Shakespeare’s Language
Shakespeare’s use of language made him one of the
greatest writers in the world. With extraordinary skill and
poetic imagination, he could set vivid scenes, express powerful emotions and
reveal character in highly original ways. Many of his phrases have become
part of our everyday language.
Many of these words were created by anglicizing Latin
words by adding suffixes. It should be remembered that
during Shakespeare’s time, Latin was the official language of
law, religion, medicine, commerce and to a great part,
literature. English was considered a primitive language, and
too unsophisticated to express powerful and sensitive
sentiments and ideas. Shakespeare changed all this.
Here is a brief sampling of words Shakespeare is
credited with introducing into the English language. To find
more, just flip through your library’s Oxford English
Dictionary and browse.
accommodation
admirable
amazement
arch-villain
assassination
batty
bloodsucking
bold-faced
coldhearted
countless
critical
domineering
dwindle
employment
equivocal
eventful
exposure
fairyland
fashionable
flowery
fortune-teller
freezing
generous
go-between
grime
impartial
inaudible
inauspicious
invulnerable
lapse
laughable
lonely
madcap
majestic
monumental
motionless
newsmonger
overpower
Shakespeare’s Legacy
Many of Shakespeare’s
expressions, or idioms, have
become part of the English
language. People often use
Shakespearean idioms without
realizing it.
“You’ll eat us out of house
and home if you’re not
careful!”
(Henry IV II.i.75-6)
“There’s a method in my
madness.”
(Hamlet II.ii.207-8)
“Well, the world’s your oyster
now.”
(The Merry Wives of Windsor II.ii.4-5)
In Shakespeare’s time, there were no
dictionaries. People could spell
words however they wanted, and
sometimes made up new ones. Over
2,000 of the words Shakespeare used
had not been recorded before, and he
may have made up many of them.
Some
alack
an
anon
as life
beget
beguile
belike
brook
caitiff
chamber
cunning
desist
didst thou?
dost thou?
fare ye well
fond
fie
gramercies
hark
hence
hither
how now?
idle
i’faith
importune
jade
joy
marry
meet
prithee
raiment
sawst thou?
sirrah
tarry
thee, thou
thy
‘tis
‘twas
unto
want
wench
wilt thou?
How now?
Yonder
Useful Shakespearean Language
Often, letters are omitted in words
for the sake of the sound of poetry.
- alas, woe
- if
Some examples:
‘tis = it is
- at once, soon
thou’st = thou art
- rather
ne’er = never
- bring forth
o’er = over
- charm, trick
o’ = of
- probably
i’ = in
- endure, suffer
‘t = it
ta’en = taken
- scoundrel
- room
- clever
- stop
- did you?
- do you?
- farewell, good-bye, good luck
-foolish
Elizabethan language contains
- shame
many old verb forms that are no
- many thanks
longer used today.
- listen
- from here
Examples:
- to this place
thou art – you are
- what’s happening?
thou dat – do you
- foolish
thou know’st – you know
- in faith, really, truly
thou see’st – you see
- beg
thou did’st – you did
- man
he hath – he has
- rejoice
he doth – he does
- truly, by the Virgin Mary
- suitable, appropriate
- I pray you, please
- clothes, clothing
- did you see?
- Hey, you there?
(usually used to address servants)
- delay, be late, wait
- you
- your
- it is
- it was
- to
- lack
- woman
- will you?
- what’s happening?
- situated over there