Teaching Shakespeare's Sonnets
- Teachers select several Shakespearean sonnets and guide students through a close reading of them. It may be helpful to do an oral reading of a poem before requiring students to answer questions. Sample study questions are offered.
- To be able to understand a poem and its multiple layers of meaning, it is imperative that the readers be familiar with all its words. Encourage your students to read poetry with a collegiate dictionary at hand. Another suggestion is to review the old fashioned diction prevalent in in Shakespeare's time.
A short list is provided here:
thou--you (formal)
thou'st--thou shall
thee--you (when used as an object)
thine--yours
thy--your
art--are
hath--has
ere--before
wherefore--why
whither--where
thither--there
whence--where
anon--soon
beseech--beg, ask
hie---hurry
humour---mood
haply---perhaps
conceit---an idea
fancy---fantasy (imagination)
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