Shakespeare's language was English and modern English at that. The word "wither" which we meet in Henry VI Part 3 Act 3 Scene 2 when Richard of Gloucester says "to shrink my arm up like a withered shrub" means exactly what it means today. Look it up in the dictionary: it means to shrivel.
There is another meaning to wither which we see in Hamlet Act 3 Scene 2 when he says, "Let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung." Again, this is a modern meaning, but one known only to people who have a lot to do with horses, which isn't as many as it used to be. The withers of a horse are the part of the spine where the shoulder joins, just behind the neck. To gall means to irritate (as in "I find his behaviour galling") and a jade is an old horse (here is one word where a modern dictionary might set you on the wrong track). His horsey metaphor is that only an irritated or chafed horse would wince when he's being saddled, just as only a murderer would take offence at a depiction of a murder.
Ah, Shakespeare, the king of drama. When he said "wither," he meant something is shriveling up and drying out faster than a raisin in the sun. It's like when your favorite plant dies because you forgot to water it for a month. So, next time you hear "wither" in a Shakespeare play, just imagine something wilting away like last week's bouquet of flowers.
Sorry, Shakespeare did not use that word.
Shakespeare does not use the word townsfolk.
In a forward direction.
Oft is not a shortened word. Often is a lengthened word. The original word is oft and the form often did not appear until about a century before Shakespeare's day. They are, of course, the same word and mean the same thing.
Sorry, Shakespeare did not use that word.
Ah, Shakespeare, the king of drama. When he said "wither," he meant something is shriveling up and drying out faster than a raisin in the sun. It's like when your favorite plant dies because you forgot to water it for a month. So, next time you hear "wither" in a Shakespeare play, just imagine something wilting away like last week's bouquet of flowers.
Shakespeare does not use the word townsfolk.
I can give you several sentences.That tree will wither unless you water it.The leaves wither on the vine.She can wither me with a glance.
The desert heat would wither anyone.
"If you don't water a plant, it's flowers will wither."
It was sad to watch him just wither away.
Shakespeare uses this word twenty times in the play. You can substitute the word "before" if you like. For example:Let two more summers wither in their pride,Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.meansLet two more summers wither in their pride,Before we may think her ripe to be a bride.Of course that makes the rhythm of the line wrong. Shakespeare did not use the word "before" to refer to time, only to space. It is the opposite of "behind". So when Macbeth says, "Is this a dagger which I see before me?", he means that the dagger is in front of him spatially. When talking about a previous time, Shakespeare used the word "ere".
Morior.
In a forward direction.
Without water, many land plants wither and die.
One must water a plant before it begins to wither.