One of Shakespeare’s most appealing yet perhaps underpraised talents is his ability to readily coin insults that fit the moment and the mood. Try our quiz about a few of the many memorable insults in Shakespeare’s plays.
Quiz Maker – powered by Riddle
Shakespearean insults are a perennially popular topic. Explore them in a lively activity for all ages in the Folger exhibition halls, Shake Up Your Shakespeare. And they’re fun to create, too. Look for our list of “Shakespearean insults, compliments, and quotations” in Shakespeare for Kids. You might also mull over the text next to the outdoor statue of Puck, which gazes toward the Capitol, “Lord, what fools these mortals be.” And take a look at the Folger Shop for insult-filled games and books.
On exhibit
Our Shakespeare Exhibition
Keep exploring
How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England
Historian Ruth Goodman covers all the things we don’t usually talk about in polite company—dirty words, bad manners, criminal conduct, and sex—in How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England. She shares what bad behavior can tell us about Shakespeare’s world and our own today.
A Pamphlet War in England, 1641-1643
During the English Civil War, pamphlets were being disseminated from every perspective, factual to wrathful, including a fascinating pamphlet war between John Taylor, a waterman turned poet and satirist, and Henry Walker, an ironmonger and unlicensed preacher.
Shakespeare LOL
Audiences sometimes go from roaring with laughter to scratching their heads when it comes to Shakespeare’s jokes 400 years later. How (and why) has “what’s funny” changed over the years—and what’s still a guaranteed belly laugh?
Stay connected
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.