Shakespearean and Modern English

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the Shakespearean works dominate the final decades of the Renaissance not only literally but also linguistically. In particular, it looks closer at the linguistic nature of Act 2 Scene 2 from "Romeo and Juliet" (written between 1597 - 1599) as a variety of English. It shows how language variety is an important concept in sociolinguistics and looks at different languages which differ systematically.

From the Paper:

"During Shakespeare's (1564 - 1616) years, England was a place of growth and change under the rule of Queen Elizabeth. Shakespeare was a man of the stage, working for the theatre company 'Lord Strange's Men' (page ix), which was the most popular company in London. He also worked at Queen Elizabeth's court during this time. His plays were written to be performed and to give an audience what they wanted: entertainment. Shakespeare drew his inspiration from a society which was in love with life and with man, and Romeo and Juliet was his first tragedy."

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