his-quietus-make:percyhotspur:gentleherald:likeniobe:themaskedphoenix:exeunt-pursued-by-a-bear:dark-
his-quietus-make:percyhotspur:gentleherald:likeniobe:themaskedphoenix:exeunt-pursued-by-a-bear:dark-haired-hamlet:likeniobe:this is what I meanI never thought about how Horatio switches to “thee” only because Hamlet is no longer there with him (he has just died). And now my heart is breaking.@grizzlythresher this is what I was talking about the other day!Wait please explainin this post I was just highlighting how some characters use “you” when directly addressing someone they care about but shift to “thee” when addressing that person in absence – the significance is that “you” is the more formal, distant pronoun whereas “thee” is warmer and more intimate, the implication being that the characters either don’t or can’t voice their full affection for the otherThese are the three times in Henry V that Montjoy addresses the king; he uses thee every time! According to this dreamwidth post https://ship-manifesto.dreamwidth.org/245400.html, he’s the only character that gets away with that familiarity towards Henry. @percyhotspur @hhades @leeks-is-goodShakespeare totally shipped them.*spits out drink* What I don’t understand because I am a dumb non-shakespearean is why characters will switch between you/thee in a scene, like in their first scene together Hotspur and Kate use both with each other. Kate first says “Oh my good lord, why are YOU thus alone?” but then there’s the more affectionate “In THY faint slumbers I by THEE have watched.” I know the basic rules for when you use each (same as with du/Sie) but not why characters will switch around that way.The thou/you switch mid convo usually demonstrates changes in the general mood or attempts to persuade/manipulate the other - thou is the good cop/flirting/teasing side, you is the bad cop/cold shoulder/passive aggressive side.And Montjoy probably uses thee because his job is to repeatedly troll Harry. The French have no respect for the King, so they ‘thou’ him sarcastically to imply that they are on equal or better status than he is. Harry actually uses ‘you’ to him at one point (3.6), and his general approach is one of respectful acknowledgement that they are all soldiers on equal footing, even when he’s threatening him: If we may pass, we will; if we be hinder’d, We shall your tawny ground with your red blood Discolour: and so Montjoy, fare you well. The sum of all our answer is but this:We would not seek a battle, as we are; Nor, as we are, we say we will not shun it: So tell your master.The last time they speak you’d think Montjoy would revert to ‘you’, as he’s on the losing side, but his continued ‘thou’ing might well still be a sign of defiant pride (I’ve seen performances where even at the end Montjoy still gives no fucks about decorum) - or perhaps wartime messengers were awarded extra status considering their freedom to move within enemy camps untouched and the thous are justified. Or perhaps it’s a genuine sign of level grounding when the battle’s lost and won, when everyone’s bloodsoaked and muddy. -- source link
#shakespeare