|
Shakespeare's word |
Meaning (in the sample usage) |
# |
Reference(s) |
Sample usage |
|
quaint |
curiously beautiful; pun on Latin for female member |
10 |
Merch 3.4 |
Like a fine bragging youth, and tell quaint lies, |
|
quern |
hand-mill for grinding corn |
1 |
Mids |
|
|
quest |
jury (also used in modern sense of 'search') |
8 |
Rich III 1.4 |
What lawful quest have given their verdict up |
| quillets | quibbles, niceties (wisecracks) (all 6 instances are in the plural) |
6 | Oth 3.1 | Prithee, keep up thy quillets. |
When
I was in college, struggling through my Signet volume of
Shakespeare, I didn't have the time, money, or inclination to buy audio
tapes of the plays. I've done so recently, and what a difference.
In part, because Shakespeare was meant to be heard (and seen), and in part, because the English language has changed, listening to King Lear, or any of the plays, while reading the text, adds a whole new dimension.
The humor becomes clearer; anger is better conveyed; the
reader/listener at once can absorb so much more of the play. For King Lear this version with Sir Laurence
Olivier