A little reason to celebrate
Talk Like Shakespeare Day
Fun ยท April 23
A day for speaking in the style of Shakespeare's plays, with thee, thou, flowery insults and a little iambic rhythm in everyday talk.
Talk Like Shakespeare Day falls on Friday, April 23, 2027. That is 178 days away.
Picture asking a coworker, "Wouldst thou pass the stapler?" and meaning it. Talk Like Shakespeare Day invites people to borrow the language of William Shakespeare's plays and sonnets for ordinary conversation, from ordering coffee to answering the phone.
The style is easier to try than it looks. Swap "you" for "thou" or "thee," add "-eth" to a verb now and then ("she runneth late"), and reach for words like "anon" for soon and "prithee" for please. Shakespeare often wrote in iambic pentameter, a line of ten syllables that rises and falls like a heartbeat: da DUM, da DUM. Say a sentence that way and it suddenly sounds like it belongs on a stage.
Insults are a popular part of the game. The plays are full of inventive put-downs, and people like to string together old-sounding adjectives and nouns to make their own. Said with a smile, "thou lumpish clotpole" lands more like a compliment to the speaker's vocabulary than an attack.
Many everyday English phrases came into common use through his work or were made famous by it, so most people already speak a little Shakespeare without trying. Reading a scene aloud with friends, quoting a favorite line, or signing an email "thine, as ever" are all easy ways in. Classrooms and libraries sometimes stage short readings, and a few lines of Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth go a long way.
Ways to celebrate
- Greet people with "Good morrow" and part with "Fare thee well."
- Read a short scene aloud with friends or family.
- Write a four-line poem in iambic rhythm.
- Invent a harmless Shakespearean insult and share it kindly.
- Borrow a Shakespeare play from the library.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, April 23 |
| 2027 | Friday, April 23 |
| 2028 | Sunday, April 23 |
| 2029 | Monday, April 23 |
| 2030 | Tuesday, April 23 |
Also on April 23
- National Picnic Day
- National Cherry Cheesecake Day
- National English Muffin Day
- National Lost Dog Awareness Day
- National Take a Chance Day
- Movie Theatre Day
Categories: Fun days