“A man for all time.” – Ben Jonson

William Shakespeare

Evolution of English LanguageStudents 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)

Canterbury Tales read in Middle English (1100-1500)

Shakespeare read in Modern English (1500-1800)

Texting in today’s tech-driven world (1800-today)

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

Shakespeare’s Influence on English Language

Shakespeare’s Language—Hipster Shakespeare

“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

Famous Shakespearian Quotes

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.

Shakespeare’s Writing Style

Theater Terms to Know for Hamlet

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.

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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act I

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

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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act I

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

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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act IVerbal 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

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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act II

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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Structure of a Shakespearian Tragedy

Hipster Hamlet ACT II

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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act III

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

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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act III

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

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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act III

Theme—The central idea or message in a work of literature relating to life or human nature.1) Appearances versus reality2) Fate versus free-will3) Consequences of taking action and seeking

revenge4) Uncertainty of death and the afterlife5) Social codes of conduct 6) Poison and corruption of the individual or a

nation7) Madness8) Women’s role in societyFrom the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 15 7

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Literary Terms for Hamlet Act IV

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

Hamlet Act IV—Hamlet’s Indecision

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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.

Literary Terms for Hamlet Act V

From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 311

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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.

Literary Terms for Hamlet Act V

From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 311

Hamlet Act V—Hipster Hamlet

Hamlet Act V—Shakespearian Tragedy