Reading Shakespeare’s Language
 Some Issues:
 Unusual Syntax (sentence structure)
 Poetic compressions/omissions
 Word play
 Vocabulary
 (some of Shakespeare’s
 words have changed their
 common meanings)
Hamlet
 Shakespeare builds the world of Hamlet by
using the location, history, and names from
the story, “local references”
 But the place doesn’t seem to be as central in
Hamlet. Rather, the atmosphere and internal
landscape of the characters is more
significant.
Shakespeare’s Syntax
 Why does Shakespeare use unusual word
order in his sentences?
 To create the rhythm he wants
 To maintain iambic pentameter (blank verse)
 To give a character a special speech pattern
 To emphasize a particular word
Shakespeare’s Syntax
 What does he actually do?
 Subject –verb inversion: He goes Goes he, This
way will I.
 Object before the subject and verb: I hit
him.Him I hit. “How I have thought of this and
of these times, I shall recount hereafter.”
 Separating words that usually go together: leave
out no ceremonyLeave no ceremony out.
 Omission of words: I’ll go aboutI’ll about.
Omissions
 Shakespeare wrote the way people spoke.
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We also omit words when we talk with each
other:
Rewrite this conversation the way it would
sound if it was spoken:
Have you been to Mrs. Jackson’s English class
yet?
No. I have not been to class yet. I have heard
she is giving us a test.
Why would she want to do that?
Omissions:
contractions
 He uses contractions  'tis ~ it is
heavily, just like we
do when we talk.
What are some of our
modern
contractions?
 Shakespeare’s
contractions:
ope ~ open
o'er ~ over
gi' ~ give
ne'er ~ never i' ~ in
e'er ~ ever
oft ~ often
a' ~ he
e'en ~ even
Shakespeare’s Wordplay
 Puns:
 A play on words that sound the same but have
different meanings. Used for: humor, bringing remote
ideas into relationship, revealing tone. . .
 From Julius Caesar: cobbler=shoemaker and bungler,
“withal” sounds like “with awl”
 Hamlet: “A little more than kin and less than kind.”
 Shakespeare uses a lot of sexual puns
 Vocabulary
 Shakespeare writes in “modern” English
 BUT, many of his words have changed meaning or
are not in use.
 His vocabulary was around 30,000 words (60,000
words?)
 He also made up new words: accommodation,
amazement, countless, dexterously, dislocate,
frugal, indistinguishable, premeditated, smilet
 All this is what our footnotes are for—read them
Shakespeare’s Wordplay
 Metaphors
 When an object or idea is expressed as if it were
something else
 The genius and the mortal instruments are then in
council, and the state of man, like to a little
kingdom, suffers then the nature of an
insurrection 2.1.69-72(you can be at war within
yourself, as if you were a kingdom and your
morals were rebelling)