The Bard Says: Hey, That Wasn’t Nice

October 13, 2007 in Shakespearean Quotes | No comments

Ah, Shakespearean insults. Is there any topic more adored by bored scholars and ren-faire geeks across the English-speaking world?

I find that I can’t single out any of Will’s insults as particularly applicable in real-world conversation. Usually when you insult someone you want them to feel insulted, not to laugh at you for angrily spouting Elizabethan poetry. So you may want to save your Shakespearean insults for more jocular occasions with friends. The following quote would be an amusing quip for after someone’s told you something bad they’ve done:

And thou unfit for any place but hell.

(R3.I.2.287)

Or you could vary it to “Thou art unfit for any place but hell,” as No Sweat Shakespeare does on their insults page. (Note that many of the insults are from Richard III, because Richard wasn’t generally in good standing with his peers. Except Clarence, but that didn’t last long.)

The most creative presentation of Will’s insults that I’ve found leaves a bit to be desired in the design department but offers an entertaining experience nonetheless; it compares Shakespeare’s insults to insults by Mark E. Smith of The Fall.

Photo by Yogi.

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