SHAKESPEARE - LANGUAGE

Appreciating Shakespeare's Language

When Shakespeare wrote his sonnets and plays, the language he used was popular and would have been easily recognized by seventeenth century audiences. However, in the twenty-first century, we have a more difficult time comprehending the words Shakespeare used. What we must remember is that Shakespeare’s words can be easily “translated” into modern English, and once we become familiar with these words, it becomes easier to read and understand the language, and then we are able to appreciate the story Shakespeare is trying to tell. Below is a list of common words found in Shakespeare’s works, along with a modern “translation” of the word or phrase. 1.    mark: pay attention to                            2.    attend: listen to 3.    nay: no                                                   4.    withal: with 5.    discourses: speaks                                 6.    an: if 7.    will: desire                                             8.    thither: there 9.    anon: at once                                         10. thy: your 11. thou art: you are                                     12. woo: to court a woman/man 13. soft: hush                                                14. methinks: I think 15. dispatch: to send away or to kill 16. nought: nothing                                      17. marry: of course; indeed 18. good-den or do-den: Good Evening 19. hap: lucky                                               20. maid: an unmarried young girl 21. humor: mood or moisture                       22. wot: know 23. stay!: wait!                                              24. hie: go 25. tidings: news 26. pray: beg                     27. decree: order 28. resolve: plan                                           29. foe: enemy 30. coz: cousin                                             31. hither: here 32. plague: curse                                          33. adieu: goodbye 34. woe: grief                                               35. heavy: sad 36. counsel: advice                                    37. thee: you 38. sirrah: fellow                                       39. would: wish 40. doth: does

MACBETH - SHAKESPEARE PLAY - QUESTIONS

After first one, then more, murders take place, Macbeth and his lady are united through their crimes, their mutual madness, and their mounting alienation from the rest of humanity. Most of the romantic love in Shakespearean plays began and ended with courtship and marriage. The Macbeths’ marriage is atypical, particularly by this standard. The Macbeths share an odd power dynamic, where they seem surprisingly attached to one another. Discuss how this couple are partners in the truest sense of the word.

Consider some of the following:

·       Though Macbeth is a brave general and a powerful lord, his wife is far from subordinate to his will. Indeed, she often seems to control him, either by crafty manipulation or by direct order.

·       Is it Lady Macbeth’s deep-seated ambition, rather than her husband’s, that ultimately propels the plot of the play by goading Macbeth to murder Duncan.

·       Would Macbeth have murdered Duncan without his wife’s powerful taunts and persuasions?

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - SHAKESPEARE - PLAY - CHARACTERS - SHYLOCK

IS SHYLOCK A PROBLEM?

Shylock is the most vivid character in The Merchant of Venice. Actually naming the protagonist of this play is difficult - Antonio is too passive, yet his role leads us to believe his is the protagonist. However, critics have named Bassanio as the protagonist. It is a difficult question. Truth be told, Shylock, the antagonist is the most memorable character.

The character of Shylock has undergone critical debate over time. Is he simply a bloodthirsty villain? Or is he a man 'more sinned against than sinning?' That question is difficult to answer. Why? Because there are two Shylocks in the play - the villain who is required for the plot, and the human being who suffers the loss of his daughter, his property and his religion.

Shakespeare crafts a convincing villain. His plays thrive on the villain, his actions, his evil intent, his throwing of his world into chaos. In The Merchant of Venice, a romantic comedy, he is the cruel figure who stands in the way of the love story. Added to his role as the obstacle to the lovers getting what they want, he is a Jew. Shakespeare needed an ursurer, a moneylender for his plot. Usury was forbidden by God for Christians (Antonio) and the moneylending was the realm of the Jews. During the Middle Ages usury was the only occupation allowed to the Jew by law. So we have the stereotypical Jewish moneylender reviled by Christians.

Was Shakespeare anti-Semetic? A racist? Probably not. Shakespeare in his plays was only concerned with making sure his plot was driven, and he used history and historical figures to add realism to his plots - Macbeth's blood lust is not particularly Scottish or Iago's venom against Othello particularly Venetian. Shakespeare wasn't interested in condemning a group through the presentation of an individual.

