In celebration of Shakespeare’s 445th birthday, today is the annual Talk Like Shakespeare Day! Do you need a little help speaking like the Bard?
William Shakespeare is widely renowned as the greatest playwright in history. Although moderately respected in his time, he has since risen to epic fame, with his plays have been translated into every living language on the planet. He created over 1,500 words, many of which we use commonly used today, such as upstairs, bedroom, and lonely!
Many modern readers find Shakespeare’s style, especially the use of iambic pentameter, difficult to speak or mimic. Need a witty come-back stat? Try the Shakespearean Insults Generator, which pops out lines such as Thou artless spur-galled hugger-mugger! and Thou tottering prick-eared no bowels!
Here’s some other suggestions from the official Talk Like Shakespeare Day organizers, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre:
1. Instead of you, say thou. Instead of y’all, say thee.
2. Rhymed couplets are all the rage.
3. Men are Sirrah, ladies are Mistress, and your friends are all called Cousin.
4. Instead of cursing, try calling your tormenters jackanapes or canker-blossoms or poisonous bunch-back’d toads.
5. Don’t waste time saying “it,” just use the letter “t” (’tis, t’will, I’ll do’t).
6. Verse for lovers, prose for ruffians, songs for clowns.
7. When in doubt, add the letters “eth” to the end of verbs (he runneth, he trippeth, he falleth).
8. To add weight to your opinions, try starting them with methinks, mayhaps, in sooth or wherefore.
9. When wooing ladies: try comparing her to a summer’s day. If that fails, say “Get thee to a nunnery!”
10. When wooing lads: try dressing up like a man. If that fails, throw him in the Tower, banish his friends and claim the throne.
You can even Twitter the Bard himself with a modern phrase you need ‘Shakespeared’, and he’ll respond. Get thee to the Twittery!