Common Shakespearean Terms

anon—right now, OR “I come right away”……. “Anon, good nurse! Speak!”

art—are, OR skill……“Thou art dead; no physician’s art can save you..”

dost or doth—does or do……“Dost thou know the time?”

ere—before……“We must leave ere daybreak.”

fain—gladly……“I fain would bake Mr. Love cookies if I could get an A.”

fie—an exclamation of dismay or disgust……“You cheated? Fie upon it!” OR “Fie! Are you mad?”

hark—listen……. “Hark to the owl,” OR “Hark! The herald angels sing!”

hence—away…..“Get thee hence, beggar!” OR “We must hence before the army arrives.”

hie—hurry……“Hie thee hence, or lose your life!”

hither—here…..“Come hither, young lad.”

thither—there……“Look to the east—thither doth the sun arise.”

hath—has……… “He hath killed many a man.” OR “He hath a horse.”

ho—hey (roughly equivalent). “Lucius, ho!” [Brutus calling his servant]

mark—pay attention to…….. “Mark my words.”

marry—indeed……“He says I should respond quickly; marry, I want to.”

pray/prithee—a polite way of asking something……“I prithee answer the question.”

saucy—cheeky; sassy……“Hence, thou saucy boy!”

sirrah—a term of address used for inferiors……“Sirrah, bring the letter over here.”

thee—you……“When will I see thee next?”

thou—you……“Thou art a villain.”

thy—your……“Thy name is more hateful than thy face.”

whence—from where…….. “Whence came that news?” OR “Return to whence you came.”

wherefore—why……“Wherefore dost thou leave?” OR “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou

Romeo?” [As in, “why can’t you be someone else, whom my family doesn’t hate?”]

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Guide note: Each month, our "Teaching Shakespeare" columnist writes about bringing Shakespeare to
life in the classroom and drama studio. This month he translates Shakespeare’s words and phrases for
newcomers.

How to Understand Shakespeare Words

by Duncan Fewins

For many, language is the biggest barrier in understanding Shakespeare. Perfectly competent
performers can be paralysed with fear when they see bizarre words like “Methinks” and
“Peradventure” – something I call Shakespearaphobia.

As a way of trying to counter this natural anxiety, I often begin by telling new students or performers
that speaking Shakespeare aloud isn’t like learning a new language –it’s more like listening to a strong
accent and your ear soon adjusts to the new dialect. Very soon you are able to understand most of what
is said.

Even if you are confused about some words and phrases, you should still be able to pick up meaning
from the context and the visual signals you receive from the speaker.

Watch how quickly children pick up accents and new language when on holiday. This is evidence of
how adaptable we are to new ways of speaking. The same is true of Shakespeare and the best antidote
for Shakespearaphobia is to sit back, relax and listen to the text spoken and performed.

Workshop: Understanding Shakespeare’s Words

I have provided modern translations of the top 10 most common Shakespearian words and phrases.

1. Thee, Thou, Thy and Thine (You and Your)

It’s a common myth that Shakespeare never uses the words “you” and “your” – actually, these
words are commonplace in his plays. However, he also uses the words “thee / thou” instead of
“you” and the word “thy / thine” instead of “your”. Sometimes he uses both “you” and “thy” in
the same speech. This is simply because in Tudor England the older generation said “thee” and
“thy” to denote a status or reverence for authority. Therefore when addressing a king the older
“thou” and “thy” would be used, leaving the newer “you” and “your” for more informal
occasions. Soon after Shakespeare’s lifetime, the older form passed away!

2. Art (Are)
The same is true of “art”, meaning “are”. So a sentence beginning “thou art” simply means
“You are”.
3. Ay (Yes)
“Ay” simply means “yes”. So, “Ay, My Lady” simply means “Yes, My Lady.”
4. Would (Wish)
Although the word “wish” does appear in Shakespeare, like when Romeo says “I wish I were a
cheek upon that hand,” we often find “would” used instead. For example, “I would I were …”
means “I wish I were…”
5. Give Me Leave To (Allow Me To)
“To give me leave to”, simply means “To allow me to”.

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 6. Alas (Unfortunately)
“Alas” is a very common word that isn’t used today. It simply means “unfortunately”, but in
modern English there isn’t an exact equivalent.
7. Adieu (Goodbye)
“Adieu” simply means “Goodbye”.
8. Sirrah (Sir)
“Sirrah” means “Sir” or “Mister”.
9. -eth
Sometimes the endings of Shakespearian words sound alien even though the root of the word is
familiar. For example “speaketh” simply means “speak” and “sayeth” means “say”.
10. Don’t, Do and Did
A key absence from Shakespearian English is “don’t”. This word simply wasn’t around then.
So, if you said “don’t be afraid” to a friend in Tudor England, you would have said “be not
afeard.” Where today we would say “don’t hurt me,” Shakespeare would have said “hurt me
not.” The words “do” and “did” were also uncommon, so rather than saying “what did he look
like?” Shakespeare would have said “what looked he like?” And instead of “did she stay long?”
Shakespeare would have said “stayed she long?” This difference accounts for the unfamiliar
word order in some Shakespearian sentences.

I think it is important to note that when Shakespeare was alive, language was in a state of flux and
many modern words were being integrated into the language for the first time. Shakespeare himself
coined many new words and phrases. Shakespeare’s language is therefore a mixture of the old and the
new.

From www.bathcsd.org/webpages/edepartment
Thanks for visiting!