Quote:
Originally Posted by Pulpmeister
I find Chaucer hard sledding, but comprehensible, although a lot of his vocabulary, and many idioms, are extinct. A glossary is helpful, and simple modernising of spelling makes a huge difference. Shakespeare is much better heard and seen than read--the plays were meant to be performed
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One major difference between Chaucer and Shakespeare is of course that Chaucer is Middle English, whereas Shakespeare is Modern English. Middle English is a distinct language, with different grammar to Modern English. Also, Chaucer, like all educated men of his time, was trilingual in English, French, and Latin, and even his English works (he wrote in all three languages) are full of French and Latin words.