20 Interesting History Facts About London To Tell Your Friends We’re lucky to have our accommodation in the city of London as it boasts a wealth of culture and history. This is why it is such a heavily visited city, with over 17 million people flocking to London in 2014 alone, according to the BBC. If you’d like to learn a little more about the big smoke, we’ve delved deep into the history of our capital. Related: 6 Historic Sites To Visit In London If You’re A History Student 1. First on our list of facts about London is the cultural diversity. 2. Big Ben is arguably London’s most famous landmark. 3. Despite popular belief, it isn’t illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. ‘The issue of dying in Parliament appears to arise from the idea that anyone who dies in a Royal Palace is eligible for a state funeral. Arrange a visit to the Houses of Parliament here. 4. The identity of Jack the Ripper, London’s most notorious serial killer, has never been discovered. 5. 6. Arrange a visit to the Tower of London here. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
A Trip to London The Language of Shakespeare Language Links | Home The most striking feature of Shakespeare is his command of language. It is all the more astounding when one not only considers Shakespeare's sparse formal education but the curriculum of the day. There were no dictionaries; the first such lexical work for speakers of English was compiled by schoolmaster Robert Cawdrey as A Table Alphabeticall in 1604. Although certain grammatical treatises were published in Shakespeare's day, organized grammar texts would not appear until the 1700s. Shakespeare as a youth would have no more systematically studied his own language than any educated man of the period. Despite this, Shakespeare is credited by the Oxford English Dictionary with the introduction of nearly 3,000 words into the language. Shakespeare's English, in spite of the calamitous cries of high school students everywhere, is only one linguistic generation removed from that which we speak today. Language Links A Quick Guide to Reading Shakespeare Shakespeare's Grammar
LONDON- padlet Trouble viewing this page? Go to our diagnostics page to see what's wrong. Shakespeare's skull probably stolen by grave robbers, study finds | Culture A story often dismissed as wild fiction, that 18th-century grave robbers stole Shakespeare’s skull, appears to be true, archaeologists have said. The first archaeological investigation of Shakespeare’s grave at Holy Trinity church in Stratford-on-Avon has been carried out for a documentary to be broadcast by Channel 4 on Saturday. The most striking conclusion is that Shakespeare’s head appears to be missing and that the skull was probably stolen from what is a shallow grave by trophy hunters. Kevin Colls, the archaeologist who led the team, said the grave was not as they had expected. “We came across this very odd, strange thing at the head end. There is also “a very strange brick structure” that cuts across the head end of the grave, he said. All of that gives credence, Colls said, to a story published in the Argosy magazine in 1879 that Shakespeare’s skull was stolen from Holy Trinity in 1794. “Grave-robbing was a big thing in the 17th and 18th century,” said Colls.
Shakespeare's grave could be missing his skull, according to radar survey It may read 'cursed be he that moves my bones' on William Shakespeare's tombstone. But experts have concluded that it is possible the Bard's skull was stolen by trophy hunters over 200 years ago. Archaeologists using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) were able to look beneath the surface of what is widely thought to be the writer's grave - but they discovered 'an odd disturbance at the head end'. Kevin Colls, who led the study at the site in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, said the discovery chimes with the story that the skull was stolen in 1794. Scroll down for video An underground survey of the playwright's final resting place has led experts to conclude that the Bard's grave may be missing his skull. Skulduggery at play? A worn tombstone (pictured) inside the church marks the place where Shakespeare is thought to rest, bearing the inscription: 'Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. 'Even now, thinking of the findings sends shivers down my spine.'
Shakespeare grave scan shows playwright's skull was 'probably' stolen, archaeologists say A team of archaeologists has claimed that William Shakespeare's skull was "probably" stolen from its final resting place in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, England. The conclusion brings new credence to a long-discredited claim that the skull was stolen from the playwright's grave by trophy hunters in 1794. "We came across this very odd, strange thing at the head end," lead archaeologist Kevin Colls, of Staffordshire University, told The Guardian. Shakespeare's grave famously bears the poetic admonition, "Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear, / To dig the dust enclosed here. / Blessed be the man that spares these stones, / And cursed be he that moves my bones." Holy Trinity Church vicar Patrick Taylor told Sky News he is not so sure about the grave robbery theory. "We now know much more about how Shakespeare was buried," Taylor said. "We shall have to live with the mystery of not knowing fully what lies beneath the stone." Click for more from The Guardian. Click for more from Sky News.
Discover Stratford - The Official Tourism Website for Stratford-on-Avon Are Shakespeare's works written in Old English? Are Shakespeare's works written in Old English? Shakespeare's complex sentence structures and use of now obsolete words lead many students to think they are reading Old or Middle English. In fact, Shakespeare's works are written in Early Modern English. Once you see a text of Old or Middle English you'll really appreciate how easy Shakespeare is to understand (well, relatively speaking). Take, for example, this passage from the most famous of all Old English works, Beowulf: Hwät! Old English was spoken and written in Britain from the 5th century to the middle of the 11th century and is really closer to the Germanic mother tongue of the Anglo-Saxons. With the arrival of the French-speaking Normans in 1066, Old English underwent dramatic changes and by 1350 it had evolved into Middle English. Ye seken lond and see for your wynnynges, As wise folk ye knowen all th'estaat Of regnes; ye been fadres of tydynges And tales, bothe of pees and of debaat. More Resources Hefner, Polanksi and Macbeth
Prologue of Romeo and Juliet: Translation in Modern English - Video & Lesson Transcript The Prologue: Romeo And Juliet Let's take a look at this play's prologue. Shakespeare's original language is famous and beautiful. However, the English we use today is a little different than the English Shakespeare used back in the 1590s while writing Romeo and Juliet. We'll compare the original version of the prologue with a more modern English version of the prologue. Before we continue, I'll give you a minute to scan through the two versions of the text. Shakespearean vs Modern English You can see that the modern English version of the prologue conveys the same information as the original version, but the sentence structure is more direct and the word choice is simpler. A sonnet is a 14-line poem that has an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme. The Shakespearean English version of the prologue has a stronger and more consistent rhythm because it rhymes and is in meter. Setting the Stage Let's go over some of the information that this prologue provides: Lesson Summary
Shakespeare Fun & Games Welcome to the Fun and Games area of Will’s World, hosted by our very own Puck – the mischievous star of A Midsummer Night’s Dream! Here, you’ll find lots of fun resources to help you liven up your lessons and get students excited about Shakespeare in 2016! Ideal for warm-ups or end of class fun. Enjoy! Learn some fascinating facts and idioms with this special Shakespeare infographic from the Macmillan Readers! Celebratory Infographic If you’re after a fun and general introduction to Shakespeare, look no further than this infographic! It features some fascinating facts and an Idioms Quiz to get students thinking and talking about the enduring, everyday relevance of Shakespeare’s language and plays. Celebrate Shakespeare Infographic Shakespeare’s Characters Infographics To accompany each of our brand-new Shakespeare for Life lesson series, we’ll be publishing a fun infographic presenting social media-style profiles of each of the key characters from each play. Romeo & Juliet infographic Quizzes