Shakespearean Insult Handout and the Insult Generator
When we think of Shakespeare, we often think of his beautiful poetry and prose, his sonnets and his extraordinary use of the English language.
However, one thing that must be kept in mind is the context of the plays, and how the upper/middle/lower classes and peasants viewed going to a play. We learned on our first day that plays were not fancy affairs, but were a way for everybody to seek enjoyment and merriment. In order to help appease and satisfy the audience, Shakespeare incorporated not just fanciful and beautiful dialogue, but also some truly creative insults.
The button below will take you to an insult generator website, where you can click on a button and be rewarded with a short or long insult from any one of Shakespeare's many plays. Try it out!
However, one thing that must be kept in mind is the context of the plays, and how the upper/middle/lower classes and peasants viewed going to a play. We learned on our first day that plays were not fancy affairs, but were a way for everybody to seek enjoyment and merriment. In order to help appease and satisfy the audience, Shakespeare incorporated not just fanciful and beautiful dialogue, but also some truly creative insults.
The button below will take you to an insult generator website, where you can click on a button and be rewarded with a short or long insult from any one of Shakespeare's many plays. Try it out!
I'm also including a handout I received at Western that lists several of the insults found within Romeo and Juliet. The instructions for how to start shocking your friends and family with your clever wit are listed at the top of the page. Feel free to partner up and try some of the insults out. Write down any insults that are particularly good, and at the end of class we can have an insult-off.
Make sure you use google to research the definitions of the words, so you know what you're calling your friends!
Make sure you use google to research the definitions of the words, so you know what you're calling your friends!