Summary of The History of English Podcast – Episode 175: The English of Romeo and Juliet

Release Date: March 25, 2024
Host: Kevin Stroud

Introduction: Exploring Romeo and Juliet's Linguistic Landscape

In Episode 175 of The History of English Podcast, host Kevin Stroud delves into the rich linguistic tapestry of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This episode not only examines the play's enduring popularity and its influence on modern adaptations but also uses it as a lens to explore various facets of Elizabethan English.

The Origins and Composition of Romeo and Juliet

Kevin begins by tracing the origins of Romeo and Juliet, acknowledging that while Shakespeare did not invent the story, he transformed Luigi da Porto's Giulietta e Romeo and Arthur Brooke's Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet into a masterpiece of poetic drama. He discusses the play's composition around 1595 or 1596, paralleling it with A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596) and highlighting scholarly consensus on their simultaneous creation following the reopening of London theaters post-plague.

Notable Quote:
[00:13:17] Sir John Gielgud:
"Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene..."

Linguistic Features: Original vs. Received Pronunciation

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the differences between Original Pronunciation (OP) and Received Pronunciation (RP). Kevin references a previous interview with Ben Crystal, whose expertise in OP—an attempt to reconstruct Elizabethan accents—provides deeper insights into how Romeo and Juliet would have sounded during Shakespeare's time.

Notable Quotes:
[17:18] Ben Crystal:
"If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark. Now, while she is an open arse and thou a popperin pear..."
[23:26] Ben Crystal:
"Shakespeare gifts Romeo and Juliet a sonnet to speak to each other when they first meet..."

These performances reveal rhymes and puns lost in modern pronunciations, emphasizing how OP can unearth the play's original poetic nuances.

The Evolution of English Pronunciation: The Case of 'ing' Endings

Kevin explores the historical pronunciation of words ending in -ing, explaining how the hard 'g' sound in words like "running" and "jumping" gradually disappeared from unstressed syllables during the late 1500s. This phonetic shift is evidenced in Shakespeare's works and is linked to broader changes in English pronunciation, including the Great Vowel Shift.

Notable Quote:
[22:39] Kevin Stroud:
"Mercutio's reference to the popperin pear was actually a slightly abbreviated form of poppering, a type of pear..."

Kevin further connects these historical pronunciations to modern American English dialects, highlighting how certain features of OP influenced contemporary language.

Iconic Scenes and Their Linguistic Significance

The episode analyzes key scenes from Romeo and Juliet, such as the famed balcony scene and the secret marriage facilitated by Friar Lawrence. Kevin dissects Shakespeare's use of poetic structures, notably how the lovers' initial exchange forms a sonnet—a deliberate choice to signify the profundity of their immediate connection.

Notable Quotes:
[21:41] Juliet:
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine..."
[22:10] Juliet:
"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer..."

These passages exemplify Shakespeare's mastery in conveying deep emotion through structured verse, enhancing the romantic and tragic dimensions of the narrative.

The Birth of Modern Terms and Expressions

Kevin highlights how Romeo and Juliet introduced or popularized various English terms and expressions. For instance, Mercutio's use of "wild goose chase" marks the first recorded instance of the term, originally referring to a specific type of horse race rather than the idiomatic meaning we associate today.

Notable Quote:
[29:57] Kevin Stroud:
"Mercutio's reference to the wild goose chase was in regard to the exchange of banter and the attempt by one to keep up with the other..."

Additionally, the episode traces the etymology of "whiskey" from the Latin aqua vitae, showcasing the interplay between language, culture, and social practices in Elizabethan England.

Vowel Shifts and Their Impact on Shakespeare's Rhymes

A detailed examination of vowel shifts reveals how pronunciations during Shakespeare's time allowed for rhyming pairs that no longer rhyme today. Kevin explains the transformation of the short 'a' and short 'o' sounds, illustrating how words like "grave" and "have" or "haste" and "fast" rhymed in the original pronunciation but diverge in modern English.

Notable Quotes:
[21:55] Kevin Stroud:
"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand."
[22:01] Kevin Stroud:
"For saints have hands, the pilgrim's hands to touch friend palm to palm is holy palmers kiss."

These linguistic nuances underscore the evolution of English and how historical pronunciations influenced literary techniques.

Culmination: Tragic Outcomes and Linguistic Legacy

The episode concludes by summarizing the tragic trajectory of Romeo and Juliet, emphasizing how their deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. Kevin reflects on the play's classification as a tragedy and its departure from traditional tragic heroes, attributing the downfall to circumstantial forces and linguistic prowess instead.

Notable Quote:
[48:38] Kevin Stroud:
"So whether they live or survive the play, how did you both meet?..."

Conclusion and Teaser for Next Episode

Kevin wraps up by previewing the next episode, which will transition to the 1600s and explore the first permanent English settlements in the New World. He promises to examine how these settlements contributed to the emergence of distinct American English features and the influence of playhouses on the language during this transformative period.

Notable Quote:
"Next time, we'll continue our look at the 1500s and we'll make the transition to a new century, a century that brought the first permanent English settlements in the New World..."

This episode of The History of English Podcast offers a comprehensive exploration of Romeo and Juliet through the lens of linguistic evolution, highlighting the profound ways in which language and literature intertwine to shape cultural heritage.