In the courtroom scene in IV.i., Shylock is stripped of all that he has, which adds a tragic aspect to the play. As Shakespeare has used Shylock to represent all that is selfish and inhuman, he must be defeated for order to be returned from chaos (The Great Chain of Being).

Past representations of Shylock on the stage have been as a figure 'grotesque, sinister and ferocious'. Later versions showed Shylock as dignified, tragic. But Shakespeare wouldn't want us to sentimentalise or make Shylock overly grotesque. In The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare suggests Shylock's power and dignity and more subtly, the way in which his malignity is a defense and not an attack.

Consider the differing opinions regarding Shylock. Further research this pivotal character in the play from the SOCIAL perspective, the GENDER perspective and the CULTURAL/HISTORICAL perspective.

The poet W. H. Auden once penned these words: "Those to whom evil is done, do evil in return." In the case of Shylock, argue your opinion using your paraphrasing of Auden's words as your THESIS. 

Some of the text of this post inspired by Merchant of Venice, Complete Study Edition, edited by Sidney Lamb, 1965 edition. 

OTHELLO - SHAKESPEARE - PLAY - RACE

QUESTION

1. Discuss the role that race plays in Shakespeare’s portrayal of Othello. How do the other characters react to Othello’s skin color or to the fact that he is a Moor? How does Othello see himself?


KEYWORDS: 'race', 'Shakespeare's portrayal of Othello', 'other characters', 'Othello's skin colour', 'Moorish culture' (remember the full name of the play is Othello, the Moor of Venice), 'Othello's self image'.

2. Race was not an issue in the play until the antagonist Iago used race as a weapon against Othello and his wife Desdemona. How did race affect the outcome?

3. Is his race Othello's fatal flaw? How does Iago manipulate him because of this?




Some suggestions to help with these questions:


Here you will be analysing power relationships in the play - class and cultural power relationships. In Othello, you cannot examine 'race' without examining 'culture'. You would refer this question to the Great Chain of Being, and where the main characters are placed in this chain. You have Venetian nobles of high class. Venice is a hugely-powerful nation at the time. What of Othello? What gives him the right to marry a girl from the top of the hierarchy so to speak? 

So...both Othello and Desdemona challenge the Great Chain of Being - chaos results (by their hasty marriage and by Iago's deliberate lies and manipulations). We know that Shakespeare must restore order from the chaos. How will this be done?

REMEMBER: Othello is respected by the nobles of Venice, including the Duke of Venice. He is a mighty soldier (but this seems to be the only area of his life where Othello feels secure. He feels his lack of culture, his black colour...this provides an Archilles Heel for Iago to exploit.)

Iago, motivated by jealousy, used Othello's race against the general who felt inferior in every area of his life except his military prowess. His wife, Desdemona, is blind to Othello's colour and showed steadfast love for her husband.

Society in Venice reflected society in England in the Elizabethan Era, where white people were considered superior to black people who were rarely seen. It appears somewhat unusual for Shakespeare to give a Moor (a black North African), a lead role.


DISCUSSION POINTS:

While Moor characters abound on the Elizabethan stage, none are given so major or heroic a role as Othello.

Othello is possibly the most famous literary exploration of the warping powers of jealousy and suspicion. At the same time, it's among the earliest literary works dealing with race and racism. Othello, undeniably heroic even if ultimately flawed, is the most prominent black protagonist in early Western literature. Othello faces constant racism from other characters, especially when he marries Desdemona, a privileged white woman whose father disapproves of the union. (Schmoop.com) Read more here about racism in Othello.

Othello is referred to as a “Barbary horse” (1.1.113) and a “lascivious Moor” (1.1.127). In III.III he denounces Desdemona's supposed sin as being "black as mine own face." Desdemona's physical whiteness is otherwise presented in opposition to Othello's dark skin; V.II "that whiter skin of hers than snow." Iago tells Brabantio that "an old black ram / is tupping your white ewe" (1.1.88). In Elizabethan discourse, the word "black" could suggest various concepts that extended beyond the physical colour of skin, including a wide range of negative connotations.


