Difference between revisions of "Shakespeare and words"
(Overall, Shakespeare wrote a total of 835,997 words for his plays, at an average of roughly 26,000 per play. The Folger Library lists a total of 884,647 words by Shakespeare for all its works, including his poems and sonnets.) |
(Roughly 80% of Shakespeare's words in his plays are 5 letters or less, as they were written for the stage.) |
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'''Shakespeare and words''' include words invented by him, words popularized by him, and words created by adding a "un" prefix.<ref name="Grammarly">https://www.grammarly.com/blog/15-words-invented-by-shakespeare/</ref> | '''Shakespeare and words''' include words invented by him, words popularized by him, and words created by adding a "un" prefix.<ref name="Grammarly">https://www.grammarly.com/blog/15-words-invented-by-shakespeare/</ref> | ||
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| + | In the 1623 First Folio a contemporary of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, gave a eulogy of him while mentioning that Shakespeare had “small Latine, and lesse Greeke.” Instead of using [[Latin]] or [[Greek]] with any frequency, Shakespeare converted nouns into verbs (grace, season), compounded words (pell-mell, faire-play), and created many new words by adding new endings to existing words (dauntless, courtship, and disgraceful are examples).<ref>https://shakespeareandbeyond.folger.edu/2019/04/05/inkhorn-controversy-latin-greek-english-words/</ref> | ||
Overall, [[Shakespeare]] wrote a total of 835,997 words for his plays, at an average of roughly 26,000 per play. The Folger Library lists a total of 884,647 words by Shakespeare for all its works, including his poems and sonnets. | Overall, [[Shakespeare]] wrote a total of 835,997 words for his plays, at an average of roughly 26,000 per play. The Folger Library lists a total of 884,647 words by Shakespeare for all its works, including his poems and sonnets. | ||
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| + | Roughly 80% of Shakespeare's words in his plays are 5 letters or less, as they were written for the stage. | ||
== Invented words == | == Invented words == | ||
| Line 38: | Line 42: | ||
Undress (Taming of the Shrew) | Undress (Taming of the Shrew) | ||
| − | Unreal (Macbeth) | + | Unreal (Macbeth) |
| + | == See also == | ||
| + | *[https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/search/search-advanced.php Searching Shakespeare by words in proximity] | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[category:Shakespeare]] | [[category:Shakespeare]] | ||
Latest revision as of 18:08, March 11, 2023
Shakespeare and words include words invented by him, words popularized by him, and words created by adding a "un" prefix.[1]
In the 1623 First Folio a contemporary of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, gave a eulogy of him while mentioning that Shakespeare had “small Latine, and lesse Greeke.” Instead of using Latin or Greek with any frequency, Shakespeare converted nouns into verbs (grace, season), compounded words (pell-mell, faire-play), and created many new words by adding new endings to existing words (dauntless, courtship, and disgraceful are examples).[2]
Overall, Shakespeare wrote a total of 835,997 words for his plays, at an average of roughly 26,000 per play. The Folger Library lists a total of 884,647 words by Shakespeare for all its works, including his poems and sonnets.
Roughly 80% of Shakespeare's words in his plays are 5 letters or less, as they were written for the stage.
Invented words
Bandit (Henry VI, Part 2)
Critic (Love’s Labour Lost)
Dauntless (Henry VI, Part 3)
Dwindle (Henry IV, Part 1)
Elbow (verb) (King Lear)
Green-Eyed (as in jealousy) (The Merchant of Venice)
Lackluster (As You Like It)
Lonely (Coriolanus)
Skim-milk (Henry IV, Part 1)
Swagger (Midsummer Night’s Dream)
Words popularized
- puke
Words hyphenated
Shakespeare generated more than 300 new words by adding the prefix "un", including:[1]
Unaware (Venus & Adonis)
Uncomfortable (Romeo & Juliet)
Undress (Taming of the Shrew)
Unreal (Macbeth)