Shakespeare’s Language
During Shakespeare’s time, known as the Elizabethan Era (named after Queen Elizabeth I), Londoners were in love
with words and language. Puns, allusions, rhyme and other language modifications (or ‘word play’) were viewed as
clever and often done in humour, satire or irony. But in the 21st century, our relationship with language is different,
so not only have word meanings changed since the Elizabethan Era, but our appreciation for word play is not as
prevalent. This change often causes anxiety or outright rejection when people encounter Elizabethan English for
the first time.
A few things to keep in mind when reading Shakespearean plays:
 Read by punctuation not by where the line ends. Shakespeare’s writing is filled with enjambment (when
the meaning of a sentence or clause carries over a line break). The end of a line is not necessarily the end of
a sentence and while a rhyming pattern may occur at the end of the lines, the meaning carries over until
the end of the punctuation.
ex.
 When reading Elizabethan English, do not be intimidated by the language – it is okay of you do not
understand every word the first time around. Like all languages, the more Elizabethan English you
encounter, the easier it becomes to understand it.
 Whenever an excerpt from a Shakespearean play is reprinted in a way that is different from the way it
appears in the original text, we use a forward slash (/) to show where the line breaks should be.
So when you rewrite:
it looks like this:
“A murderous guilt shows not itself more soon /Than love that would seem hid. Love’s night is noon.”
But practice makes perfect, so let’s get started...
1. Shakespeare’s Unusual Arrangement of Words
The way Shakespeare puts words together can be confusing because when we communicate we depend on
the positions of words in a sentence or clause to guide us in our understanding of what is being said.
So, instead of “
”, today we would arrange it in our
minds as “I love thee by maidhood, honour, truth and everything”, and would actually say “I love you with my
maidhood, honour, truth and everything.”
Coelho 2014
Shakespeare’s Language
page 2 of 3
Rearrange the clauses listed below (excerpts from The Tempest) in the order you would give them in ordinary
conversation:
Now, try the reverse, and give the following words the order Shakespeare might have used:
Now my dear lady, bountiful Fortune hath brought mine enemies to this shore by most strange accident.
Indeed, by the garments he has left with thee he should be a footman.
2. Constructions That Delay
Usually when we form a clause we place at least one of the major elements near the beginning. However,
Shakespeare often delays the major element of the clause near its beginning. So, today we would write
The question is to be or not to be, but Shakespeare writes, “
Rearrange the following excerpts from Julius Caesar, moving the important sections of the clauses to the
beginning.
C. Coelho; adapted from handout by T. Vella (1995)
Shakespeare’s Language
page 3 of 3
3. Omissions of Syllables and Parts of Syllables
Often when we speak we reduce or even omit syllables and leave out sounds we usually include when we are
speaking formally and carefully. For example, “what are you doing?” becomes “what chya doin’?”.
“Translate” the following sentences so that they are in proper English:
‘Tha’s good – lemme have some more’
__________________________________________________________
‘C’mon, ya got nothin’ t’ worry ‘bout’
_________________________________________________________
See ya’ later ‘kay?
_____________________________________________________________________
Shakespeare’s characters also compress words and syllables, such as ‘it’ to ‘t’ and ‘them’ to ‘em’.
As we often omit parts of syllables when we speak, we often omit entire syllables, most often in the
form of contractions, turning I would into I’d or we are into we’re.
Shakespeare’s characters omit syllables in their dialogue by altering the beginnings, middle parts
and/or endings of words.
Use what you have learned to determine the present-day expanded form of these words:
‘
C. Coelho; adapted from handout by T. Vella (1995)