1. Shakespearian Language: 101
English 10

2. Shakespearian language
Shakespearian language can often be difficult to comprehend because of:
Archaic language/obsolete vocabulary terms
Allusions
Metaphors
Wordplay
Sentence structure
Plotlines
Stage Directions
Gender roles
Switching between verse and prose

3. Archaic and obsolete words
THEE
you
THY
yours
THOU
you
THINE
yours
BETWIXT
between
Most of these words are easily recognizable, however, the marginal notes in the book can help you identify unfamiliar terms.

4. allusions
Allusions are references to an event, person, place, or artistic work not directly explained or discussed by the author.
Shakespeare was writing for his audience at the time, so he assumes the reader is familiar with his reference.
If you are unfamiliar with an allusion, you can easily Google the term.
Example:
Romeo: Well, in that hit you miss: she’ll not be hit
with Cupid’s arrow, she hath Dian’s wit;
and in strong proof of chastity well armed
(Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene 1.)

5. metaphors
Shakespeare commonly uses metaphors to make comparisons to two dissimilar objects.
Example:
Duncan: I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing. (Macbeth, Act I, Scene 1).
The king is comparing Macbeth to a tree that he can plant and watch grow.

6. wordplay
A pun is a literary device that is used for humor or emphasis with ambiguous words. A pun is used when one word has two distinct meaning.
Example- Mercutio: Tomorrow you shall fine me a grave man.
A double entendre is a kind of pun in which a word or phrase has a second, usually dirty meaning.
A malapropism is when a character mistakenly uses a word that he/she has confused with another word.

7. Sentence structure
When reading a verse, do not pause at the end of a line. Read from one punctuation mark to the next punctuation mark to get the correct meaning.
An inverted sentence is when the verb comes before the subject. Sometimes it can be easier to read a line if you re-word it and put the subject first.
Example: “Never was seen so black a day as this.” (Romeo and Juliet, Act IV, Scene v.)
An ellipsis is when a word of or phrase is left out. Try to fill in the gaps to make sense of the sentence.
Example: “I neither know it nor can learn of him.

8. plotlines
Shakespeare’s works often have a main plot and a subordinate plot (subplot).
Macbeth follows Macbeth’s rise to power and the madness that ensures.
The subplot involves the schemes of Macbeth’s enemies to overthrow him.
When reading Shakespeare, you should try and trace the connection between the main plot and the subplot.

9. Stage directions
Shakespeare imagined his plays to be SEEN not to be READ.
Stage directions do not need to be read out loud, but assist the reader in understanding the narration.

10. Gender roles
Queen Elizabeth was one of Shakespeare’s greatest patrons, as a lover of art and drama. Much of his work was written specifically with Queen Elizabeth in mind as the audience.
For Macbeth, however, Shakespeare was writing during the reign of King James I.
Shakespeare involves strong female characters in Macbeth, but they are often more masculine than his usual characters.
When reading his work and analyzing the roles of male and female characters, it is important to consider who Shakespeare’s intended audience was, and who was in power at the time.

11. Prose and verse
Although the plays are dominated by verse, prose plays a significant role. Shakespeare’s prose has its own rhythms, but it lacks the formal patterning of verse, whereas verse typically follows a ten-syllable pattern.
In earlier works of Shakespeare, upper-class characters typically spoke in verse, while lower-class characters spoke in prose. The change in speech was used as an indicator of a character’s role in society.
As Shakespeare grew in experience, he became more flexible about the shifts from verse to prose, letting it, among other things, mark genre rather than class. Prose became the main medium of comedy, while verse trademarked tragedy.
While Romeo and Juliet was written predominately in iambic pentameter, Macbeth is mainly unrhymed iambic pentameter.
When the character Macbeth speaks publicly in verse, he often reveals true intentions in his soliloquies or in his letter to his wife in prose.

12. Monologues vs. soliloquies

13. monologues
A monologue is a speech given by a single person to the other characters within the play.
It involves a single character talking for an extended period of time.

14. soliloquy A soliloquy is a speech that one gives to oneself.
In a play, a character delivering a soliloquy talks to herself — thinking out loud, as it were — so that the audience better understands what is happening to the character internally.
In Macbeth, Macbeth will often reveal his thoughts and true intentions in his soliloquies, while his monologues are often used to fool the other characters in the play.

15. Historical context
1606

16. Shakespeare’s England
Shakespeare was writing for the theatre during the reigns of two monarchs, Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.
The plays he wrote during the reign of Queen Elizabeth are often seen to embody the generally happy and optimistic mood of the Elizabethans.
However, those he wrote during James's reign, such as Macbeth and Hamlet, are darker and more cynical, reflecting the insecurities of the Jacobean period.

17. When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, she had left behind no heir
When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, she had left behind no heir. The throne was offered to James Stuart of Scotland, son of the Catholic queen, Mary Queen of Scots.
James led a Protestant regime in Scotland, like Elizabeth in England, and thus became a suitable heir to the English throne. His reign unified Scotland and England.
His rise to power was not popular with much of the nation, as he was not a direct descendant of Elizabeth, and many others believed they had a claim to the throne.
In addition, England was still divided by religion, and many had hoped that James would allow leniency to the practicing Catholics.

18. Divine right
Divine right is the belief that the power of monarchs are given directly by God.
James, being less charismatic than his predecessor, he attempted to promote the concept of divine right to solidify his authority.
In Macbeth, the way a new king is appointed does not fully follow in the process of divine right until the resolution.

19. Historical Macbeth
Macbeth was a real king who ruled in Scotland from
The historical Macbeth, unlike Shakespeare’s Macbeth, had a legitimate claim to the throne, and was highly regarded during his long reign.
He came into power by killing King Duncan I, and was later killed by Duncan’s son Malcolm, who slaughtered Macbeth’s entire family to establish his own kingship.
While the historical Macbeth was thought of as a good king, the end of his reign also brought the end of the Celtic era of Scotland. As Malcolm came into power, his reign broke down the barriers between England and Scotland, and made way for the introduction of English influence and customs.

20. History vs. The play HISTORY THE PLAY
Macbeth was a good king, but his death united Scotland and England.
James I claimed divine right to the throne, to disobey him was to disobey God.
The death of an evil Scottish king makes way for England to infiltrate Scotland.
Macbeth commits the ultimate act of treason against his king, and thus is driven into madness by his guilt.

21. THE TRAGIC HERO
Shakespeare was greatly influenced by ancient Greek tragedies, particularly the concept of the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero must have the following characteristics:
The tragic hero must have great power or opportunities.
The hero must have a goal that is very important to him, and it requires him to make difficult choices.
The hero’s downfall must be a result of these choices, due to an error in judgment or a fatal flaw.
The fall of the hero provides him with an increase in awareness and understanding.
Once the hero realizes what has happened to him, it is too late. His mistakes result in his death.
The tragic hero is neither entirely villainous, nor absolutely good.