“A man for all time.”
– Ben Jonson
Students 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
“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
 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.
 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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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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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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Verbal 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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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
12
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 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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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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Theme—The central idea or message in a work of
literature relating to life or human nature.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Appearances versus reality
Fate versus free-will
Consequences of taking action and seeking revenge
Uncertainty of death and the afterlife
Social codes of conduct
Poison and corruption of the individual or a nation
Madness
Women’s role in society
From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 15 7
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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
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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.
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.
From the Hamlet Parallel Text: “Act I, Introduction, Literary Elements” page 311
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