Shakespeare, William - The language

William Shakespeare: the language

Although the language of Shakespeare has, on the whole, preserved remarkable freshness, it is not free from archaism. On the one hand, Shakespeare uses words which have become obsolete: e.g., quoth (= said), sooth (= truth), hie (= hasten), an (= if); or words which, though they are still used at the present time, have not retained their shakespearian sense, e.g.: favour (= face), missives (= messengers), battle (= battalion), fond (= foolish), envy (= hatred). On the other hand, the grammar of Shakespeare’s English differs from that of the English of to-day by:

1) The use of few archaic forms and inflexions e.g.
Mine (= my); his (= its) – which (= who)- ye (= you) – whiles (=
while)- or...or (= either... or...) – broke (= broken), spoke (=
spoken), chose (= chosen), etc.
2) by a greater liberty in the use of the various parts of speech as well
as in construction. In Shakespeare
a) Adjectives and pronouns are used a adverbs
Meek (= meekly) – other (= otherwise) – nothing (= in no wise)
b) Prepositions and Conjunctions are interchanged or used in a peculiar
sense:
An (= of) – in (= into) – so (= provided that) - that (=so that)
c) The singular is used for the plural, e.g.:
Timer and the hour runs through the roughest (Macbeth, I, 3,
149)
Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives (Macbeth, II, I, 63)
Whom the vile blows and buffets on the world. Hath so incensed........
(Macbeth, III, I, 108)
d) May is sometimes used for can
...That by no means I may discover them... (Julius Caesar, I, I, 75)
e) The auxiliary “do” is used in affirmative sentences without any idea of
emphasis
His wonder and his praises do contend... (Macbeth, I, 3, 92)
Conversely verbs in the negative or interrogative form generally
dispense with the auxiliary “do”:
Live you? O are you aught... (Macbeth, I, 3, 42)
... to me you speak not (Macbeth, I, 3, 57)
f) Double negatives, double comparatives and double superlatives are
frequently used:
.... nor is not moved by concord of sweet sounds.... (Merchant
of Venice, V, I)
For the more better assurance (Midsummer Night’s Dream, III, I, 18)
g) Ellipsis is frequent:
• Ellipsis of the article:
More tunable than lark shepherd’s ear (Midsummer Night’s Dream (I, I,
184)
• Ellipsis of the personal pronoun:
Who was the thane livers yet (Macbeth, I, 3, 110)?
• Ellipsis of the relative pronoun:
..... the illness should attend it (Macbeth, I, 5, 10)
• Ellipsis of the verb of motion:
Let toward the king (Macbeth, I, 3, 154)