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Introduction:
There is no excuse for not understanding Shakespeare’s language. With that said,
anyone who reads Shakespeare must break through language barriers before they
are able to understand a play. In order to better understand Hamlet, there are
three language barriers that we must break through:
1. Omissions,
2. Vocabulary, and
3. Shakespeare’s unusual arrangement of words (a.k.a. Shakespeare’s unusual
syntax)
Check-In Question 1: Using the context clues from the introduction, what is the
definition of the word “syntax”. The arrangement of words
Academic
Vocabular
y Omission Key Points:
• Shakespeare often left out letters, syllables, and whole words.
Omission • These omissions really aren't that much different from the way we speak
The words, today.
phrases, or • To help us understand Shakespeare’s omissions, we need to familiarize
letters that ourselves with his most frequent contractions.
are left out
“Heard Dougherty’s givin' "No, I have not been to class. I heard that Ms. Dougherty is giving
a test." a test today."
Subject
Analyze Syntax
The person, Instructions: Identify the subject, verb and object in each of the following
place, thing
or idea that sentences.
is acting or
being. Example: I ate the sandwich.
Subject Verb Object
Verb 1. I the sandwich ate.
A word that
conveys an
action or
2. Ate the sandwich I.
state of
being
3. Ate I the sandwich.
Object
Create Your Own Syntax
A word that
receives the
Instructions: See if you can rearrange the words from the example sentence
action and create two more unique sentences that convey the same meaning.
Inversion 4. The sandwich I ate.
5. The sandwich ate I.
Unusual
word order. Using Syntax to Paraphrase
In Hamlet, Instructions: Read the following lines from Act 1 and paraphrase them. Follow
Shakespeare
often placed these tips:
the verb or 1.Apply vocabulary pre-reading strategies.
object before
the subject. 2. Read from punctuation mark to punctuation mark
3. Identify Syntax and rearrange word order.
Words that
east won over the queen with his
take the seductive wit and gifts.
Ghost:
place of 1. Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast, That beast/ S (Subject)
nouns.
Common 2. With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts— With his wit and gifts,
pronouns: I, O wicked wit and gifts, that have the power
you, he, she, So to seduce!— Seductive wit and gifts
it, they, 3. won to his shameful lust
them, these,
The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen. won over the Queen / V (Verb)
those, we,
us, our, that, & O (Object)
his, hers,
yours, and
mine. O Hamlet, what a falling off was there!
From me, whose love was of that dignity
That it went hand in hand even with the vow
I made to her in marriage, and to decline
Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor
To those of mine.