1. “A man for all time.” – Ben Jonson

3. Students think Shakespeare wrote in a foreign language. However, most teachers think their students are speaking a foreign language (YOLO?!?)  Beowulf read in Old-English (500-1000 AD) Beowulf  Canterbury Tales read in Middle English (1100-1500) Canterbury Tales  Shakespeare read in Modern English (1500-1800) Shakespeare  Texting in today’s tech-driven world (1800-today) Texting

4.  Shakespeare is credited by the Oxford English Dictionary with the introduction of nearly 3,000 words into the language.  His vocabulary, as culled from his works, numbers upward of 17,000 words.  Shakespeare’s vocabulary is quadruple that of an average, well-educated conversationalist.  Scholars believe Shakespeare attended school until the age of 14. History of English in 10 Minutes: Part 3 Shakespeare

6. “To be or not to be,—that is the question.” Hamlet “All the world’s a stage.” As You Like It “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet “Off with his head!” King Richard III “Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.” Romeo and Juliet “But, for my own part, it was Greek to me.” Julius Ceasar “This above all: to thine own self be true.” Hamlet

7.  The writing style includes blank verse, in which each line contains a fixed rhythm and is unrhymed.  Iambic Pentameter is a rhythm alternating stressed and unstressed syllables totaling 10 syllables per line.  Rhyming couplet the last word of a line rhymes with the next line.  Heroic Couplet is used to signify the end of an act.  Prose does not contain any rhymes or rhythmic structure.  Shakespeare will switch between blank verse, rhyme verse, and prose to suit the mood of the play or to create a dramatic effect.  For example, in Macbeth rhyming couplets are used when supernatural events are taking place.  In comedic scenes the characters will speak in prose which the audience finds more relatable, and humorous.

8.  Stage Directions—instructions written into the script of a play, indicating stage actions, movements of performers, or production requirements for the setting.  Monologue— Greek monos "single” and legein "to speak"— A speech given by a single person to an audience. Might be delivered to an audience within a play, or directly to the audience sitting in the theater and watching the play.  Soliloquy—Latin solus "alone" and loqui "to speak" — A speech that one gives to oneself. A character talks to himself, thinking out loud, so that the audience better understands what is happening to the character internally.  Aside—a remark that a character makes in an undertone to the audience or another character, but others on stage are not supposed to hear the remark. 8

9. 9  Foreshadowing refers to hints in the text about what will occur later in the plot.  Imagery is highly descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses— touch, taste, hearing, smell and sight. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 17

10. 10  Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces.  External Conflict involves outer forces such as nature or another character.  Internal Conflict exists inside a person. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 17

11. 11  Verbal Irony occurs when a character says one thing but means something different.  A pun is a play on words that have similar sounds but more than one possible spelling or meaning. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 17

12. 12  Allusion—a reference to a literary or historic figure or event.  Metaphor—makes a direct comparison between two unlike things that share something in common.  Repetition—A technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity  Soliloquy –a speech a character delivers alone on stage, with the purpose of revealing his innermost thoughts and feelings. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 95

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15. 15  Soliloquy –character delivers a speech revealing his innermost thoughts and feelings.  Motivation—refers to reasons why a character behaves as he or she does.  Personification—giving human characteristics to non-human things or ideas. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 157

16. 16  Situational Irony—A contrast between what we expect to happen, and what really happens. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 15 7

17. 17  Theme—The central idea or message in a work of literature relating to life or human nature. 1) Appearances versus reality 2) Fate versus free-will 3) Consequences of taking action and seeking revenge 4) Uncertainty of death and the afterlife 5) Social codes of conduct 6) Poison and corruption of the individual or a nation 7) Madness 8) Women’s role in society From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 15 7

18. 18  Simile—A comparison of two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.”  Metaphor—makes a direct comparison between two unlike things that share something in common.  Imagery is highly descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses—touch, taste, hearing, smell and sight.  Inference—is a reasonable conclusion the reader can draw based on clues given in a work of literature. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 243

20. 20  Comic Relief—in order to ease the apprehension the audience is feeling after a dramatic scene in the play, Shakespeare incorporates a lighthearted and humorous scene. Not JUST for laughs…  Heightens the dramatic tension—creates a contrast between low and high points—within the plot structure. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 311

21. 21  Dramatic Irony— when the audience has important knowledge that a main character lacks.  Symbol—a person, object, action, or place that stands for something beyond its obvious meaning. From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 311