Decoding Shakespeare’s

Romeo and JulietJosefino Rivera, Jr.

SurveyRomeo and Juliet

February 11-12, 2009

PrologueChorusTwo households both alike in dignity,In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.From forth the fatal loins of these two foesA pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrowsDo with their death bury their parents’ strife.The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,And the continuance of their parents’ rage,Which, but their children’s end, nought could

remove,Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend,What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to

mend.

Patterns?What did you notice……about the beat or rhythm?

…about the number of steps per line?…about the rhyme?

Iambic PentameterRomeo and JulietTwo house|holds both|alike|in dig|nity, 1 + 1 + 1 + 1

+ 1 = 5 Foot = group of syllables Pentameter = five feet

In fair | Veron | a where | we lay | our scene…

U / U / U / U / U /

Iamb = describes the # of syllables and how they should be accented. In this case two syllables: first unaccented, then accented

Europe

Verona, Italy

Verona

Juliet Capulet’s Home

Juliet’s Balcony

Why is Shakespeare so complicated?

1. Vocabulary2. Personal Pronouns3. Conjugations4. Syntax, or the arrangement of words

and phrases, are not in its usual places.

Personal PronounsSubject (what’s doing the action)

Object (what the action is being done to)

Genitive (pronouns always with object following)

Possessive (pronoun that replaces genitive + object)

1st singular I Me My/Mine Mine

2nd singular (informal)

Thou Thee Thy/Thine Thine

3rd singular He/she/it

Him/her/it

His/her/its

His/her/it

1st plural We Us Our Ours

2nd plural or singular (formal)

Ye You Your Yours

3rd plural They Them Their Theirs

Second Person Personal Pronoun

ExamplesShakespeareSubject: Thou villain Capulet!

Object:What shall I groan to tell

thee?

Genitive:Remember thy swashing blow!

Possessive:With more of thine

TodaySubject:You villain Capulet!

Object:What shall I groan to tell

you?

Genitive:Remember your swashing

blow!

Possessive:With more of yours

Your Turn Translate the following Shakespearean phrases into modern day English: Thou art mad! I am happy for thee.

That is thy weapon! That is thine!

Translate the following modern day phrases into Shakespearean English: You are lying! This is for you. Where is your homework?

Is that yours?

Conjugations Verb forms used after thou (2nd person singular,

informal) generally end in -st or -est to know: thou knowest to make: thou makest to love: thou lovest

A few verbs have irregular thou forms: to be: thou art, thou wast to have: thou hast to do: thou dost shall: thou shalt will: thou wilt

Your Turn: Go to any page in R&J and identify a new verb conjugation and its infinitive

Shakespearean Syntax: The Why

Shifts from “normal”To create the rhythm he seeksTo use a line’s poetic rhythm to emphasize a particular word

To give a character his or her own speech patterns (regular)

To allow the character to speak in a special way (incidental)

Shakespearean Syntax:The How

InversionFrom: Subject+VerbTo: Verb+Subject

From: Subject+Verb+ObjectTo: Object+Subject+Verb

Parts of SpeechThe dog bit the boy.

The = articleDog = noun (the subject)Bit = verbBoy = noun (the object)

The boy bit the dog.Very different meanings even though the words are the same.

Shakespearean Syntax and the

Commutative Property Commutative Property: The word "commutative" comes from "commute" or "move around," so the Commutative Property is the one that refers to moving stuff around. For addition, the rule is "a + b = b + a"; in numbers, this means 2 + 3 = 3 + 2.

For multiplication, the rule is "ab = ba"; in numbers, this means 2×3 = 3×2.

Shakespearean Syntax follows a similar property.

Subject+Verb Inversions

Today: subject+verb Shakespeare: subject+verb OR verb+subject

From “He goes” OR “Goes he”

Benvolio: Here were the servants of your adversaryAnd yours close fighting were I did approach:I drew to part them: in the instant cameThe fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepared (5)

Your turn:Lady Montague:

O, where is Romeo? Saw you him to-day? (5)

Subject+Object Inversions

Today: subject+verb+object Shakespeare: subject+verb+object OR object+ subject+verb

From “I hit him” to “Him I hit”

Benvolio:So early walking did I see your son.

Becomes[did] I [saw ] your son walking [so] early.

Your Turn:Benvolio:Towards him I made.