Too Tough To Tackle? Methinks Not!
Yesterday we read interesting - and somewhat unbelievable - facts about the time period for our play. Everything from superstitions, knowledge of medicine and dentistry, social classes, and religious beliefs affect the storyline. I found an interesting site which details a webquest type activity about the Capulet ball. There is a lot of information here about the time period, food, music, art, costumes, and more. Check it out. It's fun!
As our play opens, we are barraged with puns. The two servants, Sampson and Gregory, are showing off their wit, bragging about how tough they are. It would be impossible to see the humor in their exchange without an understanding of how words were used in that day. In their dialogue, the word "coal" becomes "collier," "choler," and "collar." It would help to know that the job of carrying coal was dirty and low class, and that a "collier" was the equivalent of a garbage collector. To be in "choler" is to be in anger (remember the four humours), and finally to draw a sword to fight meant being sentenced to death, and thus, finding your neck in the hangman's "collar." See? The two servants are bantering back and forth in an attempt to show how clever they are...and tough and loyal, too.
As we continue reading, you'll see that puns are an important way of showing quick wit. We learn that the whole town seems to be affiliated with either the Capulets or the Montagues, and these guys love to fight to display their macho and fierce loyalty to one family or the other.
Words that relate to our study so far: Shakespearean sonnet, iambic pentameter ,couplet, blank verse, dramatic irony, pun, rhyme scheme, soliloquy, aside. Yesterday we studied the Prologue and the form of the sonnet. We'll review the rest of your vocabulary list (on yesterday's post) today.
Tonight's reading will take you through the rest of Act I, scene one (page 744 of your text). Don't give up! Reading over the lines the night before will make the review the next day in class more meaningful. If you try, the words will indeed become clear.
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*Yesterday there was an interview on a national morning news show about how Shakespeare was being "fazed" out of some high schools because it was thought that students today did not have the reading ability to study this literature because it is too hard. How sad!
As our play opens, we are barraged with puns. The two servants, Sampson and Gregory, are showing off their wit, bragging about how tough they are. It would be impossible to see the humor in their exchange without an understanding of how words were used in that day. In their dialogue, the word "coal" becomes "collier," "choler," and "collar." It would help to know that the job of carrying coal was dirty and low class, and that a "collier" was the equivalent of a garbage collector. To be in "choler" is to be in anger (remember the four humours), and finally to draw a sword to fight meant being sentenced to death, and thus, finding your neck in the hangman's "collar." See? The two servants are bantering back and forth in an attempt to show how clever they are...and tough and loyal, too.
As we continue reading, you'll see that puns are an important way of showing quick wit. We learn that the whole town seems to be affiliated with either the Capulets or the Montagues, and these guys love to fight to display their macho and fierce loyalty to one family or the other.
Words that relate to our study so far: Shakespearean sonnet, iambic pentameter ,couplet, blank verse, dramatic irony, pun, rhyme scheme, soliloquy, aside. Yesterday we studied the Prologue and the form of the sonnet. We'll review the rest of your vocabulary list (on yesterday's post) today.
Tonight's reading will take you through the rest of Act I, scene one (page 744 of your text). Don't give up! Reading over the lines the night before will make the review the next day in class more meaningful. If you try, the words will indeed become clear.
br>
*Yesterday there was an interview on a national morning news show about how Shakespeare was being "fazed" out of some high schools because it was thought that students today did not have the reading ability to study this literature because it is too hard. How sad!
posted by Ms. James @ 9:19 AM
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