After getting sour looks at the mention of Shakespearian English I decided that a little lesson in old English would be just the thing. Shakespeare, the King James Bible, and Henry VIII’s love poems could all be converted into delightful reads with just a few helpful hints.
Like everything else on this unstable planet, words change over time. Luckily, there is no need to feel like a zany when it comes to interpreting thee’s and thou’s— all you have to do is decipher a few key phrases and “how art thou” will sound no more complex then “wuzzup.”
Doth— does
Thee/thy/thine/thou— you
Ye— you or the
Yon/yonder— over there
Shall—must or can
Anon— later
***
Froward— stubborn
Zany— a silly or foolish person.
As you will— okay or whatever. .
Perchance— maybe or possibly.
Verily— truly
Wherefore— why
***
Now read this: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? And modernize it: Can I compare you to a summer’s day?
