This document provides guidance on understanding Shakespeare's language. It notes that Shakespeare frequently used contractions and omitted letters, particularly at the end of words. It also discusses omitted syllables and consonants. Additionally, it explains that Shakespeare used many archaic words no longer in common use today, like "thy" and "thou", as well as unusual verb forms and parts of speech. The document encourages examining imagery and paraphrasing passages to aid comprehension.

1. Shakespeare’s
Language
Learning how to read Shakespeare

2. Shakespeare’s Language
1. Shakespeare frequently made contractions of words that we write
separately today. He also dropped letters, particularly vowels, at
the ends of words and in the ending –est.
Orsino: ’Tis [it is] not so sweet now as it was before. (1.1.8)
Toby: She’ll none o’ [of] th’ [the] Count. (1.3.104)
Toby: O knight, thou lack’st [lackest] a cup of canary! (1.3.79)
Andrew: And you love me, let’s do’t [do it]. I am dog at a catch.
(2.3.61)
* Remember: if you see the apostrophe ( ’ ), then something has been
omitted.

3. Shakespeare’s Language
2. Shakespeare omitted entire unstressed
syllables or consonants from the beginning or
middle of words.
Viola: Whoe’er [whoever] I woo, myself would
be his wife. (1.4.42)
Malvolio: Were not ev’n [even] now with the
Countess Olivia? (2.2.1)

4. Shakespeare’s Language
3. Shakespeare used many words (such as the adverbs hence, thence,
whence, hither, thither, and whither and the pronouns thy, thou, thee, and
thine) that we no longer or rarely use today. Words that have dropped
out of the language are called archaic.
Olivia: Whence [from what place] came you, sir? (1.5.175)
Duke: Then let thy [your] love be younger than thyself
[yourself], (2.4.36)
[hence – from now;
thence – from that time or place;
whence – from what place?;
hither – to this place, nearer, from here;
thither – there;
whither – from where?
thy –your;
thou – you;
thee – you;
thine – yours;
prithee – please;
Ay – yes;
ho – look there]

5. Shakespeare’s Language
4. Archaic words include forms of verbs with endings such as –th
and –st, as well as irregular verb forms such as spake (spoke).
Olivia: Why, how dost [do] thou, man?
What is the matter with thee? (3.4.24-
25)

6. Shakespeare’s Language
5. Shakespeare freely used words as different parts of speech,
sometimes inventing words in the process.

7. Tools for The Text: Paraphrase
• Examine the following lines from the very beginning of Twelfth
Night, when Duke Orsino demands more music, hoping it will cure
his lovesickness.
If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
That strain again. It had a dying fall;
O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odor. Enough, no more.
'Tis not so sweet now as it was before.
• One possible paraphrase might read:
• If it's true that music is the food of love, keep playing. Give me
too much so I'll be stuffed and I won't want it any more. Play that
bit again! It definitely had the right sound to make my appetite
die. It sounded as sweet as a breeze that blows across a patch of
violets. Taking their scent and giving it to me. Stop, that's
enough. It's not as sweet as it was before.

8. Tools for the Text: Imagery
• Another great tool to further and deepen your understanding of Shakespeare is imagery.
• Let's look at Duke Orsino's monologue again:
If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
That strain again. It had a dying fall;
O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
• Take a look at the words in bold. Step one is to write down the first few images that come
into your mind:
• Food:___________________________________________________________
• Love:___________________________________________________________
• Excess:_________________________________________________________
• Sicken:_________________________________________________________
• Dying:_________________________________________________________
• Sweet:_________________________________________________________
• Breathes:_______________________________________________________
• Violets:_________________________________________________________
• Now ask yourself what those images mean to you. How do they make you feel? What kind
of actions do they make you want to do? What words effect you most?
• Now that you've found some personal connection to these words, say the monologue out
loud and allow those images to fill your mind. Allow them to effect you and your audience
as you speak.