SHAKESPEARE:
Understanding the language
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT
SHAKESPEARE’S WRITING IN THIS TUTORIAL:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Sometimes, you have to fill in words that
are missing from his writing.
There are times when a passage makes
more sense if you reorganize the words a
little bit.
Shakespeare sometimes shortened
words by using an apostrophe: ‘ or ’
Some words he used are no longer in use
so you must familiarize yourself with them.
PART 1: FILL IN MISSING WORDS
In this example, Capulet’s party is coming to a close,
and as the guests leave, he states:
“I thank you, honest gentlemen; good night.
More torches here! Come on then, let's to bed.”
There is a word that is clearly omitted at the end of
the final sentence. Can you figure out what this word
is and where it word belongs? Give it your best shot
on the next slide.
CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE.
THE OPTION YOU CHOOSE SHOULD NOT CHANGE THE MEANING OF THE
SENTENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, WHICH MISSING WORD IS THE MOST ESSENTIAL
TO CLARIFYING THE SENTENCE?

“I thank you, honest gentlemen; good night.
More torches here! Come on then, let's to bed.”
A.
Come on then, you, let’s to bed.
A.
Come on then, let’s go to bed.
A.
Come on then, let’s to bed now.
SORRY, TRY AGAIN
CORRECT!

Adding the word “go” is the option that makes
the most sense!

“I thank you, honest gentlemen; good night.
More torches here! Come on then, let's GO to bed.”
CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES THE MEANING OF THE
SENTENCE. THE OPTION YOU CHOOSE SHOULD NOT CHANGE THE
MEANING OF THE SENTENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, WHICH MISSING
WORD IS THE MOST ESSENTIAL TO CLARIFYING THE SENTENCE?

“Hie you to church; I must another way,
To fetch a ladder…”
Hie you to church sir; I must another way,
To fetch a ladder…
Hie you to church; I must another way,
To fetch a tall ladder…
Hie you to church; I must go another way,
To fetch a ladder…
SORRY, TRY AGAIN
CORRECT!
Adding the word “go” is the option that makes the
most sense!
Hie you to church; I must GO another way,
To fetch a ladder…
PART 2: RE-ORGANIZE THE WORDS
In this example, Benvolio tells Romeo of Juliet’s
death:
“Her body sleeps in Capel's monument,
And her immortal part with angels lives.”
Today, we would reorganize the final part of this quote
so that it reads:
“Her body sleeps in Capel's monument,
And her immortal part lives with angels.
WHICH OF THESE QUOTES HAS THE MOST CHALLENGING WORD
ARRANGEMENT?


“For fear of that, I still will stay with thee;
And never from this palace of dim night
Depart again…”
“Friar John, go hence; Get me an iron crow,
and bring it straight unto my cell.”
SORRY, TRY AGAIN
CORRECT!
This is the original:
“For fear of that, I still will stay with thee;
And never from this palace of dim night
Depart again…”
But this arrangement is more familiar to readers of
today:
“I still will stay with thee, For fear of that;
And never depart again from this palace of dim
night”
PART 3: IDENTIFY WHEN WORDS HAVE BEEN
SHORTENED WITH AN APOSTROPHE
(UNFAMILIAR CONTRACTIONS)
SOME EXAMPLES:
i'=in
e'en=even
‘tis=it is
gi’=give
CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES
THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE:

“Most miserable hour that ____time saw
In lasting labour of his pilgrimage!”

e’er (ever)

e’en (even)
SORRY, TRY AGAIN
CORRECT!

In this quote, the word “ever” makes much more
sense than “even”
“Most miserable hour that e’er time saw
In lasting labour of his pilgrimage!”
THIS IS TOUGH- SEE IF YOU CAN FIGURE
OUT WHAT THIS PHRASE MEANS:
“God gi'god-den”

God give you a good evening

God, get going

God gives golden
SORRY, TRY AGAIN
CORRECT!

Strangely, this was a common phrase at the time!
“God gi’ god-den”=God give you a good evening
“GREGORY, O' MY WORD, WE'LL NOT CARRY
COALS.”

In this quote, the word o’ most likely means:
over
on
oh
SORRY, TRY AGAIN
CORRECT!
“Gregory, ON my word, we'll not carry coals.”
PART 4: BE FAMILIAR WITH THE
MEANINGS OF WORDS THAT ARE NO
LONGER IN USE (ALL OF THESE ARE
IN YOUR WORKBOOK, PAGE
9):
CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES
THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE:
“ ______not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church door but
‘tis enough.”
hither
‘tis
pox
Go back to previous slide to see the words and their
meanings if you need to:
SORRY, TRY AGAIN
CORRECT!
“ ‘Tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church
door but ‘tis enough.”
Remember, ‘tis means “it is.”
CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES
THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE:
“We'll to dinner _______,”
fortnight
anon
thither
Go back to see the words and their meanings if you
need to:
SORRY, TRY AGAIN
CORRECT!
“ We’ll to dinner thither.”
Remember, thither means “there.”
Can you figure out what word is missing in this
same phrase?
go
in
now
SORRY, TRY AGAIN
CORRECT!
“We’ll GO to dinner thither.”
CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT BEST CLARIFIES
THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE:
"At my poor house look to behold this night
_______stars that make dark heaven light.”
earth treading
fortnight
nay
Go back to see the words and their meanings
if you need to:
SORRY, TRY AGAIN
CORRECT!
"At my poor house look to behold this night
Earth treading stars that make dark heaven
light.”

You are finished! Please take the tutorial followup survey now.
PART 4: BE FAMILIAR WITH THE
MEANINGS OF WORDS THAT ARE NO
LONGER IN USE (ALL OF THESE ARE
IN YOUR WORKBOOK, PAGE
9):
PART 4: BE FAMILIAR WITH THE
MEANINGS OF WORDS THAT ARE NO
LONGER IN USE (ALL OF THESE ARE
IN YOUR WORKBOOK, PAGE
9):