William Shakespeare, one of the most famous playwrights in history, was baptized in 1564 and died in 1616. His works include, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew and Julius Caesar. As a writer and actor, he is one of England's most beloved historical figures, and is called England's national poet by many. He is often simply called, "the Bard," or poet. Shakespeare wrote of all aspects of
. human life and death, thus his works include many examples of insults made by and directed at the characters in his plays.Shakespeare wrote in what is called early modern English. The lexicon is similar to the modern form and syntax people use, but does vary slightly. Other than some variance in the meaning of words, a reader should have no trouble understanding the insults penned by Shakespeare. A quote from, Henry IV, Part 1, "You starvelling, you eel-skin, you dried neat's-tongue, you bull's-pizzle, you stock-fish""O for breath to utter what is like thee!-you tailor's-yard, you sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing tuck," for example, clearly states the speaker's dislike of a person and is obviously an insult.A reader can find lists of the taunts and snubs Shakespeare wrote by performing a simple search of the Internet. Websites such as No Sweat Shakespeare and Insults.net have compiled lists of the many put-downs slung by the characters of Shakespeare. There are also a number of websites which allow a user to generate his or her own insults in the Shakespearean style. Playing with Plays and William Shakespeare.org are two examples of websites which can generate an insult or two for the user. Books such as Shakespeare's Insults: Educating Your Wit, by Wayne F. Hill, which list and define Shakespeare's insults for the reader, are also available.With so many resources available, finding and learning about the quick-witted, biting barbs that Shakespeare wrote is quite simple and can serve as an entertaining way to ease the sometimes daunting voyage into the world of Shakespeare and his works. More reference links: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/quotes/shakespeareinsults.html http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323?page=1
