art = are
dost = do
doth = does
'ere = before
hast = have
'tis = it is
'twas = it was
wast = were
whence = from where
wherefore = why
hence = from here
oft = often
yea = even
ay = yes
aught = anything
yon, yonder = that one there
would (he were) = I wish (he were)
marry = (a mild swear word)
nay = no
hie = hurry
acknown: aware. [Othello]
adventure my discretion: risk my reputation. [The Tempest]
aery: nest. [Hamlet]
affectioned: affected, one who puts on airs. [Twelfth Night]
affections swayed: passions ruled. [Julius Caesar]
against the hair: or, as we say, "against the grain," a metaphor from brushing the hair of an animal the opposite way to which it lies. [Romeo and Juliet]
agnize: acknowledge. [Othello]
aimed so near: guessed as much. [Romeo and Juliet]
alarum'd: summoned to action. [Macbeth]
alike bewitched: each of them equally enchanted. [Romeo and Juliet]
all exercise: i.e., all their habitual activity. [The Tempest]
ambition: for the Elizabethans the word had the special meaning of unscrupulous pursuit of power. [Julius Caesar]
amerce: punish. [Romeo and Juliet]
Anon, anon: In a moment! [Macbeth]
anters: caves. [Othello]
a patient list: the limits of patience. [Othello]
apparent prodigies: wonders that have appeared. [Julius Caesar]
argal: therefore. [Hamlet]
aroint thee: begone. [King Lear]
arrant: out-and-out. [Hamlet]
arras: tapestry, commonly hung in medieval castles from ceiling to floor for the prevention of drafts. [Hamlet]
as thou list: any way you like. [The Tempest]
asquint: crookedly, falsely. [King Lear]
atomies: miniature beings. [Romeo and Juliet]
augurers: priests who interpreted omens. [Julius Caesar]
auspicious mistress: as a favorable influence. [King Lear]
bastinado: thrashing or cudgeling. [King Henry IV, Part 1]
batten: glut yourself. [Hamlet]
bawbling: small. [Twelfth Night]
YOU ARE READING
Designing Your Character & Other Handy Things
RandomCharacters are hard to create. So consider this book a giant cheat sheet of all your writing needs. This book not only helps writers create their characters, but is a menagerie of descriptions for your stories: Smells. Sounds Instead of Said Describ...
