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StageMilk / Shakespeare / Common Shakespeare Words Explained
Common Shakespeare Words
Explained
Written by Andrew Hearle on November, 15th 2018 | Shakespeare
I work with students on Shakespeare monologues every week. The actors I
work with often blow me away with their contemporary work, but as we move
onto their Shakespeare pieces, their acting becomes polite, general, and CONNECT WITH US!
self-conscious. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, many actors still
think of a Shakespeare with upper class British accents, beautiful
embroidered gowns, and grand gestures. We remember politely reading
Shakespeare in year 9 and the teacher calling him a genius as we looked at
each other, dumbfounded. This misguided idea of how we should perform
Shakespeare causes many issues for otherwise great actors. They
:
seemingly leave their bodies and become Judie Dench for the 2 minutes,
and lose all their natural connection to language. The second issue is that Free Auditioning
Shakespeare is confusing as all hell, and even intelligent actors are thrown Guide
by his language. Without the bedrock of understanding they are simply And get a free StageMilk PDF
saying the words. on Auditioning when you join
our awesome weekly
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To solve the first issue is easy. It’s an attitude shift. Shakespeare was dirty
as hell. He was writing for the common man, as well as nobility, and as you
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dig deeper the sexual innuendos become blatantly obvious and are threaded
through even his most lauded works. He was fun, bawdy and always playing
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for laughs. Remember to always use your natural accent, and embrace your
own personality and culture when performing Shakespeare. However, JOIN
today we will focus on the second issue, which does take a little more
work…
This generalised performing of Shakespeare is not a sign of bad acting, but POPULAR ARTICLES
simply a symptom of not understanding this complex and archaic language. Audition for Netflix
Though much of Shakespeare’s language can still be vaguely understood by
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a modern reader, it is best thought of as another language. One that takes
work to master. It’s over 400 years since these plays were written, and the Shakespeare Sonnets
English language has changed a great deal. We no longer call people
Female Shakespeare Monologues
bootless beef-witted coxcombs, for instance (more great Shakespearean
insults). So how do you get a grip on this Elizabethan wordsmith, so that we Best Playwrights
can bring his words to life for a modern audience?
Acting Games
It’s a two pronged approach. Firstly we must all endeavour to read more of How to make a Showreel
Shakespeare’s work. His plays as well as his poetry and sonnets. Reading Articulation Exercises
his work helps us get familiar with how this innovative writer used language.
However, reading his work is not enough. I can honestly admit that I have
read many Shakespeare plays, especially the more obscure ones, and gone EXPLORE STAGEMILK…
pages on end without having a clue what is happening. You could push
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through the complete works and still not be confident with his language. So
we need to analyse his work and spend time looking up unfamiliar words, Audition Information
and passages to unlock the specific meaning.
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This is a short guide to some of Shakespeare’s most commonly used words. Best of Lists
Understanding all these words will begin to unlock his work both in reading,
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and also in performance. Take some time to familiarise yourself with this
collection of words… Plays
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Modern Translation of Shakespeare’s Shakespeare
Words
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Here are what I consider to be the most frequently used words in
Shakespeare. I will keep adding to this list over the next few months, but this
is a decent start. If you can solidly learn all these words you will find the
process of reading and understanding Shakespeare far more enjoyable.
:
There will still be plenty of words to look up, but these are the glue of the
text.
Little Goodies (Words found in most
Shakespearean Monologues)
abhor: To reject, regard with disgust
absolute: perfect, certain
adieu: farewell
afeard: afraid, frightened.
afoot: on foot, on the go, on the move
alarum: alarm, disturbance, incitement
alas: used to express grief, pity or concern (unfortunately)
ague (noun, AY gyoo): Fever with chills, sweating, and shivering.
