Shakespeare and Early Modern English

1. Define and explain, The Great Vowel Shift.
The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place in the south of England between 1450 and 1750.[1] The Great Vowel Shift was first studied by Otto Jespersen (1860–1943), a Danish linguist and Anglicist, who coined the term.

2. Name 5 dialects of Modern English.
standardized dialect, Standard American English, Standard Indian English, Standard Australian English, and Standard Philippine English,nonstandard dialect.

3. One of the problems with Early Modern English was a lack of uniformity in spelling. Which 2 people (1-English, 1-American) helped establish standardized spelling?
English.


4. How many countries in the world have given Modern English official status?
American English, Australian English, British English, Canadian English, Caribbean English, Hiberno-English, Indo-Pakistani English, New Zealand English, Philippine English, Singaporean English, and South African English.
According to the Ethnologue, there are over 1 billion speakers of English as a first or second language as of 1999, a number surpassed only by the Chinese language.

5. The most recent statistics show that approximately how many people speak Modern English as a:I. First language? II. Second Language?
I. First language? 309–400 million
II. Second Language? 199–1,400 million
Over 508 million speakers of English

6. When was Early Modern English spoken?
In the latter half of the 15th century) to 1650.


7. How are the use of Pronouns different between Early Modern & Modern English?
In Early Modern English, there were two second person personal pronouns: thou, the informal singular pronoun, and ye, which was both the plural pronoun and the formal singular pronoun, (like modern French tu and vous and modern German du and ihr). (Thou was already falling out of use in the Early Modern English period, but remained customary for addressing God and certain other solemn occasions and sometimes for addressing inferiors.)
Like other personal pronouns, thou and ye had different forms depending on their grammatical case; specifically, the objective form of thou was thee, its possessive forms were thy and thine, (compare modern German; thou - du, thee - dich, thine - dein); and its reflexive or emphatic form was thyself, while the objective form of ye was you, its possessive forms were your and yours, and its reflexive or emphatic forms were yourself and yourselves.
In other respects, the pronouns were much the same as today. One difference is that my and thy became mine and thine before words beginning with a vowel and letter h; thus, mine eyes, thine hand, and so on.


8. Which language families does Modern English belong in?
American English, Australian English, British English, Canadian English, Caribbean English, Hiberno-English, Indo-Pakistani English, New Zealand English, Philippine English, Singaporean English, and South African English


9. Name 4 worldwide uses for Modern English.
There are diverse uses as controlling airplanes, developing software, conducting international diplomacy, and business relations.


10. In your opinion, what was the greatest influence on the spread of Modern English around the world? Why?
It was The literature, because people could discover a lot of different tales,stories,novels, it was like another world for people,because they could express their emotions.


11. There has been a lot of controversy over the true authorship of Shakespeare's writings. Which 3 people are also candidates as the possible authors of Shakespeare's plays?
Francis Bakon,Christopher Marlowe,Edward Devere.


12. Briefly explain The Oxfordian Theory.
The Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship holds that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550–1604), wrote the plays and poems traditionally attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon. While a large majority of scholars reject all alternative candidates for authorship, there is increased interest in various authorship theories.[1] Since the 1920s, Oxford has been the most widely accepted anti-Stratfordian candidate.
Oxfordians point to the acclaim of Oxford's contemporaries regarding his talent as a poet and a playwright, his reputation as a concealed poet, and his personal connections to London theatre and the contemporary playwrights of Shakespeare's day. They also note his long term relationships with Queen Elizabeth I and the Earl of Southampton, his knowledge of Court life, his extensive and multilingual education, his academic and cultural achievements, and his wide-ranging travels through France and Italy to what would later become the locations of many of Shakespeare's plays.



13. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays, which according to the Folio Classification, fall into 3 categories. Name the 3 categories.
Plays,Poems,Apocrypha


14. In which town was Shakespeare born?
In Stratford-upon-Avon


15. Which famous London theatre (built by actors, for actors) is connected with Shakespeare's plays?
English Renaissance theatre, also known as early modern English theatre, refers to the theatre of England, largely based in London, which occurred between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642. It includes the drama of William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and many other world-famous playwrights.


16. Even though Richard III is the most performed play, Hamlet is Shakespeare's most famous play. In your opinion, what does this portion of Hamlet's famous soliloquy mean:

To be or not to be, that is the question;

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing, end them.

To die, to sleep;

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to — 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd.

To die, to sleep;

To sleep, perchance to dream.

Ay, there's the rub,...

17. Name 5 post-Shakespearean artists whose work was heavily influenced by the writings of William Shakespeare.
Thomas Hardy
William Faulkner
Charles Dickens
Herman Melville
Henry Fuseli.

18. Which of Shakespeare's plays are included in The Wars of the Roses series?
The Reign of King Edward III,The First Part of King Henry the Sixth,The Second Part of King Henry the Sixth,The Third Part of King Henry the Sixth,The Tragedy of King Richard the Third,The Tragedy of King Richard the Second,Henry IV, Part 1,Henry IV, Part 2,Henry V,The Life and Death of King John,The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth.


19. Shakespeare wrote most of his works in blank verse composed in iambic pentameter. What is blank verse & iambic pentameter?
This means that his verse was usually unrhymed and consisted of ten syllables to a line, spoken with a stress on every second syllable. Its sentences tend to start, pause, and finish at the end of lines, with the risk of monotony

20. Name 4 actors from Shakepeare's original company.
Richard Burbage, William Kempe, Henry Condell and John Heminges.


21. What were the Wars of the Roses (1377-1485)?
The Wars of the Roses were a series of bloody dynastic civil wars between supporters of the rival houses of Lancaster and York, for the throne of England.


22. Why was this war called the Wars of the Roses?
It has its origins in the badges associated with the two royal houses, although the roses were occasionally used as symbols during the wars, most of the participants wore badges associated with their immediate feudal lords or protectors


23. What were the names of the 2 houses which fought in this war?
The White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster.


24. What prompted this civil war to begin?
The overthrow of King Richard II by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, in 1399. Richard II's government had been highly unpopular and Bolingbroke returned from exile, initially to reclaim his rights as Duke of Lancaster

25. How did the war end?
The war ended with the victory of the Lancastrian Henry Tudor, who founded the House of Tudor which subsequently ruled England and Wales for 116 years

26. Which Kings of England were participants in the Wars of the Roses?
The Yorkists: King Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, and Duke of York.The Lancastrians: King Henry VI, Duke Somerset, Henry VII, Margaret of Anjou, Duke of Buckingham, and Thomas Percy