Shakespearean Insults

Sierra Baker 4B

Shakespearean Insults

Sierra Baker 4B

Who was William Shakespeare?

• English poet and playwright

• Writer of 37 plays• Inventor of over 1,700

words• Second most quoted

writer

“Thou Crusty Batch of Nature.”• Used in the Shakespearean tragedy “Troilus

and Cressida”• Used in a joking context

“Peace, ye fat-kidneyed rascal! What a brawling dost thou keep!”

• Interprets to “Silence, you fat rascal! What a scene you’re making!”

• Used in Shakespearean play Henry IV, Part I

“Foul-spoken coward, that thund’rest with thy tounge, and with thy weapon nothing

dar’st perform!”• Fighting words• Basically means that the subject is all talk• Used in “Titus Andronicus,” a Shakespearean

tragedy.

Scratching could not make it worse an ’twere such a face as

yours were.Means that scratching would not make the person’s face worse, because it is already very ugly.

• Originates from Shakespeare’s comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing”

“I do desire we may be better strangers”

Means “I wish we didn’t know each other.”

First used in the comedy by William Shakespeare “As You Like It”, written in 1599

“Out of my sight! Thou dost infect mine eyes!”

• Means “Get away from me, you’re poisoning my eyes!”

This insult originates from Shakespeare’s historical play, Richard III

“Do Thou Amend Thy Face, and I’ll Amend My Life”

• Interprets to “When you fix your face, I will fix my life.”

• Used in Shakespearean play Henry IV, Part I

Then vs. Now

• Not much has changed, very similar

• Different vocabulary to portray the same meaning

Work Cited• http://www.literarygenius.info/shakespeare-insults-dictionary.htm• http://www.shakespeare-online.com/quotes/shakespeareinsults.html• http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/play_view.php?WorkI

D=henry4p1&Act=2&Scene=2&Scope=scene• http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/play_view.php?WorkI

D=henry6p2&Act=5&Scene=1&Scope=scene• http://shakespeare.mit.edu/2henryvi/2henryvi.5.1.html• http://www.plimoth.com/media/catalog/product/cache/

1//9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/r/e/retail_30_6-21-11_001.jpg (opening picture)

• http://nfs.sparknotes.com/henry4pt1/page_163.html• http://www.bachelorsdegree.org/2011/05/22/20-epic-shakespeare-

insults-every-drama-geek-should-know/• http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/wordsinvented.html