There is no consensus over Othello's race. E.A.J. Honigmann, the editor of the Arden Shakespeare edition, concluded that Othello's race is ambiguous. "Renaissance representations of the Moor were vague, varied, inconsistent, and contradictory. As critics have established, the term 'Moor' referred to dark-skinned people in general, used interchangeably with similarly ambiguous terms as 'African', 'Ethiopian', 'Negro', and even 'Indian' to designate a figure from Africa (or beyond)." Various uses of the word 'black' (for example, "Haply for I am black") are insufficient evidence for any accurate racial classification, Honigmann argues, since 'black' could simply mean 'swarthy' to Elizabethans. Iago twice uses the word 'Barbary' or 'Barbarian' to refer to Othello, seemingly referring to the Barbary coast inhabited by the "tawny" Moors. Roderigo calls Othello 'the thicklips', which seems to refer to European conceptions of Sub-Saharan African physiognomy, but Honigmann counters that, as these comments are all intended as insults by the characters, they need not be taken literally.


OTHELLO speaks:

 Haply for I am black,
And have not those soft parts of conversation
That chamberers have; or for I am declined
Into the vale of years—yet that’s not much—
She’s gone. I am abused, and my relief
Must be to loathe her. O curse of marriage,
That we can call these delicate creatures ours
And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad
And live upon the vapor of a dungeon
Than keep a corner in the thing I love
For others’ uses. Yet ’tis the plague of great ones;
Prerogatived are they less than the base.
’Tis destiny unshunnable, like death. (III.iii.267–279)

Explanation for this quote:

When, in Act I, scene iii, Othello says that he is “rude” in speech, he shows that he does not really believe his own claim by going on to deliver a lengthy and very convincing speech about how he won Desdemona over with his wonderful storytelling (I.iii.81). 

However, after Iago has raised Othello’s suspicions about his wife’s fidelity, Othello seems to have at least partly begun to believe that he is inarticulate and barbaric, lacking “those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers [those who avoid practical labor and confine their activities to the ‘chambers’ of ladies] have.” This is also the first time that Othello himself, and not Iago, calls negative attention to either his race or his age. His conclusion that Desdemona is “gone” shows how far Iago’s insinuations about Cassio and Desdemona have taken Othello: in a matter of a mere 100 lines or so, he has progressed from belief in his conjugal happiness to belief in his abandonment.

The ugly imagery that follows this declaration of abandonment—Othello finds Desdemona to be a mere “creature” of “appetite” and imagines himself as a “toad” in a “dungeon”—anticipates his later speech in Act IV, scene ii, in which he compares Desdemona to a “cistern for foul toads / To knot and gender in,” and says that she is as honest “as summer flies are in the shambles [slaughterhouses], / That quicken even with blowing” (IV.ii.63–64, 68–69). Othello’s comment, “’tis the plague of great ones,” shows that the only potential comfort Othello finds in his moment of hopelessness is his success as a soldier, which proves that he is not “base.” He attempts to consider his wife’s purported infidelity as an inevitable part of his being a great man, but his comfort is halfhearted and unconvincing, and he concludes by resigning himself to cuckoldry as though it were “death.”

DESDEMONA

When Desdemona asks to be allowed to accompany Othello to Cyprus, she says that she “saw Othello’s visage in his mind, / And to his honours and his valiant parts / Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate” (I.iii. 250–252). Othello’s blackness, his visible difference from everyone around him, is of little importance to Desdemona: she has the power to see him for what he is in a way that even Othello himself cannot.

OTHELLO - SHAKESPEARE - PLAY - QUESTIONS

GENDER:

Analyze Desdemona’s role in the play. To what extent is she merely a passive victim of Othello’s brutality? How does her character change when she is not with Othello?


SUGGESTED ANSWER:

At the end of Othello, Desdemona seems to be the most passive kind of victim. Smothered, deprived of breath and of words by her husband, she is totally overwhelmed by Othello’s insane jealousy and physical strength. But before her murder, Desdemona is remarkable for showing more passivity when her husband is not around and more assertiveness when he is.

