Shakespearean English

History of Shakespearean English

The history of Shakespearean English dates back to the 1500s. The type of English spoken and written by Shakespeare was called Early Modern English. Because of Shakespeare's fame and influence at the time, it also came to be known as Shakespearean English.

Early Modern English was used from the 1500s to the 1700s. It came after Middle English and before Modern English (the type of English we are familiar with today). The transition from Middle English to Early Modern English brought many changes. Not only did vocabulary and pronunciations change, but also the language became more standardized - meaning it followed stricter grammatical rules and was easier to read, write, learn and speak. There was also a more extensive and impressive vocabulary. The continuing standardization of English around this time is widely attributed to the creation of the printing press in the early 1400s, which required an agreed-upon language for printing.

However, one element that was not the most standardized was spelling. Although the spelling had improved from Middle English, it was still quite irregular. This meant that a single word could be spelled in multiple ways, as there was not always one agreed form.

Some examples of some Early Modern English words are:

Shakespearean English vs. Modern English

So how does Shakespearean English differ from the Modern English we are familiar with today?

As previously mentioned, Shakespearean English spelling was not as standardized as Modern English, so words were spelled in a way that may seem unnatural to us! Many words were spelled in multiple ways. For example:

Another feature of Shakespearean English that is not really used now is the use of contractions when a word ends in "ed." For example:

Another difference was the use of what we now consider archaic (old-fashioned) vocabulary. Many of the words used in Early Modern English are either no longer used in Modern English or have different spellings. Some examples of Shakespearean English vocabulary are:

The other main difference between Shakespearean and Modern English is the syntax, particularly the word order. Modern English typically follows the order of subject > verb > object, whereas the Shakespearean English word order was less fixed, and the verb was often at the end of the sentence. For example:

Shakespearean English Words

It would be impossible to list all 1700 words invented by Shakespeare, but check out some of them below! As you read through, think about how many of these words you still use today.

• Amazement
• Assassination
• Bloody
• Bump
• Countless
• Critical
• Dishearten
• Dwindle
• Eventful
• Exposure
• Fashionable
• Frugal
• Generous
• Gloomy
• Hurry
• Hostile
• Impartial
• Invitation
• Laughable
• Lonely
• Majestic
• Monumental
• Neglect
• Obscene
• Pious
• Premeditated
• Reliance
• Restraint
• Savage
• Suspicious
• Tranquil
• Unaware
• Uncomfortable
• Vulnerable
• Yelping

Shakespearean English Phrases

Below are some Shakespearean English phrases, along with their meanings and the names of the plays they appeared in:

Fig. 2 - One of Shakespeare's most well-known phrases from Hamlet is "To be, or not to be, that is the question."

English Shakespearean Sonnet Definition

Shakespeare wrote many sonnets in his lifetime. In fact, he wrote 154, all of which were published posthumously (after death) in 1609. If you aren't sure what a sonnet is, here is a definition:

The particular style of sonnet that Shakespeare used consists of:

• Three quatrains (three stanzas with four lines each)

• A final couplet (a stanza with two lines)

The rhyming pattern is:

abab

cdcd

efef

gg.

In other words, this means that every other line rhymes, and the final two lines rhyme. This type of sonnet is called the English sonnet. Because it was often used by Shakespeare, it came to be known as the Shakespearean sonnet (although others had used the form before him!)

Here is an example of a Shakespearean sonnet:

Sonnet 80 - William Shakespeare (published 1609)

Let's take a look at a few of the Shakespearean English words used in the original sonnet and the modern translations:

• Spirit = in this case, spirit refers to a rival poet

• Doth = does

• Saucy bark = refers to a shameless and disrespectful boat

Another recognizable feature of Shakespearean English is the word order. Shakespeare writes, "But since your worth, wide as the ocean is," placing the verb at the end of the sentence. In Modern English, the word order is typically subject > verb > object, so it would instead be written more like "but since your worth is as wide as the ocean."

If this whole sonnet was written in Modern English, it would read more like this: