Shakespeare's Wit: From Humor to Filthy Jokes
William Shakespeare's plays are celebrated not only for their profound themes and complex characters but also for their witty and insightful use of language. From the classic Titus Andronicus to the whimsical A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's mastery of wordplay and sharp wit has captivated audiences for centuries. This article explores some of the wittiest lines from his plays, as well as his penchant for dirty jokes and Elizabethan insults.
Witty Quotes from Shakespeare's Plays
Shakespeare's playwright expertise extends far beyond romance and tragedy, showcasing a deep understanding of human nature and a remarkable ability to blend humor, irony, and insight. Here are some examples of his wittiest quotes:
Beatrice
Measure for Measure:
"A word hath power in it to make and mar."
Hamlet
Hamlet:
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Feste
Twelfth Night:
"A knave here! An ass! An ominous ass, an aconitum, a neutron star!"
Portia
Merchant of Venice:
"Would my school boy's heart, When I recollected what thou said'st to me, These twenty three years had but now broke from my bosom, even at thy words,
could it have replied more kindly, more respectfully, more adoreingly, than it doth in your gentle presence now?"
Touchstone
As You Like It:
"I would you could make an end to live; and in that you could do, you should gratefully acknowledgment it to me."
Puck
A Midsummer Night's Dream:
"If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended, that you have seen not shield of the tyrant's peace but his salty sweat, which intelligent with the Phillipian dance the minacket heathen chide."
Kent
King Lear:
"Here I linger to pursue, either to make or unmake myself, as chance shall show me boonish or adverse."
Iago
Othello:
"Cassio's in the clutch. Confess it, pity 'tis I am not mad."
Puns and Crude Humor in Shakespeare's Plays
While Shakespeare's mastery of language and wit is undeniable, his keen sense of humor extends to some rather cruder jokes and insults that were popular in Elizabethan times. Here are some of his most memorable dirty jokes and insults:
Twelfth Night (Act 2, Scene 5)
Malvolio:
"By my life this is my ladys hand these be her very Cs her Us and her Ts and thus makes she her great Ps."
Like a genie from a lamp promising to grant three wishes, Malvolio is effusively praising the anonymous letter he allegedly received from Olivia. Unbeknownst to him, the letter spells "C-U-N-T" and warns him to beware the "great pee."
Hamlet (Act 2, Scene 2)
Hamlet:
"My excellent good friends! How dost thou, Guildenstern? Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do ye both. “
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern respond with a lack of enthusiasm, and Hamlet humorously observes their situation as either being at their height of fortune or the opposite: “Neither my lord.” He jokes that they live close to Fortune's nether regions, a play on words that implies these two friends are in the nether regions, i.e., sexually involved with Fortune.
Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 2)
Hamlet:
"Lady shall I lie in your lap.”
Hamlet: “Ophelia, no my lord.
Hamlet: “I mean my head upon your lap.”
Hamlet: “Do you think I meant country matters?”
Ophelia: “I think nothing, my lord.”
Hamlet: “That’s a fair thought to lie between maids legs.”
Hamlet's dual entendre is typical of his wordplay, where “country matters” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse. Ophelia's response is innocent and literal, while Hamlet's dual meaning is clever.
Othello (Act 1, Scene 1)
Iago:
"I am one sir that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.”
This line, which became widely known after Shakespeare, refers to sexual intercourse and uses colorful language that was fitting for the times but highly amusing to modern audiences.
Elizabethan Insults
Shakespeare was a master of the elaborate and sometimes cruel insult in his plays, reflecting the humor and language of his time. Here are a few examples from his works:
The Comedy of Errors
“Thou whoreson senseless villain! / Thou deformed crooked old and sere / No face worse bodied shapeless everywhere / Vicious ungentle foolish blunt unkind / Stigmatical in making worse in mind.”
1 Henry IV
“Sblood you starveling you elf-skin you dried neats tongue you bulls pizzle you stock-fish! O for breath to utter what is like thee! You tailors-yard you sheath you bowcase you vile standing-tuck!”
3 Henry VI
“Thou mis-shapen dick!”
Much Ado About Nothing
“I wonder that you will still be talking. Nobody marks you.”
Richard III
“Thou unfit for any place but hell. Go to hell.”
Troilus and Cressida
“Thou bitch-wolfs son! Your mom”
These insults, though crude by today’s standards, were common language during Shakespeare’s time, adding a layer of depth and humor to his plays.
Conclusion
From witty repartee to filthy jokes, Shakespeare’s plays showcase his unparalleled linguistic prowess and ability to captivate diverse audiences. Whether delighting with clever wordplay or entertaining with provocative humor, his work remains a timeless treasure of English literature.