Shakespeare’s Language - Second Edition - A Glossary of Unfamiliar Words in His Plays and Poems

Q: What does this book focus on?

It provides a glossary of unfamiliar words in Shakespeare’s plays and poems, aimed at helping readers understand early modern and obsolete vocabulary.

Q: What kind of edition is included?

The material is from the second edition, with a preface explaining updates since the first edition.

Q: Which sources are acknowledged for preparing the glossary?

The book credits major reference works such as the Oxford English Dictionary, Shakespeare lexicons and glossaries, and authoritative Shakespeare editions, along with additional dictionaries used for spelling and related details.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn

Reference glossary mapping unfamiliar vocabulary from Shakespeare’s plays and poems to accessible meanings. Features front-matter content including the second-edition preface, an introduction to Shakespeare and his language, abbreviations, and a structured list of works. Includes scholarly citation practice and bibliographical support, with coverage aimed at Elizabethan/early modern word usage, obsolete forms, and interpretation tips drawn from major dictionaries and Shakespeare editions. Extensive indexing and cross-references support lookup.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages657

Reading Time16 h 52 min

AccessFree to download

Acknowledgments

Preface to the Second Edition

An Introduction to Shakespeare and His Language

Abbreviations

Shakespeare’s Works

Shakespeare’s Language

Chronology of the Plays & Poems of William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

Bibliography

Shakespeare’s Language =< Second Edition A Glossary of Unfamiliar Words in His Plays and Poems EUGENE F. SHEWMAKER Shakespeare’s Language, Second Edition Copyright © 1996, 2008 Eugene F. Shewmaker All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shewmaker, Eugene F. Shakespeare’s language / Eugene F. Shewmaker.—2nd ed. [p. cm](p. cm). Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-7125-8 (acid-free paper) 1. Shakespeare, William, 1564–1616—Language—Glossaries, etc. 2. English language—Early modern, 1500–1700—Dictionaries. 3. English language—Obsolete words—Dictionaries. I. Title. PR2892 .S447 2008 822.3'3—dc22 2007016138 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at [http://www.factsonfile.com](http://www.factsonfile.com) Text design by Kerry Casey Printed in the United States of America VB CGI 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper and contains 30% post-consumer recycled content. To the memories of HARDIN CRAIG and MAURICE EVANS, distinguished Shakespearean interpretersand treasured friends. =< And to the memory of my mother, LUCILLE M. SHEWMAKER, whose constant encouragement (and prodding) kept me at it. Contents =< Acknowledgments vii Preface to the Second Edition ix An Introduction to Shakespeare and His Language xiii Abbreviations xxv Shakespeare’s Works xxvii Shakespeare’s Language 1 Chronology of the Plays & Poems of William Shakespeare (1564–1616) 625 Bibliography 627 Acknowledgments =< I should like to express my gratitude for several sources that proved invaluable in preparing this glossary, chief among them the monumental Oxford English Dictionary, with its comprehensive coverage of Elizabethan words; the Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary by Alexander Schmidt, first printed 1874, reissued 1971; and A Shakespeare Glossary by C. T. Onions (rev. 1986 by R. D. Eagleson) The text quotes (except for the sonnets, King Edward III, Sir Thomas More, and The Two Noble Kinsmen) are from The Arden Shakespeare, general editor Richard Proudfoot. For the sonnets, I have used The Oxford Shakespeare, edited by W. J. Craig (1966), A. L. Rowse’s Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Helen Vendler’s admirable edition, The Art of Shakespeare’s Sonnets, as well as Katherine Duncan-Jones’s recent Arden edition. For King Edward III I have used the Cambridge University Press edition, edited by Giorgio Melchiori; for Sir Thomas More, the Kessinger Publishing edition; and for The Two Noble Kinsmen, the text in The Riverside Shakespeare, edited by G. Blakemore Evans. In addition to the Riverside and Arden editions, I made use of several other outstanding onevolume editions of the plays and poems: Shakespeare, the Complete Works (Harcourt, Brace: G. B. Harrison, ed.); The Complete Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare (Houghton Mifflin: William Allan Neilson and Charles Jarvis Hill, eds.); The Yale Shakespeare (Wilbur L. Cross and Tucker Brooke, eds.); and The Complete Works of Shake- speare (HarperCollins: David Bevington, ed.) . Also of substantial help were The Oxford Shakespeare (Standard Authors Edition, 1966) and The Works of Shakespeare (Oxford, Head Press Edition, 1938) . Of considerable help, too, were Harley Granville-Barker’s perceptive Prefaces to Shakespeare; Hardi

FAQs

What does this book focus on?

It provides a glossary of unfamiliar words in Shakespeare’s plays and poems, aimed at helping readers understand early modern and obsolete vocabulary.

What kind of edition is included?

The material is from the second edition, with a preface explaining updates since the first edition.

Which sources are acknowledged for preparing the glossary?

The book credits major reference works such as the Oxford English Dictionary, Shakespeare lexicons and glossaries, and authoritative Shakespeare editions, along with additional dictionaries used for spelling and related details.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn