Chapter 11 of Shakespearean Tragedy is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Shakespearean Tragedy is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief. He twice speaks of the gods in another manner (I. i. 185, III. vi. 5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i. 144).]
Chapter 11 of Shakespearean Tragedy is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
(Greek mythology) Greek god of light; god of prophecy and poetry and music and healing; son of Zeus and Leto; twin brother of Artemis
From this reading “[Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.”
doubt about the truth of something
From this reading “[Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.”
a printed note placed below the text on a printed page
From this reading “[Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.”
possessive form of “kent” — a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans
From this reading “[Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.”
British artist and writer of nonsense verse (1812-1888)
From this reading “5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.”
plural of “prayer” — the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading “5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.”
a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
From this reading “[Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “He twice speaks of the gods in another manner (I. i.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 144).]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 185, III. vi.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading 5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He twice speaks of the gods in another manner (I. i.
(Greek mythology) Greek god of light; god of prophecy and poetry and music and healing; son of Zeus and Leto; twin brother of Artemis
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
doubt about the truth of something
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
a printed note placed below the text on a printed page
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He twice speaks of the gods in another manner (I. i.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He twice speaks of the gods in another manner (I. i.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading 185, III. vi.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
possessive form of “kent” — a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
British artist and writer of nonsense verse (1812-1888)
From this reading 5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He twice speaks of the gods in another manner (I. i.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
plural of “prayer” — the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading 5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.
compacted by ironing
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading He twice speaks of the gods in another manner (I. i.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
carry out
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He twice speaks of the gods in another manner (I. i.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading 5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
two times
From this reading He twice speaks of the gods in another manner (I. i.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading 185, III. vi.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 5), and he was accustomed to think of Lear in his 'prayers' (I. i.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading [Footnote 175: This difference, however, must not be pressed too far; nor must we take Kent's retort, Now by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain, for a sign of disbelief.
Chapter 11 of Shakespearean Tragedy by A. C. (Andrew Cecil) Bradley holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 11 holds 423 sentences of Shakespearean Tragedy, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Shakespearean Tragedy by A. C. (Andrew Cecil) Bradley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 11 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
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About 600 minutes of reading across 1461 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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