Assignment 3 Shakespeare and early modern English Carlos Valenzuela Villarroel

1. Define and explain, The Great Vowel Shift.
The great vowel was the biggest change of the pronunciation of vowels in English language. It started between the 1200 and 1600.

2. Name 5 dialects of Modern English.
American, Australian, Caribbean, Canadian, and British

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?
America: Noe Webster
England: Samuel Johnson

4. How many countries in the world have given Modern English official status?
53 countries

5. The most recent statistics show that approximately how many people speak Modern English as a:
I. First language? Between 308 and 380 millions
II. Second Language? Betwwen 199 and 600 millions

6. When was Early Modern English spoken?
It was spoken since the great vowel shift, the latter half of the 15th century to 1650

7. How are the use of Pronouns different between Early Modern & Modern English?
Second singular personal pronoun you correspond to Modern English but the same pronoun in Middle english correspond to thou.
The object pronoun in Middle english correspond to thee but the same object pronoun in modern english correspond to you.

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

9. Name 4 worldwide uses for Modern English.
-Internet
-Bussines
-Education
-Entertainment

10. In your opinion, what was the greatest influence on the spread of Modern English around the world? Why?
United States has the most powerful economy of the planet so the rest of the world uses their currency and language to get in touch with them. In my opinion that is the main reason, if you want to compite worldwide you have to speak English and buy and sell in dolars.

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?
Sir Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, Edward de Vere

12. Briefly explain The Oxfordian Theory.
The case for Oxford's authorship is based on perceived similarities between Oxford's biography and events in Shakespeare's plays and sonnets; parallels of language, idiom, and thought between Oxford's letters and the Shakespearean canon; and underlined passages in Oxford's Bible that may correspond to quotations in Shakespeare's plays.

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

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?
The Blackfriars indoor theatre.

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,...


No matter the problem or the circumstance you can deal with it, you can defeat yor oponent, you can with your battle.




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

18. Which of Shakespeare's plays are included in The Wars of the Roses series?
-Henry VI
-Edward IV
-Edward V
-Richard III
-Henry VII

19. Shakespeare wrote most of his works in blank verse composed in iambic pentameter. What is blank verse & iambic pentameter?
-BLANK VERSE: is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme. In English, the meter most commonly used with blank verse has been iambic pentameter.
-IAMBIC PENTAMETER: one of many meters used in poetry and drama. It describes a particular rhythm that the words establish in each line.

20. Name 4 actors from Shakepeare's original company.
-Barbara Barrie (Sarah)
-Charles Braswell (Larry)
-George Coe (David)
-Steve Elmore (Paul)

21. What were the Wars of the Roses (1377-1485)?
They were power struggle between two kingdoms because both kings wanted the administration of England

22. Why was this war called the Wars of the Roses?
Because roses represented the two royal families. White roses YORK and Red roses LANCASTER

23. What were the names of the 2 houses which fought in this war?
YORK: White roses
LANCASTER: Red roses

24. What prompted this civil war to begin?
Both families wanted to rule England

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


26. Which Kings of England were participants in the Wars of the Roses?
-King Edward IV
-King Henry VI
-Richard III
-Edward V
-Henry VII