Chapter 5 of William Shakespeare is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of William Shakespeare is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout. Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil. If this fails, Hamlet shall be given poisoned wine. In a scuffle during the fencing-bout the fencers change foils. Gertrude, by mistake, drinks the poisoned wine and dies.
Chapter 5 of William Shakespeare is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 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.
Roman Emperor after his nephew Caligula was murdered; consolidated the Roman Empire and conquered southern Britain; was poisoned by his fourth wife Agrippina after her son Nero was named as Claudius' heir (10 BC to AD 54)
From this reading “Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.”
plural of “drink” — a single serving of a beverage
From this reading “Gertrude, by mistake, drinks the poisoned wine and dies.”
third-person singular of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “If this fails, Hamlet shall be given poisoned wine.”
enhance by contrast
From this reading “Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil.”
plural of “foil” — a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal
From this reading “In a scuffle during the fencing-bout the fencers change foils.”
past form of “poison” — spoil as if by poison
From this reading “Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil.”
disorderly fighting
From this reading “In a scuffle during the fencing-bout the fencers change foils.”
third-person singular of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Gertrude, by mistake, drinks the poisoned wine and dies.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Gertrude, by mistake, drinks the poisoned wine and dies.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading In a scuffle during the fencing-bout the fencers change foils.
Roman Emperor after his nephew Caligula was murdered; consolidated the Roman Empire and conquered southern Britain; was poisoned by his fourth wife Agrippina after her son Nero was named as Claudius' heir (10 BC to AD 54)
From this reading Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.
plural of “die” — a small cube with 1 to 6 spots on the six faces; used in gambling to generate random numbers
From this reading Gertrude, by mistake, drinks the poisoned wine and dies.
plural of “drink” — a single serving of a beverage
From this reading Gertrude, by mistake, drinks the poisoned wine and dies.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading In a scuffle during the fencing-bout the fencers change foils.
third-person singular of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading If this fails, Hamlet shall be given poisoned wine.
enclose with a fence
From this reading Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a scuffle during the fencing-bout the fencers change foils.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.
enhance by contrast
From this reading Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil.
plural of “foil” — a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal
From this reading In a scuffle during the fencing-bout the fencers change foils.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gertrude, by mistake, drinks the poisoned wine and dies.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading If this fails, Hamlet shall be given poisoned wine.
a community of people smaller than a village
From this reading Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If this fails, Hamlet shall be given poisoned wine.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a scuffle during the fencing-bout the fencers change foils.
(Greek mythology) the father of Odysseus
From this reading Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading Gertrude, by mistake, drinks the poisoned wine and dies.
past form of “poison” — spoil as if by poison
From this reading Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil.
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.
disorderly fighting
From this reading In a scuffle during the fencing-bout the fencers change foils.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil.
third-person singular of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Claudius suggests that the revenge be taken at a fencing-bout.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If this fails, Hamlet shall be given poisoned wine.
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading If this fails, Hamlet shall be given poisoned wine.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Laertes shall fence with Hamlet, using a poisoned foil.
Chapter 5 of William Shakespeare by John Masefield holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 5 holds 420 sentences of William Shakespeare, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of William Shakespeare by John Masefield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 5 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.
Common questions about reading William Shakespeare by John Masefield on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2903 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27264 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27264, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 241 minutes of reading across 581 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through William Shakespeare section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of William Shakespeare to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in William Shakespeare, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
