Shakespeare's Language
By Tryphena
These Are Some of William Shakespeares Styles/Types of Writing
Soliloquies
A soliloquy is when a character in a play talks to them self and shares their feelings through their speaking. Shakespeare used this to show what a character was feeling in a play.
Puns
Shakespeare enjoyed using puns in his writing. A popular one is: "A little more than kind and a little less than kin."
Tropes
He often created tropes, which is when an old word gets a new meaning.
Experimentation
Shakespeare often experimented and used both the old and new versions of words. He also experimented by using new expressions like the ones in the picture below
Examples of old/new words: hath vs has thou/thee vs you
Good Riddance, Foul Play, Love is Blind, In a Pickle, Laughing Stock etc.
Extra Info
- He had very good imagery in his poems and plays
- He had a rich vocabulary
- He used humour in a new way no one had seen before
- He was very poetic
- Some words have old meanings and confuse people because they mean something else today. Ex: silly=foolish
Some of Shakespeares most popular plays:
Hamlet
Much Ado About Nothing
Macbeth
Romeo and Juliet
How will his language affect the play?
In the past: His new style of humour and writing would have made the play more popular because it would be something new the people hadn't seen before.
In modern times: To modern audiences (like me) Shakespeares writing is understandable but you definitely have to be paying attention to the book to understand it. His writing also contributed a lot to modern day writing styles and that makes modern day books a lot more fun to read.