Desdemona’s first speech, in which she defends her recent marriage, is confident and forthright. When she gives it, she is the only female character onstage, surrounded by powerful men who include the duke, her husband, and her father, but she is not ashamed to assert her belief in the validity of her desires and actions. Unfortunately, Iago recognizes Desdemona’s forthrightness and uses it against her. He exploits her willingness to demand and justify what she wants by making Cassio her cause and, simultaneously, Othello’s enemy. In Act III, scene iii, Desdemona asks Othello to forgive Cassio and persists, in spite of Othello’s rising consternation, until her husband declares, “I will deny thee nothing” (III.iii. 41–84). Her courage is apparent in her refusal to search for the missing handkerchief in Act III, scene iv; in her willingness to shout back at Othello as he abuses her in Act IV, scene i; and in her insistence upon her innocence in Act V, scene ii. Her audacity seems to infuriate Othello all the more, as what he takes to be shameless lies convince him that she is unremorseful in what he believes to be her sin.

The terrible effect of Othello’s brutality is most obvious in Desdemona’s scenes with Emilia. Emilia is cynical and bawdy, and she gives Desdemona every possible opportunity to bad-mouth Othello. Men, she says in Act III, scene iv, “are all but stomachs, and we all but food. / They eat us hungrily, and when they are full, / They belch us” (III.iv.100–102). Later, she insults Othello: “He called her whore. A beggar in his drink / Could not have laid such terms upon his callet [whore]” (IV.ii.124–125). And, at the end of Act IV, scene iii, she gives a lengthy discourse about the virtues of infidelity. Desdemona, however, never says anything worse than “Heaven keep the monster [jealousy] from Othello’s mind” (III.iv.158). With her closest confidante, Desdemona does not speak ill of her husband, even as she shows the strain of his terrible abuse.

OTHER QUESTIONS HIGHLIGHTING GENDER:

EMILIA

Discuss the role of Emilia. How does her character change during the course of the play? Pay particular attention to moments when Emilia decides to be silent and when she decides to speak. What is the effect of her silence about the handkerchief? Do we forgive this silence when she insists on speaking in spite of Iago’s threats in the final scene?

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/othello/study.html#explanation3

OTHELLO - SHAKESPEARE PLAY - READ THE FULL PLAY HERE ONLINE

CLICK TO READ FULL PLAY TEXT ONLINE:

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/othello/full.html

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - VOCABULARY - SHAKESPEARE PLAY

Vocabulary Study Sheet

The Merchant of Venice

William Shakespeare

http://www.verbalworkout.com/b/b1037.htm

amity If we cannot be close friends, we can at least live in amity. a state of friendly relations beseech She teaches and beseeches her students to think about their future. to ask strongly or beg for something bestow bestow blessings upon the marriage present as an honor or give as a gift commend I commend you for a good job. praise or recommend conjure She fears his black magic will conjure up evil spirits. summon into action or bring into existence -- often as if by magic entreat She flattered and entreated him until he agreed to help. to ask or attempt to persuade -- especially while trying hard to overcome resistance exeunt -- (Latin) Exeunt all except Hamlet. stage direction: characters exit from stage exhort I have exhorted and encouraged her, but it has to be her decision. to urge strongly forbearance She recommended regulatory forbearance while the banks repair their balance sheets. refraining (holding back) from acting or: patience, tolerance, or self-control forfeit We had to forfeit the deposit. to lose or surrender something -- often as a penalty heinous What could drive a person to commit such a heinous crime? shockingly brutal or cruel heresy a hard-line form of Sunni Islam that condemns all other strains as heresy opinions or actions most people consider immoral impugn She impugns the statistics even though they are validated at factcheck.com. attack as false or wrong inevitable It is as inevitable as death and taxes. certain to happen (even if one tried to prevent it) loathe I loathe that man detest or intensely dislike (find repugnant or disgusting) malicious malicious gossip wanting to see others suffer; or threatening evil mitigate There are mitigating circumstances. make less harmful or unpleasant obdurate Some of the protestors disbanded when the police arrived, but others remained obdurate. stubbornly persistent -- especially in wrongdoing or more rarely (except in classic literature): showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings obscure The stars are obscured by the clouds not known to many people or: not clearly seen, understood, or expressed; or to hide or make less visible or understandable peruse Please peruse this report at your leisure to read or examine prodigal prodigal variety of vegetation recklessly wasteful or more rarely: abundant (extravagant in amount) or more rarely still: long absent (someone who has been away a long time) profound -- as in: profound sadness Her apology was heartfelt--expressing profound sorrow and regret. of greatest intensity or emotional depth remorse There was no sign of remorse until the police caught her. a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed) render -- as in: render service or a verdict We`re waiting for the jury to render a verdict. to give or supply something repentance Prisoners who show repentance are more likely to be released on parole. the feeling or expression of regret for having done something wrong with a firm decision to be a better person in the future reproach She reproached him for being thoughtless and lazy. a criticism; or to express criticism revere Many fans revere Michael Jordan as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. regard with feelings of deep respect and admiration -- sometimes with a mixture of wonder and awe or fear rigorous -- as in: a rigorous math class I found it an interesting, but rigorous class. difficult and demanding tedious endured another of her tedious lectures boring -- especially due to the amount of something that must be endured zeal She attacks each challenge with zeal. active interest and enthusiasm

