About the Shakespeare Translator
The Shakespeare translator rewrites modern English with vocabulary from Elizabethan plays: you becomes thou or thee, your becomes thy, does becomes doth, and hello becomes good morrow.
It is not a full grammar engine, so the results are theatrical rather than scholarly, but it is perfect for silly messages, drama class warmups and invitations to a Renaissance-themed party.
How to use it
- Type a sentence in modern English.
- Read the Shakespearean version as you type.
- Copy it for your message, card or script.
Example: Modern to Shakespeare
Before: Hello my friend, are you coming to the party tonight? I think you are very funny.
After: Good morrow my good friend, art thou coming to the revelry this night? Methinks thou art most funny.
Shakespearean words and their meanings
- thou: you (as the subject)
- thee: you (as the object)
- thy / thine: your / yours
- art: are, as in thou art
- hath / doth: has / does
- good morrow: good morning, hello
- prithee: please, I pray thee
- gramercy: thank you
- perchance: maybe
- wherefore: why
- ere: before
- anon: soon
- methinks: I think
- forsooth: truly, indeed
- hark: listen
- knave: a rascal or scoundrel
- sirrah: a way to address a man of lower rank
- zounds: an exclamation of surprise
- fare thee well: goodbye
- 'tis / 'twas: it is / it was
Shakespeare Translator FAQ
- Is Shakespeare's English the same as Old English?
- No. Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English. Old English, the language of Beowulf, is so different that modern readers need a translation.
- When do you use thou versus thee?
- Thou is the subject, like I or he, and thee is the object, like me or him. For example: thou art kind, and I thank thee.
