit discontent invulnerable pedant bedroom jaded dishearten premeditated beached drugged label puking besmirch dwindle lackluster rant radiance birthplace epileptic laughable bet blanket equivocal lonely remorseless elbow bloodstained undress savagery barefaced caked excitement luggage scuffle blushing cater exposure lustrous secure eyeball frugal madcap skim milk bump fashionable mimic majestic submerge buzzer fixture lower marketable summit flawed swagger monumental torture champion generous

Word Order Shakespeare was very particular in his word order. He may have been trying to: Create a specific rhythm Emphasize a certain word Give a character a specific speech pattern