Shakespearean Language

Learning intention: To understand and interpret Shakespearean language in order to comprehend character meaning, tone, and intention in the play. 

Language

 ‘Macbeth’ is written in an Early Modern English dialect used in England during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The play is largely written in verse, specifically in iambic pentameter – a metre consisting of ten syllables per line with a rhythmic pattern of unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. This gives the dialogue a musical quality, fitting its themes of intense ambition and tragedy. The play also often uses rhyme to reinforce the poem-like quality of the verse, often in couplets (two consecutive lines with matching rhyme). 

Prose is also used in the play. Prose is a form of language that has no formal metrical structure and is used to express ordinary language in a straightforward and clear manner. In the play, the porter uses prose when he is telling crude jokes. Prose is also often used to and by the lower-status characters, such as servants and the murderers. This contrasts with the poetic language mostly used by the main characters and nobles when talking among themselves. This helps to create a social hierarchy within the play and further emphasises the play’s themes of order and conflict.

Activity 1: The English Language and Shakespeare 

Read through the information on the English language and respond to the following: 

1. How language has changed over time?  

2. What challenges might we face when reading Shakespearean Texts? 

Activity 2: How to Read Shakespeare 

1. View the following clip and take notes on the top tips in how to read Shakespeare. 

Read through the common Shakespearean phrases below. Then: 

1. Highlight FIVE phrases that stand out to you. 

2. Do your best to explain what each of the phrases you highlighted mean in plain English

Activity 3: Translating Shakespeare 

Use the Glossary of Elizabethan Terms to translate the following Shakespearean sayings: