English 10 / Unit 6: Drama and Tragedy
6.6 Reading Shakespeare's Language
Notes
Early Modern English can look strange but follows patterns.
- Thou/thee/thy = you/you/your (informal). Art = are, hath = has, doth = does.
- Wherefore means why. Juliet's "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" asks why he is Romeo (a Montague), not where he is.
- Inverted syntax puts verbs or objects first for meter or emphasis: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."
- 'Tis = it is; ere = before; anon = soon.
- Read to the punctuation, not the line ending, and paraphrase each sentence.
Practice
When Juliet says "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" she is asking:
"Wherefore" means "why."
In modern English, "Thou hast a noble heart" means:
"Thou" means "you" and "hast" means "have."
The witches' line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" in Macbeth suggests that:
The paradox warns that good and evil will be confused.
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