Insults by Shakespeare - April Gudenrath
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0:15 - 0:17Why do we cringe
when we hear "Shakespeare?" -
0:17 - 0:20If you ask me, it's usually
because of his words. -
0:20 - 0:23All those thines and thous and therefores
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0:23 - 0:27and wherefore-art-thous
can be more than a little annoying. -
0:27 - 0:30But you have to wonder,
why is he so popular? -
0:30 - 0:35Why have his plays been made and remade
more than any other playwright? -
0:35 - 0:37It's because of his words.
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0:38 - 0:41Back in the late 1500s and early 1600s,
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0:41 - 0:44that was the best tool that a person had,
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0:44 - 0:46and there was a lot to talk about.
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0:46 - 0:49However, most of it was pretty depressing.
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0:49 - 0:51You know, with the Black Plague and all.
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0:52 - 0:55Shakespeare does use a lot of words.
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0:55 - 0:59One of his most impressive accomplishments
is his use of insults. -
0:59 - 1:02They would unify the entire audience;
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1:02 - 1:06and no matter where you sat, you could
laugh at what was going on onstage. -
1:06 - 1:10Words, specifically dialogue
in a drama setting, -
1:10 - 1:12are used for many different reasons:
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1:12 - 1:14to set the mood of the scene,
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1:14 - 1:17to give some more atmosphere
to the setting, -
1:17 - 1:20and to develop relationships
between characters. -
1:21 - 1:25Insults do this
in a very short and sharp way. -
1:26 - 1:28Let's first go to "Hamlet."
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1:28 - 1:29Right before this dialogue,
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1:29 - 1:34Polonius is the father of Ophelia,
who is in love with Prince Hamlet. -
1:35 - 1:40King Claudius is trying to figure out
why Prince Hamlet is acting so crazy -
1:40 - 1:42since the king married
Prince Hamlet's mother. -
1:42 - 1:48Polonius offers to use his daughter
to get information from Prince Hamlet. -
1:48 - 1:51Then we go into Act II Scene 2.
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1:51 - 1:54Polonius: "Do you know me, my lord?"
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1:54 - 1:58Hamlet: "Excellent well.
You're a fishmonger." -
1:58 - 2:01Polonius: "Not I, my lord."
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2:01 - 2:04Hamlet: "Then I would you
were so honest a man." -
2:05 - 2:08Now, even if you did not know
what "fishmonger" meant, -
2:08 - 2:11you can use some contextual clues.
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2:11 - 2:16One: Polonius reacted
in a negative way, so it must be bad. -
2:16 - 2:19Two: Fish smell bad, so it must be bad.
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2:19 - 2:24And three: "monger"
just doesn't sound like a good word. -
2:24 - 2:26So from not even knowing the meaning,
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2:26 - 2:29you're beginning to construct
some characterization -
2:29 - 2:32of the relationship
between Hamlet and Polonius, -
2:32 - 2:34which was not good.
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2:34 - 2:38But if you dig some more, "fishmonger"
means a broker of some type, -
2:39 - 2:42and in this setting,
would mean like a pimp, -
2:42 - 2:46like Polonius is brokering out
his daughter for money, -
2:46 - 2:48which he is doing for the king's favor.
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2:49 - 2:53This allows you to see that Hamlet
is not as crazy as he's claiming to be, -
2:53 - 2:57and intensifies the animosity
between these two characters. -
2:57 - 2:59Want another example?
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2:59 - 3:04"Romeo and Juliet" has some of the best
insults of any of Shakespeare's plays. -
3:04 - 3:06It's a play about two gangs,
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3:06 - 3:09and the star-crossed lovers
that take their own lives. -
3:09 - 3:11Well, with any fisticuffs
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3:11 - 3:14you know that there is
some serious smack talk going on. -
3:14 - 3:16And you are not disappointed.
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3:16 - 3:18In Act I Scene 1, right from the get-go
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3:18 - 3:21we are shown the level
of distrust and hatred -
3:21 - 3:26the members of the two families,
the Capulets and Montagues, meet. -
3:26 - 3:31Gregory: "I will frown as I pass by,
and let them take it as they list." -
3:31 - 3:35Sampson: "Nay, as they dare,
I will bite my thumb at them, -
3:35 - 3:39which is a disgrace
to them, if they bear it." -
3:39 - 3:41Enter Abraham and Balthasar.
