Oft pupils, thou hast ask'd: "Why

dost thou writeth so?

Thou hast said: "Thy words
maketh me mad!"

Translation: Often students have asked me why I

write the way I do. They have said that the way I
write is so confusing that it makes them crazy!
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Why is reading
Shakespeare
so difficult?
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The goal of this lesson is to make

you more familiar with
Shakespearean Vocabulary

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In the end, I hope you will feel more like

this about reading Shakespeare!

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As we go through this, use the "Translation Please!"

handout to fill in the meaning and example of
some of Shakespeare's commonly used words. Fill
in your own example as well to show you know how
to use the word.
Shakespeare
Says

We Say

An Example From The

Bard!

Thou

You (Subject)

Thou shalt be king!

Thee

You (Object)

I give this to thee

Thy

Your

I see thy glory

Art

Are

Thou art changed.

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Fill in the meaning and example of some of these

commonly used words. Fill in your own example as
well to show you know how to use the word.
Shakespeare
Says

We Say

An Example From The

Bard!

Hast

Have

A friend thou hast in

Ephesus

Hath

Has

His majesty hath appointed

this

Wilt

Will

Wilt thou be gone?

Dost

Do

What dost thou know?

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Fill in the meaning and example of some of these

commonly used words. Fill in your own example as
well to show you know how to use the word.
Shakespeare
Says

We Say

An Example From The

Bard!

Shall/Shalt

Will

Thou shalt be king!

Whence

Where

Whence is that knocking?

Hence

From Here

Help me hence!

Whither

Where

Whither has thy vanished?

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Shakespeare also often uses apostrophes

to replace letters!
Shakespeare Says

We Say

Oer

Over

T / Tis

It / It Is

Flowrs

Flowers

Killd

Killed

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You will now complete an

activity sheet which will
allow you to change
sentences from modern
English, to Shakespearean
(or Elizabethan) English
based on the new words you
just learned!

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1. Thou art a summer's day that hath come after

th' winter snow.
2. Hence forth, I dost proclaim to thee that thou
art th' angel of my life.
3. Whence is th' flow'r I sent? T'is (or it is) on
thy table at home?
4. Dost thou know whence to go? I shall direct
thee to go o'er there.
5. Th' smile on thy face hast gone. Art thou
angry?
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You will now imagine that

you are Shakespeare. Use
the new terms you learned,
as well as The Bard's
Dictionary (handout) to
write a paragraph about
the topic of your choice.

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