Towards Understanding Some Selected Puns from Shakespeares Dramas

Dr. Elrayah Eltahir Adam Khatir

Abstract: This study presents an introductory account about Shakespeare and his style. It discusses briefly Shakespeare's language. It addresses Shakespeare's punning in particular, and definitions of pun as suggested by some scholars and linguists, how to recognize the existence of pun, its meanings and origins. The present study could be significant and original since it deals with the phenomenon of recognizing pun's in Shakespeare's drama, which is still a virgin ground, to a large extent. This study looks into the problems of rendering some Shakespeare's puns into focus of understanding. To understand puns one must understand people, their cultures, habits and beliefs. Despite the success of this indispensable tool of communication, it still wavers when being applied to drama which is the branch of literature that has been described as being the most challenging among all types of literature. To understand puns one also must understand the choice of words which are always the barrier that blocks the researchers efforts to bridge the gaps of understanding among nations and eventually among cultures. Explaining pun in Shakespeare's drama is the main concern of this study. The researcher will study in depth some examples of puns in Shakespeare's plays and subject them into focus of understanding.

Keywords: Understanding Shakespeare's Puns