How to Read How to Read ShakespeareShakespeare

1. It’s Verse!1. It’s Verse!

►Do not pause at the end of a lineDo not pause at the end of a line

► Short pauseShort pause CommaComma

► Long pauseLong pause PeriodPeriod ColonColon SemicolonSemicolon DashDash Question MarkQuestion Mark

2. From Start to Finish2. From Start to Finish

►Read from punctuation mark to Read from punctuation mark to punctuation markpunctuation mark

►Periods, semicolons, question marks Periods, semicolons, question marks signal the end of a thoughtsignal the end of a thought

3. Inverted Sentences3. Inverted Sentences

►Verb comes before the subjectVerb comes before the subject►Reverse it back!Reverse it back!

►““Never was seen so black a day as Never was seen so black a day as this.”this.”

►““A day as black as this was never A day as black as this was never seen.”seen.”

4. Ellipsis4. Ellipsis

►Ellipsis = when a word is left outEllipsis = when a word is left out

►““I neither know it nor can learn of I neither know it nor can learn of him.”him.”

►““I neither know [the cause of] it, nor I neither know [the cause of] it, nor can [I] learn [about it from] him.”can [I] learn [about it from] him.”

5. Subject, Verb, Object5. Subject, Verb, Object

►Who Who did did whatwhat to to whomwhom

►““The king hath happily received, The king hath happily received, Macbeth,Macbeth,

the news of thy success: and when he the news of thy success: and when he reads thy personal venture in the rebel’s reads thy personal venture in the rebel’s fight…”fight…”

Subject? Verb? Object?Subject? Verb? Object?

5. Continued…5. Continued…

►Keep track of pronounsKeep track of pronouns He, she, it, theyHe, she, it, they

►Paraphrase main ideasParaphrase main ideas

►Read it out loud!Read it out loud!

6. Literary Terms6. Literary Terms

►MetaphorMetaphor ““I have begun to plant thee, and will I have begun to plant thee, and will

labourlabour

To make thee full of growing.”To make thee full of growing.”

►AllusionAllusion Reference to person, place, or artistic Reference to person, place, or artistic

workwork

7. Contracted Words7. Contracted Words

►Letter has been left outLetter has been left out

►Be’tBe’t on’ton’t wi’wi’►Do’tDo’t t’t’ ‘sblood‘sblood► ‘‘gainstgainst ta’enta’en i’i’► ‘‘tistis e’ene’en► ‘‘boutbout know’stknow’st ‘twill‘twill►Ne’erNe’er o’o’ o’ero’er

8. Archaic Words8. Archaic Words

►TheeThee►ThouThou►ThyThy►ThineThine►ArtArt►AnonAnon►Look at the side notes!Look at the side notes!

9. Wordplay9. Wordplay

►PunPun HumorHumor Two meanings suggested by same word Two meanings suggested by same word

or two similar-sounding wordsor two similar-sounding words

►MalapropismMalapropism Character mistakenly uses a word for Character mistakenly uses a word for

another wordanother word

10. Final Thoughts10. Final Thoughts

►Written for the stageWritten for the stage►Shakespeare loved to play with Shakespeare loved to play with

languagelanguage►Shakespeare puts all kinds of people Shakespeare puts all kinds of people

on stageon stage

►Read it out loud!Read it out loud!