How to Speak Like Shakespeare

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Read a Shakespearean play in the original if you can.

   Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet are good candidates.
   
   This will give you an idea of how the language is used and also increase your vocabulary with older forms and uses of words.
2. 2

   Step 2: Replace questions of the form "Can I?"

   with phrases such as "I do beseech you" or "I prithee".
   
   This archaic form sounds particularly Elizabethan, and has the benefit of being more polite. , In modern times, we are satisfied with "Hello" or "How are you".
   
   To make this sound more Shakespearean, a simple form may be "Good greetings, my lord/lady" or, if you truly wish to know how the other is doing, try "How now, ?".
   
   Feel free to add clauses along the form of "and may you be well".
   
   You can respond with "Likewise to you"
   
   remembering to refer to "my lord" or "my lady" A more medieval and flowery response could be "All of God's greetings upon you". , Farewells can be much improved from modern "Bye!".
   
   A very simple, no-thinking-required approach might be "Fare thee well"
   
   but this can be improved further by considering how your conversation ended.
   
   Did you say goodbye to someone for a long time? "Fare thee well in thy travels, and may by fate we meet again." Similarly modify your goodbyes to fit the situation. ,, For example, "it was" becomes "'twas"
   
   "do it" becomes "do't"
   
   ,, Replace "damned" with "accursed".
   
   Other adjectives can be replaced with "traitorous"
   
   "lecherous"
   
   or "thieving".
   
   You can also refer to those of humble origin or anyone acting servant-like as "knavish"
   
   "
   
   "Mayhaps"
   
   "Morrow"
   
   "N"er"
   
   "Nonpareil"
   
   "Oft"
   
   "In Faith"
   
   "Perchance"
   
   "Poppet"
   
   "Pray pardon me"
   
   "Pray tell"
   
   "Privy"
   
   "Stay"
   
   "S"wounds!"
   
   "Tosspot"
   
   "Verily"
   
   "Wench"
   
   "Wherefore"
   
   "Yonder"
   
   For example, "How dost thou" and "How doth he"
   
   It can be used to express obligation, and also in the first person.
   
   Remember that when used with "thee" or "thou"
   
   "will" becomes "wilt" and "shall" "shalt"
3. 3

   Step 3: Work on greetings.

4. 4

   Step 4: Work on your farewells.

5. 5

   Step 5: Add in more-or-less superfluous adverbs such as "humbly" - they make your speech more flowery

6. 6

   Step 6: which is the main effect.

7. 7

   Step 7: Shorten "it" to just "'t".

8. 8

   Step 8: Master forms of "thou" - use "thy" for possessive ("thine" before vowels or the letter H)

9. 9

   Step 9: and "thee" for an object.

10. 10

    Step 10: Clearly mark off opinions with "methinks" and "forsooth".

11. 11

    Step 11: Refine your cursing.

12. 12

    Step 12: Freely use the following words: "Anon"

13. 13

    Step 13: "As you will"

14. 14

    Step 14: "By your leave"

15. 15

    Step 15: "Carouse"

16. 16

    Step 16: "Chide"

17. 17

    Step 17: "Cutpurse"

18. 18

    Step 18: "E"en"

19. 19

    Step 19: "E"er"

20. 20

    Step 20: "Grammercy"

21. 21

    Step 21: "Maid or Maiden"

22. 22

    Step 22: "Marry!

23. 23

    Step 23: Fix your verbs: Add "-st" to singular second-person verbs and "-th"/"-eth" to singular third-person verbs.

24. 24

    Step 24: Use "shall".

25. 25

    Step 25: If you need to break up with someone

26. 26

    Step 26: take a few hints from Hamlet (Act 3

27. 27

    Step 27: scene 1

28. 28

    Step 28: 114–121).

Detailed Guide

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