OTHELLO – VOCABULARY WORDS - SHAKESPEARE PLAYS

OTHELLO – VOCABULARY WORDS

1.    affinity - a natural attraction or feeling of kinship

2.    agile - moving quickly and lightly

3.    alacrity - liveliness and eagerness

4.    amiable - diffusing warmth and friendliness

5.    baseness - unworthiness by virtue of lacking higher values

6.    beguile - attract; cause to be enamored

7.    bestial - resembling a beast; showing lack of human sensibility

8.          bestow - give as a gift –

9.          boisterous - full of rough and exuberant animal spirits

10. bombast - pompous or pretentious talk or writing

11. candid - openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness

12. carnal - of or relating to the body or flesh

13. castigation - verbal punishment

14. circumspection - knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress

15. consecrate - give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause

16. cynically - with cynicism; in a cynical manner

17. defunct  - no longer in force or use; inactive

18. desolate - providing no shelter or sustenance

19. dilatory - wasting time

20. discern - detect with the senses

21. discord - lack of agreement or harmony

22. discretion - the power of making free choices unconstrained by external agencies

23. edified - instructed and encouraged in moral, intellectual, and spiritual improvement

24. enmesh - entangle or catch in (or as if in) a mesh

25. entreat - ask for or request earnestly

26. epithet - descriptive word or phrase

27. facile - arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth

28. forbear - a person from whom you are descended

29. fulsome - unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech

30. garner - store grain

31. grave - a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)

32. guileless - free of deceit

33. hideous - grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror

34. homage - respectful deference

35. impervious - not admitting of passage or capable of being affected

36. insolent - marked by casual disrespect

37. laconic - brief and to the point; effectively cut short

38. lechery - unrestrained indulgence in sexual activity

39. lethargy - inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy

40. malice - feeling a need to see others suffer

41. malicious - having the nature of or resulting from malice

42. malignant - dangerous to health; characterized by progressive and uncontrolled growth (especially of a tumor)

43. mitigate - lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

44. mutiny - open rebellion against constituted authority (especially by seamen or soldiers against their officers)

45. obscure - not clearly understood or expressed

46. odious - unequivocally detestable

47. palpable - capable of being perceived; especially capable of being handled or touched or felt

48. paradox - (logic) a statement that contradicts itself

49. paragon - an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept

50. peevish - easily irritated or annoyed

51. penitent - feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds

52. perdition - (Christianity) the abode of Satan and the forces of evil; where sinners suffer eternal punishment

53. pernicious - exceedingly harmful

54. profane - grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred

55. propriety - correct or appropriate behavior

56. ruffian - a cruel and brutal fellow

57. ruminate - reflect deeply on a subject

58. sated - satisfied

59. sordidness - unworthiness by virtue of lacking higher values

60. subjugate - make subservient; force to submit or subdue

61. surfeited - reach the limits

62. traduce - speak unfavorably about

63. usurped -

64. vehement  - marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid

65. verve - an energetic style

66. virtuosity - technical skill or fluency or style exhibited by a virtuoso

67. wanton - lewd or lascivious woman

68. warrant - formal and explicit approval

https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/12661