Reading Shakespeare

1. A simple guide Reading Shakespeare

2. Four Issues for the modern reader • Words • Sentences • Wordplay • Implied Stage Action

3. Words • Unfamiliar words • Antiquated (we no longer use them) • Parle • Discussion • Soft • Hold • How do I know this? • Footnotes

4. Words • Geography • Elsinore • Hamlet’s Castle • How do I know this? • Footnotes • Words that have a different meaning • Rivals (1.1.14) • Companions • How do I know this? • Footnotes

5. Sentences Consider the meaning: • The dog bit the boy. • The boy bit the dog. In English, meaning is dependant on placement of words. Because of this, unusual arrangements can confuse a reader Shakespeare shifts this for his rhythm • Actors will read this to help with meaning • At home, reading aloud will help.

6. Sentences English builds like this: Shakespeare will switch these:

7. Sentences English builds like this: Shakespeare will do this:

8. Sentences • Shakespeare will also separate words that usually belong together: The sentence should read: “When he combated” Shakespeare will write “When he the ambitious Norway combated”

9. Wordplay • Puns • Play on words that sound the same but have different meanings • Son/sun • Claudius asks his “son” why his mood is so cloudy, to which Hamlet answers he is “too much in the sun” • Hamlet is not Claudius son and is not happy being called that.

10. Implied Stage Action • Notice there is very italicized stage action. Shakespeare will write the stage action right into the lines – this is how actors know to: • Move across the stage • Shiver because of cold • Shake hands and hug • Do a spit take

11. Printing a book

12. Published Text history • 1603 – Quarto (Bad) – this includes different names and only 2,300 lines • 1604/05 – Good Quarto • 1623 – 7 years after death – First Folio