WHY ARE THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT?
Great Bible
English Renaissance
“For the English that was a time of national triumph. They were as proud of their words as they were of defying the Pope or Defeating the Spanish Armada.” Of course, it was also the age of Shakespeare and a time of discovery and invention too.
Book of Common Prayer
“It expresses the rites of passage in the English Church, from the cradle to the grave.”
Royal Shakespeare Company
“The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a British theatre company. Located primarily at Stratford-upon-Avon, with bases also in London and Newcastle upon Tyne, it is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly-funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal National Theatre.” (© http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Shakespeare_Company#A_21st_Century_renaissance)
MATCHING EXERCISE: PLACES
1. Stratford-on-Avon - D. Birthplace of Shakespeare.
2. Cambridge University - E. Translation of Authorised Version
3. Warwickshire - A. Country vocabulary
4. London - C. Where Shakespeare wrote his plays
5. Australia - B. Penny Downey
1. John Bois - B. The King James’ Version of the Bible
2. Sir John Guilgud - D. Shakespearean acting
3. John Barton - E. Shakespearean director
4. Sir Thomas More - F. Latin borrowings
5. Sir Frances Bacon - A. Greek Borrowings
6. Henry VIII - C. The Great Bible
MATCHING EXERCISE: DATES
1. 1558-1603 - F. Reign of Elizabeth I (house of Tudor)
2. 1603-1625 - C. Reign of James I (house of Stuart)
3. 1564 - D. Shakespeare born April 23 (?) in Stratford-on-Avon
4. 1611 - E. King James Bible published
5. 1616 - B. First Folio published
6. 1623 - A. Shakespeare dies April 23 of
FILL IN THE FOLLOWING VERSE: The Creation
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called night
QUESTIONS
MacNeil asserts that the First Folio of Shakespeare has influenced everyone who speaks English today. What does he mean?
“He (Shakespeare) had an inexhaustible passion for words, he has the largest vocabulary of any writer of English, approximately 34000 words, which is about double what an educated person uses today in their lifetime”. Because that, Shakespeare has influenced everyone who speaks English today.
2. Shakespeare's range of language is remarkable. List three types of language he uses in his plays as they are discussed in this program. What is the dictionary definition of each?
a. Nouns could became verbs: “he pageants us”. Pageant: “Pag'eant\, v. t. To exhibit in show; to represent; to mimic. [R.] "He pageants us." --Shak.” (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.) (© http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pageant).
b. Invention of new words: Incarnadine. Incarnadine In*car"na*dine\, v. t. To dye red or crimson. Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red. --Shak. (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.) (© http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/incarnadine). Incarnadine (v.) 1591 (adj.) "flesh-colored," from Fr. incarnadine, from It. incarnadino "flesh-color," from L.L. incarnatio (see incarnation). The verb properly would mean "to make flesh colored," but the modern meaning "make red," and the entire survival of the verb, is traceable to "Macbeth" II ii. (1605). (Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper) (© http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/incarnadine)
c. To use a word instead of others: “Ballow” meaning “cudgel”. Ballow Bal"low\, n. A cudgel. [Obs.] --Shak. (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.) (© http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ballow).
Shakespeare's plays and the King James Bible are masterpieces, but there is one fundamental linguistic difference between them. What is it?
The fundamental linguistic difference is that King James Bible is on the language of ordinary people “here at least was the word of God expressed in terms that everyone could understand”. According to the video, “where Shakespeare drew on his teeming vocabulary of 34000 words, the new translation achieved the majestic effects of its prose with barely 8000”.
Which version of the Bible does this quote belong to? “Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.”
It belongs to King James' Version