Words Shakespeare Invented

The English language owes a great debt to Shakespeare. He invented over

1700 of our common words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into
adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and
suffixes, and devising words wholly original.
academe

accused

arouse

addiction

advertising

amazement

assassination backing

bandit

bedroom

beached

besmirch

birthplace

blanket

bloodstained

barefaced

blushing

bet

bump

buzzer

caked

cater

champion

circumstantial

cold-blooded

compromise courtship

countless

critic

dauntless

dawn

deafening

discontent

dishearten

drugged

dwindle

epileptic

equivocal

elbow

excitement

exposure

eyeball

fashionable

fixture

flawed

frugal

generous

gloomy

gossip

green-eyed

gust

hint

hobnob

hurried

impede

impartial

invulnerable

jaded

label

lackluster

laughable

lonely

lower

luggage

lustrous

madcap

majestic

marketable

metamorphize mimic

monumental moonbeam

mountaineer

negotiate

noiseless

obscene

obsequiously

ode

olympian

outbreak

panders

pedant

premeditated puking

radiance

rant

remorseless

savagery

scuffle

secure

skim milk

submerge

summit

swagger

torture

tranquil

undress

unreal

varied

vaulting

worthless

zany

gnarled

grovel

For more words that Shakespeare coined please see the Comprehensive
Etymological Dictionary of the English Language by Dr. Ernest Klein (1966) or
Shakespeare-lexicon: A Complete Dictionary of All the English Words, Phrases
and Constructions in the Works of the Poet by Alexander Schmidt (1902).

Famous Quotations from Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is packed with unforgettable quotations that have become a
part of present-day culture. Here are the ten most famous of them all. Please
visit the Romeo and Juliet main page for full explanatory notes.
1.
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.
(2.2.45-6), Juliet
2.
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
(2.2.35), Juliet
3.
A plague o' both your houses!
They have made worms' meat of me!
(3.1.95-6), Mercutio
4.
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
(2.2.2-3), Romeo
5.
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life.
(Prologue, 7)
6.
Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
(2.2.197-8), Juliet
7.
See how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!
(2.2.23-5), Romeo

In the Spotlight

Top 10 Quotes from Julius Caesar

Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Julius Caesar (2.2), Csar
Although there were earlier Elizabethan plays on the subject
of Julius Caesar and his turbulent rule, Shakespeare's
penetrating study of political life in ancient Rome is the only
version to recount the demise of Brutus and the other conspirators. Here
are the top ten quotations from Julius Caesar.
_______

Shakespeare on Lawyers and the Law

The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.
Richard II (2.4), Captain
Shakespeare mentions law more than any other profession.
Although we assume Shakespeare did not formally study law,
we see from the many references in the plays that he had
acquired a significant general knowledge of legal terminology.
The legal jargon in Hamlets speech in Act 5 is especially impressive.
Read on...
_______

Shakespeare on Love
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
Romeo and Juliet, 2.2
Here is our collection of Shakespeare's most inspired and romantic passages on
love and devotion.

Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,

To digg the dvst encloased heare.
Bleste be ye man yt spares thes stones,
And cvrst be he yt moves my bones.
Modern spelling:
"Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear,"
"To dig the dust enclosed here."
"Blessed be the man that spares these stones,"
"And cursed be he who moves my bones."

Need to know the basic facts about William Shakespeare and the quartos?
Or want to refresh your knowledge? We have created this section to
get you up to speed.
Who was William Shakespeare?
Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, in
1564. Very little is known about his life, but by 1592 he was in
London working as an actor and a dramatist. Between about 1590
and 1613, Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays and collaborated on
several more. Many of these plays were very successful both at court
and in the public playhouses. In 1613, Shakespeare retired from the
theatre and returned to Stratford-upon-Avon. He died and was buried
there in 1616.
What did he write?
Shakespeare wrote plays and poems. His plays were comedies,
histories and tragedies. His 17 comedies include A Midsummer
Nights Dream and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Among his 10 history
plays are Henry V and Richard III. The most famous among his 10
tragedies are Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear. Shakespeares bestknown poems are The Sonnets, first published in 1609.
What are the quartos?
Shakespeares plays began to be printed in 1594, probably with his
tragedy Titus Andronicus. This appeared as a small, cheap pamphlet
called a quarto because of the way it was printed. Eighteen of
Shakespeares plays had appeared in quarto editions by the time of
his death in 1616. Another three plays were printed in quarto before
1642. In 1623 an expensive folio volume of 36 plays by Shakespeare
was printed, which included most of those printed in quarto.
Why are the quartos important?
None of Shakespeares manuscripts survives, so the printed texts of
his plays are our only source for what he originally wrote. The quarto
editions are the texts closest to Shakespeares time. Some are
thought to preserve either his working drafts (his foul papers) or his
fair copies. Others are thought to record versions remembered by
actors who performed the plays, providing information about staging
practices in Shakespeares day.

Quotation in context
To be, or not to be, that is the question
Hamlet: Act 3, Scene 1
In the first bad quarto of 1603 reads

'To be, or not to be, I theres the

point'
In the second good quarto of 1605 reads

'To be, or not to be, that is the question'