Shakespeare Dictionary

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Generate random Shakespearean insults

 

Shakespeare's word	Meaning (in the sample usage)	#	Reference(s)	Sample usage
obscured course	disguised way of life		Lear 2.2
observant	diligent, attentive attendant, servant	3	Ham 1.1 Lear 2.2	same strict and most observant watch Than twenty silly ducking observants
office	customary duty, function, responsibility, charge or trust	162	Lear 2.4; Lear 2.1	thou better know'st The offices of nature, Done thy father a child-like office
old trot	hag, old woman	1	Shrew 1.2	an old trot with ne'er a tooth in her head
or ... or ...	either ... or ...		Lear 3.6 Lear 4.7	Be thy mouth or black or white. Or well or ill, as this day's battle's fought.

When I was in college, struggling through my Signet volume of Shakespeare, I didn't have the time, money, or inclination to buy audio tapes of the plays. I've done so recently, and what a difference.

In part, because Shakespeare was meant to be heard (and seen), and in part, because the English language has changed, listening to King Lear, or any of the plays, while reading the text, adds a whole new dimension.

The humor becomes clearer; anger is better conveyed; the reader/listener at once can absorb so much more of the play. For King Lear this version with Sir Laurence Olivier, is excellent.

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