anon: soon, shortly (in a moment)
apace: quickly, speedily, at a great rate
apparel: clothes, clothing, dress
art: are
arrant: downright, absolute
aroint: away
attend (on/upon): await, wait for, expect
aught: anything
avaunt: begone, go away, be off
ay: yes
aye: always, forever “the world is not for aye” Hamlet
base: dishonourable, low, unworthy b. low born, low rank
balk/baulk: refuse, ignore, argue over
bawd: pimp, procurer, pander, go-between
become: be fitting, befit, be appropriate to
belike: probably, perhaps, so it seems…
beshrew (sometimes ‘shrew): curse, evil befall
betwixt: between
brave: fine, excellent, noble
cheer: reassurance, encouragement
chide: scold, rebuke
courtship: wooing, courting
counsel: advice, guidance
dispatch: kill
dost: do
doth: does
ere: before
expedience: speed, haste, quickness
extremity: ridiculous behaviour, or utmost degree
fain: gladly, willingly “I would fain prove so” Hamlet
foe: enemy
forbear: stop or cease
forsooth: in truth, truly, indeed
:
gallow: frighten or scare
gentle: well-born, honourable, noble
give me leave to: allow me to
grammercy: thank you
haply: maybe, by chance, with luck “Haply I see a friend will save my life”
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hast: have
hark: listen
hie: go! or hurry
hither: here
hence: from here
mark: pay attention
marry: (a curse) by Mary
methinks: I think
nay: no
nought: nothing
o: vocalisation before direction speech. (oh – used in emphatic emotion)
oft: often
perchance: maybe
plague: curse
pray: beg
soft: not so fast, wait a minute
suit: formal request
tax: censure, blame
’tis: it is
thou: you (singular)
thine: your (possessive)
thither: there (to or towards that place)
thy: your
tidings: news
’twas: it was
verily: truly
want: lack, shortage, need
wast: were
well met: hello
would (he were): I wish (he were)
whence: from where
wherefore: why
withal: with
woo: chase (romantically pursue someone)
woe: misery
yea: even
yond: over there
yonder: there
Common Shakespearean Nouns
:
bawd: pimp
bodkin: dagger
brow: appearance, aspect
glass: mirror, looking-glass
corse: corpse
colours: battle-flags, banners
knave: scoundrel, rascal, rogue
issue: 1) children, offspring or 2) outcome, result
livery: uniform, costume
morrow: morning
morn: morning, dawn
nymph: beauty, damsel
pate: head, skull
parley: negotiation, meeting
power: armed force, troops, army
sport: recreation, amusement, entertainment
visage: face, countenance
wit: intelligence, wisdom
Address Forms (Common Titles/Ranks)
bawcock: fine lady
cousin: any relative beyond immediate family, or affectionate term for friend
gentlewoman: madam (polite)
gossip: friend
liege: lord, sovereign
sirrah: sir, commanding or forceful (boy, address to an inferior ranking
character)
signor: sir or mock friendliness “sir”
wench: girl, lass
:
What next?
Hopefully you have spent some time going through this list. Don’t try to
remember them all at once, but keep coming back to this list, slowly adding
them to your lexicon. Remember, like learning any language, it takes time.
Keep reading and watching Shakespeare, and make your own lists of
unfamiliar words. I have read, watched and performed in countless
Shakespearean productions and I am still turning to the dictionary on almost
every page.
Challenge yourself to learn a monologue and really take the time to unpack
the words and specific meaning. As you do this work the true genius of
Shakespeare will appear to you. We can always go deeper with
Shakespeare and find more and more in his language. That is why after 450
years he is still considered the greatest playwright to have ever lived.
If you are working on a Shakespeare monologue for drama school, or for an
audition and want to work on the piece in more detail, let’s book in a private
acting coaching session. There is nothing I love more than working one-
on-one with a student on a Shakespeare monologue. We can break down
your monologue and work to bring it to life.
I can’t wait to work with you all very soon!
About the Author
:
Andrew Hearle is the founder of StageMilk. Andrew trained at the
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and is now a
Sydney-based actor working in Theatre, Film and Television.
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One response to “Common Shakespeare
Words Explained”
lela bankhead says:
May 12, 2021 at 4:00 pm
This generalised performing of Shakespeare is not a sign of bad acting, but simply a symptom
of not understanding this complex and archaic language.
Reply
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