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3:41 - 3:45Abraham: "Do you bite
your thumb at us, sir?" -
3:45 - 3:48Sampson: "I do bite my thumb, sir."
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3:48 - 3:51Abraham: "Do you bite
your thumb at us, sir?" -
3:51 - 3:56Okay, so how does this development
help us understand mood or character? -
3:56 - 3:58Well, let's break it down to the insult.
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3:59 - 4:02Biting your thumb today
may not seem like a big deal, -
4:02 - 4:04but Sampson says it is an insult to them.
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4:05 - 4:07If they take it so, it must have been one.
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4:08 - 4:10This begins to show us
the level of animosity -
4:10 - 4:13between even the men
who work for the two Houses. -
4:14 - 4:16And you normally would not do
anything to someone -
4:16 - 4:19unless you wanted
to provoke them into a fight, -
4:19 - 4:21which is exactly what's about to happen.
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4:22 - 4:26Looking deeper, biting your thumb
in the time in which the play was written -
4:26 - 4:28is like giving someone the finger today.
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4:29 - 4:31A pretty strong feeling comes with that,
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4:31 - 4:34so we now are beginning to feel
the tension in the scene. -
4:34 - 4:37Later on in the scene, Tybalt,
from the House of the Capulets, -
4:37 - 4:41lays a good one on Benvolio
from the House of the Montagues. -
4:41 - 4:47Tybalt: "What, art thou drawn
among these heartless hinds? -
4:47 - 4:50Turn thee, Benvolio,
and look upon thy death." -
4:50 - 4:54Benvolio: "I do but keep the peace;
put up thy sword, -
4:54 - 4:57or manage it to part these men with me."
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4:57 - 5:00Tybalt: "What, drawn and talk of peace!
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5:00 - 5:05I hate the word, as I hate hell,
all Montagues, and thee. -
5:05 - 5:06Have at thee, coward!"
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5:08 - 5:10Okay, heartless hinds.
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5:10 - 5:14We know that once again,
it's not a good thing. -
5:14 - 5:18Both families hate each other,
and this is just adding fuel to the fire. -
5:19 - 5:21But just how bad is this stinger?
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5:21 - 5:22A heartless hind is a coward,
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5:22 - 5:27and calling someone that in front
of his own men, and the rival family, -
5:27 - 5:29means there's going to be a fight.
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5:29 - 5:31Tybalt basically calls out Benvolio,
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5:31 - 5:35and in order to keep his honor,
Benvolio has to fight. -
5:35 - 5:37This dialogue gives us a good look
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5:37 - 5:40at the characterization
between these two characters. -
5:40 - 5:43Tybalt thinks that the Montagues
are nothing but cowardly dogs, -
5:43 - 5:45and has no respect for them.
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5:45 - 5:49Once again, adding dramatic
tension to the scene. -
5:49 - 5:51Okay, now here's a spoiler alert.
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5:51 - 5:54Tybalt's hotheadedness
and severe hatred of the Montagues -
5:54 - 5:58is what we literature people
call his hamartia, -
5:58 - 6:00or what causes his downfall.
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6:01 - 6:02Oh, yes.
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6:02 - 6:04He goes down at the hands of Romeo.
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6:05 - 6:10So when you're looking at Shakespeare,
stop and look at the words, -
6:10 - 6:12because they really are trying
to tell you something.
- Title:
- Insults by Shakespeare - April Gudenrath
- Speaker:
- April Gudenrath
- Description:
-
"You're a fishmonger!" By taking a closer look at Shakespeare's words--specifically his insults--we see why he is known as a master playwright whose works transcend time and appeal to audiences all over the world.
Lesson by April Gudenrath, narration by Juliet Blake, animation by TED-Ed.
View the full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/insults-by-shakespeare
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 06:24
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Insults by Shakespeare | ||
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for Insults by Shakespeare | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Insults by Shakespeare | ||
Bedirhan Cinar approved English subtitles for Insults by Shakespeare | ||
Bedirhan Cinar accepted English subtitles for Insults by Shakespeare | ||
Bedirhan Cinar edited English subtitles for Insults by Shakespeare | ||
Bedirhan Cinar added a translation |
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 2/13/2015.