English 10B Glossary - Vocabulary Words
While you don't need to know the "modern" translation for all of Shakespeare's words, it helps to learn the ones he uses most frequently.
Here are some examples:
Thee or Thou = You
Thine or Thy = Your
Hath = Has or Have
Doth = Does
Example: “Rome, thou hast lost” = “Rome, you have lost.”
It can be helpful to read Shakespeare’s plays aloud to help you understand the dialogue. You can also listen to someone else reading it and follow along in the text.
You may be able to do a quick Internet search to find an audio recording of the text you’re reading.
A lot of Shakespeare's sentences might seem arranged in unfamiliar ways. It can help to rearrange the sentence in a way that makes sense to you as you read.
For example, Shakespeare might write, “Caesar the throne has claimed.” You might rearrange it to read, “Caesar has claimed the throne.”
There are many resources that can help support your reading of Shakespeare’s works. Use a dictionary or the Internet to look up an unfamiliar word or cultural reference. Consult footnotes in the text when they are provided.
It may also help to read the original text side-by-side with a modern translation. Keep in mind that the modern translation should not replace the original text but should support your understanding.
You may have noticed that many stories or movies have a heroic character and a villainous character. This is because authors often include character archetypes in their plots.
Here are some common character archetypes:
The hero: portrays virtue and courage
The rebel: rejects an unjust society
The villain: opposes the hero
The ruler: exerts control over others
For more details about Character Archetypes, see these notes from ENG 10A!
Characters Develop Theme
Look for characters who learn a lesson or change their thoughts or opinions about something. This often reflects a theme of the text.
For example, in Julius Caesar, Cassius develops the theme that rebellion may be necessary to overcome tyranny. He describes Caesar as "immortal" and tells Brutus that he's heard people "groaning" about the oppressive government. Cassius is setting the stage for Brutus to change his thoughts about Caesar.
Characters Advance (push forward) the Plot
Look for how the characters create conflict. Characters create conflict through their dialogue, actions, and interactions with others. As you read, think about the consequences that occur, or may occur, because of a character’s actions.
For example, in Julius Caesar, Cassius tells Brutus that he is a trustworthy friend. This conversation advances the plot as it sets up the two friends to begin conspiring against Caesar.
The central idea is like an umbrella that covers the overall message that the author conveys about a subject. This idea is developed through more focused, specific details in a text.
As you read a text, new details will shape, or form, your understanding of the central idea. This means that your thoughts about the central idea might change as you read. It’s a good idea to stop and clarify your understanding of the central idea while reading a text.
A suffix is an affix (a letter or series of letters) that comes at the end of a word.
Examples:
government: The word government is made up of the root word govern and the suffix –ment.
govern (verb)
to conduct, or control, the policy, actions, and affairs of a nation, organization, or people)
–ment (suffix)
the action or result of
This suffix changes the word to a noun. So, government means the action of controlling or regulating a state, organization, or people.
constitution: The word constitution is made up of the root word constitute and the suffix –ion.
constitute (verb)
to establish by law
–ion (suffix)
the action or process of
This suffix changes the word to a noun. So, constitution means the action, or process, of establishing fundamental principles or laws.
oppression: The word oppression is made up of the root word oppress and the suffix –ion.
oppress (verb)
to keep someone in subservience or hardship
–ion (suffix)
the action or process of
This suffix changes the word to a noun. So, oppression means the process or action of keeping someone in subservience or hardship.
As you analyze the central idea and the details that develop it, it’s a good idea to summarize the text to confirm your understanding.
A well-written summary will first state the central idea of the text. Then, it should include only the most important details that develop this idea. Organize these details in the logical order they appear in the text. You should paraphrase these ideas in your own words, but avoid including your own opinion or commentary about the text or the subject.
Artistic representations come in many different forms—from a painting or a video to a poem or a song. As you compare artistic representations, you'll need to analyze the purpose, audience, and message.
The purpose is why the author or artist created the representation.
The audience is who the author or artist intends to read or see the representation.
The message is what the author or artist is trying to say about the subject in the representation.
Look for words that have strong connotative meaning. A word may have a positive, negative, or neutral connotation depending on how that word is typically used. Look at these examples:
The word vile has a negative connotation because it often describes something extremely unpleasant.
The word harmonies has a positive connotation because it often describes things that work well together.
The word world has a neutral connotation because it often simply describes the earth.
Click here to see notes from ENG 9A breaking down Denotation & Connotation!
Look for figurative language. Authors convey important ideas by using figurative language to make comparisons. Here are some common examples:
metaphor: ”Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed That he is grown so great?”
The author compares Caesar to a carnivore that eats meat.
simile: "High as the listening skies. . .”
The author compares the subject to something as inspiring and grand “as the listening skies.”
personification: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars. . . .”
The author personifies the stars by giving them a human-like quality: being at fault.
Look for words, phrases, or ideas that are repeated in a text. Authors often use repetition and patterns to draw attention to specific ideas or themes. Here’s an example:
Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any, speak—for him have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If any, speak—for him have I offended. Who is here so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak—for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.
As you analyze a text, you should begin to form a claim, or thesis, for your literary argument. If your teacher gives you a prompt or question, your thesis will likely be a response to this prompt or question.
A good thesis will be arguable, provable through textual evidence and specific. Look at this example for the Declaration of Independence and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar:
Question: How do the texts develop the ideas of freedom and rebellion?
Thesis: Both texts use purposeful language to illustrate that rebellion is sometimes necessary to obtain freedom and liberty.
introduction: includes a brief summary of the text, any necessary background information, and a clear thesis
body paragraphs: include main points, supporting textual evidence, and commentary to develop the claim and address counterclaims
conclusion: restates the thesis and briefly summarizes the main points
If you can't remember much about claims or counterclaims, click here to see these notes from ENG 9B.
It's written in a new literary genre.
It takes place in a more modern setting.
It tells the story from a different perspective.
An allusion is a reference to someone or something outside of the text. Allusions often make a connection to cultural traditions, myths, and religious works. Think of when a movie references a meme, a famous story or character, or a well-known event or idea. When we do this in writing, it's called allusion.
Here's an example from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar:
CAESAR: I could be well moved if I were as you. If I could pray to move, prayers would move me. But I am constant as the northern star.
The Northern Star is known to appear in the same place in the sky all the time. This allusion implies that Caesar will stay true to his initial decision.