Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Shakespeare Speeches
Shakespeare Speeches
Shakespeare Speeches
Context: Antony, who played a pivotal role in helping Caesar secure his position as Roman Empire (thus transforming Rome into an
autocracy), has been allowed by Brutus and the other conspirators to make a funeral oration for Caesar on condition that he not
blame them for Caesar's death. However, while Antony's speech outwardly begins by justifying the actions of Brutus and the
assassins ("I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him"), Antony uses rhetoric and genuine reminders to ultimately portray Caesar in
such a positive light that the crowd are enraged against the conspirators.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X9C55TkUP8
interred (4): place a corpse in a grave grievous (7): totally bad, usually so “hath Caesar answer’d it” (8): paid the
or tomb with funeral rites; here, faulted as to cause death penalty. 60 Roman senators participated in
Shakes appears to be using it his assassination, stabbing him 23 times
synonymously with buried or placed (CSI Rome).
under leave (9): with permission “captives home to Rome” (16): i.e., he “Whose ransoms did the general coffers
captured important people from other fill” (17): . . . held them for ransom.
countries and --> Enemies of Rome would be these ransoms
to get these important people back.
Lupercal (23): Lupercalia was some “presented him a kingly crown” (24): he (27): i.e., Brutus
kind of Roman holiday. It was later Caesar was actually elected dictator on a
known as Februa. Guess what month few separate occasions. His last
it was traditionally held in . . . appointment was dictator for life. He
never, however, accepted a position as
emperor.
Context: Macbeth is sort of a jerk. He’s spent the entire play plotting against people, killing kings and a whole bunch of other people.
You know, politics as usual. In this soliloquy toward the end of the play, Macbeth is preparing his army for a battle against Macduff
whose all mad and junk because Macbeth is tyrannically ruling Scotland through fear and murder. Oh. And Macbeth has just
learned that his wife, Lady Macbeth, has just killed herself. In this speech, then, Macbeth reflects on the meaninglessness and brevity
of life. Fun guy.
1.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
2.
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
3.
To the last syllable of recorded time;
4.
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
5.
5 The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
6.
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
7.
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
8.
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
9.
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
10.
10 Signifying nothing.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZnaXDRwu84&t=4s
3. That’s a nice specific verb choice to begin line 2. What happens if I change creeps to moves?
4. “And all our yesterdays have lighted fools / The way to dusty death” (4-5). In what way has our past (“all our yesterdays”) guided
us? Why does it make use “fools” for having followed our past? What ultimately awaits us?
Context: Romeo is sort of emo-y. He starts off the play totally in “love” with this girl named Rosaline. So he’s moping around,
hanging out with his friends, and they’re all like, Let’s go to this party. So they do and Romeo sees this other girl there. Her name is
Margaret. And he totally loves her. Wait. Her name is Juliet. Sorry.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH9ZK7vSBYY&disable_polymer=true
Ethiope’s ear (3): i.e., a person from “Beauty too rich . . . earth too dear” (4): trooping (5): flocking
Ethiopia who would, presumably, have Too precious for this world; too valuable
dark skin to die and be buried in earth
measure (7): dance
1. What is Romeo’s attitude toward Margaret Juliet? Identify all rhetorical strategies Romeo uses to convey this view.
2. What would you say Shakespeare’s style is here? Why is that style appropriate for this speech?
Context: I quite literally have no idea. I don’t think I’ve ever read this play. I know, because I read Spark Notes, that Jacques, the
character who speaks these lines, is a melancholy lord. In this speech, he tells us that there are seven acts or seven stages of life.
Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfECXVeCHJ8
Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLk4rXC8YoQ
mewling (6): crying “Sighing like furnace” (10): emitting sighs as a “bearded like the pard” (13): Leopard.
furnace emits smoke The soldier’s bristling, hipster mustache is
puking (6): the baby pukes; yes, being compared to the leopard’s whiskers.
they had the word puke in the Meow.
1600s
“Jealous in honour” (14): Vigilant capon (16): A cock that has been castrated severe (17): intense
in matters of honor and fattened as a delicacy. Traditionally, this
delicacy was used to bribe magistrates.
Complete the chart for the seven stages of life. In your paraphrase, be sure to explain the signifiance of the diction choice Jacques
uses to characterize that stage (if there is one—not too much to say about infant or school-boy, is there?).
school-boy (7)
lover (9)
soldier (11)
justice (15)
slipper’d pantaloon
(20)
oblivion (27)
All the world is Hollandaise sauce and we are merely a poached egg.
All the world is a badly photo shopped meme and we are merely photo shoppers.
Context: Hamlet is like the prince of Denmark. His father was murdered by his uncle, and then his uncle married Hamlet’s mother, so
now his uncle, Claudius, is king and also Hamlet’s father-in-law. Hamlet knows that Claudius murdered his father because his father’s
ghost showed up and told him so. So Hamlet’s kind of depressed. He’s also having problems with his girlfriend Ophelia because of
course he is. (He’ll later accidentally kill Ophelia’s dad. Whoops!) In this speech (which isn’t technically a soliloquy because Ophelia
is on stage pretending to read a book and Claudius and Ophelia’s dad, Polonius, are spying on Hamlet), Hamlet is having a bit of a
dilemma. And, actually, analysis of this speech is a bit of a dilemma, too. Is Hamlet wondering whether or not he should kill Claudius
or himself? At the very least Hamlet, who hasn’t done much during the entire play, is debating whether or not he should now act.
What the action should be, however, is difficult to understand. For me? I think it makes most sense that he is debating whether or
not to kill Claudius knowing that, if he does so, he could potentially be killed or executed and damned as a result.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjuZq-8PUw0
slings (3): as in slingshots consummation (8): the perchance (10): by some chance; “there’s the rub” (10): In
point at which something perhaps some 17th century bowling
is complete or finalized game, the rub is the obstacle.
It was the impediment you
had to work around if you
wanted to win the game.
shuffled (12): cast respect (13): “That makes . . . long life” (14): contumely (16): scornful
consideration Makes adversity so long-lived (as abuse
coil (12): turmoil; flesh opposed to quickly ended in suicide)
dispriz’d (17): unvalued office (18): bureaucrats “That patient . . . takes” (19): That “When he . . . make” (20): A
the deserving has to accept patiently paid off account (i.e., a repaid
spurns (18): kicks, insults from the unworthy debt) was marked “Quietus
est” (“laid to rest”)
bare bodkin (21): mere bourn (24): border conscience (28): Meaning here both native hue (29): ruddy
dagger consciousness (introspective compelxion—a sign of good
knowledge) and moral conscience health
fardels (21): burdens
pale cast (30): tint. “pith and moment” (31): regard (32): consideration
Here’s the thing: a Of profundity and
greenish or yellowish (or importance
pale) tint was considered
a sign of bad health
(among other things).
PROMPT: Analyze the rhetorical strategies Hamlet uses to convey his views on mortality.