Shakespeare for Beginners: Sentence Wrestling—Unpacking Word Order and Logic

Why Shakespeare’s Sentences Feel Like Wrestling

Many Shakespeare lines are not “hard” because of rare vocabulary; they feel hard because the word order and logic don’t arrive in the order modern English expects. Shakespeare often delays the subject, flips normal order, inserts interruptions, and stacks clauses like train cars. Your job is not to admire the knot—you untie it.

The Four Common Syntax Knots

• Inversion: the usual order is flipped. Modern: “I never saw…” Shakespearean: “Never saw I…”
• Delayed subject: the sentence starts with extra material before you learn who is doing the action. You may get the verb before the subject, or a long lead-in before the subject appears.
• Parenthetical interruption: an aside is dropped into the middle (often between subject and verb), usually set off by commas or dashes in modern editions.
• Chained clauses: multiple “because/if/when/that/which” units are linked, so you must track which clause depends on which.

The Sentence-Wrestling Method (Repeatable Steps)

Use this method every time a line feels slippery. Do it on paper if possible.

Step 1: Locate the Main Verb (the engine)

Find the verb that carries the main action of the sentence (not a verb inside a side clause). Ask: “What is the sentence doing?” Common main verbs in Shakespeare include is, are, was, were, have, do, will, shall, must, can, cannot, know, think, see, give, make, speak.

Tip: If you see many verbs, circle them all first, then decide which one could stand alone as the sentence’s core.

Step 2: Find the Subject (who/what does the verb)

Once you have the main verb, ask “Who/what [main verb]?” The answer is the subject—even if it appears later than you expect.

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Step 3: Bracket Interruptions (lift out the asides)

Put parentheses around anything that interrupts the core “subject + verb” relationship. These interruptions often begin with which, who, though, as, being, with, in or appear as appositive phrases (extra naming information).

Example marking: The king (though weary from the road) commands…

Step 4: Translate Each Clause into Modern Order

Work clause by clause. For each clause, rewrite it as: Subject → Verb → Object/Complement. Keep the meaning, not the original word order.

Helpful mini-questions:

• What is the clause’s subject?
• What is its verb?
• What does the verb act on (object), or what does it describe (complement)?

Step 5: Recombine into a Clean Paraphrase

Now stitch your modern-order clauses back together. Aim for one clear sentence (or two, if Shakespeare packed in too much). Keep key relationships: cause/effect, contrast, condition, time.

Worked Examples (From Simple to Knotty)

Example A: Inversion

Original-style line: Never saw I such a storm.

Step 1 (main verb): saw

Step 2 (subject): I

Step 4 (modern order): I never saw such a storm.

Clean paraphrase: I have never seen a storm like this.

Example B: Delayed Subject

Original-style line: To every man upon this earth belongs a private grief.

Step 1 (main verb): belongs

Step 2 (subject): a private grief

Bracket lead-in (not interruption, but fronted phrase): To every man upon this earth

Modern order: A private grief belongs to every man on this earth.

Clean paraphrase: Everyone has some private sorrow.

Example C: Parenthetical Interruption

Original-style line: My brother, as you know, keeps watch tonight.

Main verb: keeps

Subject: My brother

Bracket interruption: (as you know)

Modern order: My brother keeps watch tonight. + aside: you already know this.

Clean paraphrase: My brother is on guard tonight, as you know.

Example D: Chained Clauses (the “train cars” problem)

Original-style sentence: If you deny what you promised when you swore before these witnesses, then you undo the trust that holds our peace together.

Step 1 (main verb): undo

Step 2 (subject): you

Step 3 (bracket interruptions/embedded clauses): If you deny [what you promised [when you swore before these witnesses]], then you undo the trust [that holds our peace together].

Step 4 (modern order, clause by clause):

• Main clause: You undo the trust.
• Relative clause: The trust holds our peace together.
• Conditional clause: If you deny what you promised when you swore before these witnesses…

Step 5 (clean paraphrase): If you take back your sworn promise in front of these witnesses, you destroy the trust that keeps our peace.

Practice Drills: From Short to Long

Do these with the five-step method. Write your work: circle the main verb, underline the subject, bracket interruptions, then rewrite.

Drill 1: Quick Inversions (one move)

• Rarely have we met in joy.
• So fierce was his reply.
• Here comes my friend.

Drill 2: Delayed Subjects (find “who” late)

• Into this house came a stranger at dusk.
• To your request answers my silence.
• From such small seeds grows great trouble.

Drill 3: Parentheses and Asides (lift them out)

• The plan, though risky, may save us.
• Your promise, I remember, was freely given.
• He, being young, mistakes noise for strength.

Drill 4: Two-Clause Chains (track dependence)

• Because you spoke too soon, you lost what you sought.
• When the judge arrives, we will present the proof.
• I fear that he believes what he was told.

Drill 5: Longer Chains (three or more links)

• If you value your honor, and if you remember what you owed my father, then hear me before you decide.
• Though she denies it, I know that she regrets what she said when she was angry.
• Because the crowd, which loves novelty, grows restless when it waits, we must act quickly.

Logic Cues: How to Follow the Argument in Speeches

Long speeches are often built like arguments. Shakespeare signals the structure with connectives and conditional frames. Your goal is to label the moves: claim, reason, evidence, objection, result.

Connectives That Reveal the Turn

Conditional Statements: The “If–Then” Skeleton

Conditionals are common in persuasion and threats. They can be straightforward or split apart.

• Clear form: If X, then Y.
• Split form: If X… (long interruption)… Y.
• Inverted form: Had you done X, Y would have followed. (means “If you had done X…”)

Technique: Draw a simple two-column note while reading:

IF (condition): ____________________
THEN (result): ____________________

Fill it in even if you must skip decorative phrases at first. Then go back and add detail.

Tracking Argument Structure: A Simple Labeling System

When a speech runs long, label each sentence (or clause) in the margin with one of these tags:

• C = Claim (what the speaker wants you to accept)
• R = Reason (why the claim is true)
• E = Evidence/Example (a fact, image, or illustration)
• O = Objection (what someone might say against it)
• A = Answer (reply to the objection)
• Q = Consequence (what will happen next; often signaled by “therefore/so”)

Mini-practice (label it):

I ask for patience, for haste makes errors; but if you will not wait, then do not blame me when the plan breaks.

• Find the main claim.
• Circle the reason introduced by for.
• Mark the pivot after but.
• Fill the IF/THEN frame for the conditional threat.

A One-Page Workflow You Can Reuse

When you meet a difficult sentence, do this in order:

1. Circle verbs → choose the main verb.
2. Underline the subject that matches that verb.
3. Bracket interruptions and embedded clauses.
4. Rewrite each clause in modern order (S–V–O).
5. Reconnect with logic cues (contrast, cause, result, condition).

Keep your paraphrase plain. You are not translating into fancy modern English; you are restoring the sentence’s skeleton so the meaning can stand up.