Shakespeare in Original Pronunciation

Background Shakespeare's lifetime was a time of great linguistic change for the English language. Early Modern English, the English of Shakespeare's day, was undergoing the Great Vowel Shift, which changed the pronunciation of all of English's long vowels as well as some other vowels. Crystal is concerned that audiences hearing Shakespeare in modern-day pronunciation often miss noticing rhymes and puns that worked well in Early Modern English. On the other hand, Laura Lodewyck, Assistant Professor of Theatre at North Central College, comments that "there are limits to the OP enterprise. Some texts, for instance, may be better suited to OP performance than others". History of productions In 2004, Shakespeare's Globe, in London, produced three performances of Romeo and Juliet in original pronunciation. Spearheaded by linguist David Crystal and play director, Tim Carroll, this was the beginning of contemporary interest in Shakespeare in original pronunciation. In 2005, the Globe went on to produce six performances of Troilus and Cressida in original pronunciation. ==Pronunciation examples==

Puns An example of a Shakespearean pun that no longer works in Modern English comes from the prologue of Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, lines 5-6: From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life In Modern English, the word "lines" does not carry the possible double meaning of the Early Modern English, in which some dialects pronounced lines and loins the same, as something like . Rhymes An example of a Shakespearean rhyme that no longer works in Modern English comes from ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', Act 3, Scene II, lines 104-106: Flower of this purple dye, Hit with Cupid's archery, Sink in apple of his eye. In Modern English pronunciation, the rhyme does not work in all lines, but in Original Pronunciation, all three lines rhyme, ending with . ==Reactions==

Laura Lodewyck in her paper However, as Lodewyck also notes, as a leading expert in that area of study, Crystal has reasons to be biased toward such productions. Ben Crystal, a Shakespearean actor and son of David Crystal, comments on the way Shakespeare in original pronunciation affects his body and vocal register: Although the beginning of the Globe's foray into Original Pronunciation showed that older actors had more difficulty in embracing it, successful performances eventually occurred. ==References==