How to Understand Shakespeare's Language

• What forms of writing are used in the play?

  The play is written in poetry and prose
• What is poetry in the context of the play?

  Poetry is the parts of the play where all the lines are roughly the same length and each line starts with a capital letter
• Do the lines of poetry in the play always rhyme?

  No, the poetry doesn't always rhyme
• Who speaks in rhyming verse in the play?

  The Witches, Hecate, and the apparitions speak in rhyming verse
• What is prose in the context of the play?

  Prose is normal sentences without any set rhythm
• Which characters typically speak in prose?

  Lower-class characters, like the Porter, usually speak in prose
• How does Lady Macbeth's speech differ when she goes mad?

  Lady Macbeth speaks in prose when she goes mad
• What is the typical speech pattern of upper-class characters in the play?

  Upper-class characters usually speak in verse
• Don't stop reading at the end of each line

  1. Even though each line starts with a capital letter, it doesn't mean it's a separate sentence

  2. Just ignore the capitals and follow the punctuation
• Look out for words in a funny order

  1. Another reason Shakespeare can be tricky to understand is the long complicated sentences

  2. It's hard because the words are in a funny order. If you change the order it makes it easier to understand. For example:

  "So foul and fair a day I have not seen." --> I have not seen so foul and fair a day

  "O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!" --> O, my mind is full of scorpions, dear wife!
• You have to guess what the missing letters are

  1. Shakespeare often runs two words together and misses letters out to make them fit into a line

  2. There's often an apostrophe instead of the missing letter. So "is't" means "is it"

  3. If you come across random apostrophes when you're reading, you'll have to work out what the missing letters are
• Mind your thees, thous and thys


  1. They had different words for 'you' in those days

  2. People used to say 'thou' to be familiar or friendly, and 'you' to be more formal.

  Thou = you

  Thee = you

  Thy = your

  Thine = your
• More old confusing words

  1. Verbs often look a bit different from modern English:

  thou art = you are

  thou hast = you have

  thou wilt = you will

  thou canst = you can

  2. If it seems difficult, take the 't' off the end of the verb:

  hast - t = has

  wilt - t = wil(l)

  3. Other words to watch out for:

  hie = go quickly

  hither = to here

  whence = from where

  hence = from here

  wherefore = why

  thence = from there

  ere = before

  whither + where