Shakespeare Toolbox
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Elision
Feminine endings
Antithesis
Puns
Partial line
Shared line
Enjambment
Shakespeare Toolbox
Elision: squeezing words to fit the scansion
(meter); often utilizes an apostrophe to
indicate the “missing” syllable
o’er = over
sev’n = seven
e’er = ever
heav’n = heaven
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Elision
But you don’t always need an apostrophe...
“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”
ro-me-o OR rome-yo ?
(that is the question)
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Feminine endings: an extra, unstressed (or
soft) 11th syllable at line ending
 used to emphasize the word at end
We will see this effect during Hamlet’s big “To
be or not to be” speech.
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Antithesis: a clash of opposites; found everywhere
in Shakespeare
“To be or not to be…”
(To live or to die…)
Or perhaps something more modern:
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what
you can do for your country.”
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Puns: word play
From Richard III:
“Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of York.”
Can you find the antithesis and the pun?
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“Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of York.”
Winter/summer = antithesis
Son = sun (What makes it summer? The sun.
That is so punny.)
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Partial lines: don’t ignore the “silent” syllables
or beats; it’s a pause used for emphasis (like
the “pregnant pause”)
Shared verse line: two characters sharing
the iambic line; used during quick, tense
conversations
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Example of a partial line: (from Hamlet)
Laertes:
He is justly served.
(actor pauses 5 beats before speaking line)
Example of a shared line: (from Hamlet)
Laertes: My lord, I’ll hit him now.
Claudius:
I do not think’t.
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Enjambment: don’t pause at line endings
unless there is punctuation indicating to do so
• (hint: the “b” is silent)
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“Brilliant Elizabethan Fallacy”:
In the 1600s, most people didn’t speak like
Shakespearean characters – not even
Shakespeare. But our TV and movie actors
don’t speak exactly like we do in everyday
conversation, either (ums, like, uhhs, grammar
errors deleted). Everyone sounds smarter
than they really are (“heightened language”).
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Think Like an Actor
Why are some of the words mixed up or out of
order? Didn’t Shakespeare understand basic
grammar?
 Energy builds towards the line ending, so he
placed key words there (for emphasis).
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Think Like an Actor
 Why did Shakespeare use such a high level
of vocabulary if most people were illiterate
anyway?
 He “created” words by combining the
(leapfrog), using nouns as verbs, or using
sounds of words creatively for effect.
In fact…
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Think Like an Actor
Shakespeare’s vocabulary consists of over
17,000 words – four times the average
person’s vocabulary. The Oxford English
Dictionary credits him for the derivation of
over 3,000 words. Approximately 7,000 words
are used only once.
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Think Like an Actor
That character’s comment sounded naughty!
I thought Shakespeare was supposed to be
intellectual and “high culture.” Did he just
make a double entendre?
 Yes.
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Think Like an Actor
 Why does he repeat himself so much?
 Because he wants to make sure you get it. If
you hear something over and over, it ‘s
important. Remember, there is no rewind in
theatre.
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Think Like an Actor
“Repeats” can be done two ways:
1. a word is used many times by various
characters throughout the course of the play:
R&J – love, Hamlet – ear, Othello –
handkerchief (all items relate directly to the plot or
theme)
2. a character says a word repetitively in the
same line: Hamlet – “words, words, words…”
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Think Like an Actor
 Argh, I don’t understand!
 Take a blank piece of paper and cover up the
lines. Go line by line, moving the paper down.
Don’t move down until you understand each
line. It’s slow, but it works.
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Think Like an Actor
 Wait, is he being ironic/sarcastic?
 Yes.
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Think Like an Actor
As with the double entendres, it is easier to pick
up on the ironic and sarcastic remarks in
performance. Shakespeare used them well
and used them liberally.
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Classification by Genre
Four Basic Genres of Shakespeare:
– Comedies
– Histories
– Romance
– Tragedies
Shakespeare Toolbox
Classification by Genre
Characteristics of Shakespeare’s Comedies:
 disguises, cross-dressing
 thwarted love
 mistaken identity
 romantic misunderstandings
 ends with multiple marriages
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Classification by Genre
Characteristics of Shakespeare’s Histories:
 conspiracy
 fighting, war
 sub-plots involving non-nobles
 a decisive on-stage battle
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Classification by Genre
Characteristics of Shakespeare’s Romances:
 natural disasters
 unlikely coincidences
 conflict between generations and w/in families
 unforeseen conclusion in which forgiveness and
reconciliation are achieved against all odds
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Classification by Genre
Characteristics of Shakespeare’s Tragedies:
 action revolves around a single heroic figure
 a dreadful dilemma or a horribly wrong decision
 fighting and madness
 many deaths at the play’s end
Understanding Shakespeare’s Tragedies
(before you open a vein)
1. Protagonist’s downfall affects many people (or an
entire country).
2. His downfall is a result of a personal error in
judgment (hamartia) or excessive pride (hubris)
3. Protagonist must be essentially good for us to
care.
4. Audience becomes aware that even the most
powerful individuals can destroy themselves
through their imperfect understanding of the
human condition.