Research Guides: Shakespeare: Quotations & Obscure Words

Quotations and Obscure Words

Glossaries

A Shakespeare Glossary.
By C.T. Onions, enlarged and revised throughout by Robert D. Eagleson.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986.
This alphabetical dictionary defines obscure and obsolete terms in Shakespeare’s works. It also explains allusions, identifies proper names and defines outdated technical terms used in stage direction.

Also available in print.
A Shakespeare Word-Book; Being a Glossary of Archaic Forms and Varied Usages of Words Employed by Shakespeare.
By John A. Foster.
London: G. Routledge, 1908.
Courtesans and Cuckolds: A Glossary of Renaissance Dramatic Bawdy.
By James T. Henke.
London: Routledge, 2017.
Shakespeare's Sexual Language: A Glossary.
By Gordon Williams.
London: Continuum, 2006.

Lexicons

Shakespeare-Lexicon: A Complete Dictionary of All the English Words, Phrases and Constructions in the Works of the Poet: A-L.
Edited by Alexander Schmidt and Gregor Ignatz Sarrazin.
Volume 1.
Berlin: de Gruyter, 2020 [first published in 1923].
Shakespeare-Lexicon: A Complete Dictionary of All the English Words, Phrases and Constructions in the Works of the Poet: M-Z.
Edited by Alexander Schmidt and Gregor Ignatz Sarrazin.
Volume 2.
Berlin: de Gruyter, 2020 [first published in 1923].

Language

Shakespeare's World of Words by Paul Yachnin (Editor)
ISBN: 1474252915

Publication Date: 2015-10-22

Edited by Paul Yachnin.
London: Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare, 2015.
Think on My Words: Exploring Shakespeare's Language.
By David Crystal.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Shakespeare and Language
Edited by Catherine Alexander.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Quotations

Dictionary of Shakespearean Quotations. Exhibiting the Most Forcible Passages, Illustrative of the Various Passions, Affections and Emotions of the Human Mind. Selected and Arranged in Alphabetic Order from the Writings of the Eminent Dramatic Poet.
By Thomas Dolby.
Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger, 1877.
Shakespeare and Quotation
Edited by Julie Maxwell and Kate Rumbold.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations from Shakespeare.
Selected by Mary and Reginald Foakes.
New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.
Organized alphabetically by such topics as age, farewells, miracles, rivers and war, this source identifies who is speaking in which play, along with the act, scene and line numbers each quotation comes from. The List of Topics outlines the contents and a keyword index allows users to find words not included in that list. All citations refer to the Riverside Shakespeare.
The Quotable Shakespeare: A Topical Dictionary.
Using a more sophisticated and extensive range of topics than the Columbia Dictionary, this alphabetical work organizes 6,500 quotations under 1,000 topical headings. Each entry is numbered. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, try the character, title (e.g. The Merchant of Venice) and topic indexes at the back. These refer you to the entry numbers. All citations refer to The Riverside Shakespeare.
Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary; A Complete Dictionary of All the English Words, Phrases, and Constructions in the Works of the Poet.
By Alexander Schmidt. Third edition.
Revised and enlarged by Gregor Sarrazin. New York: Dover Publications, 1971. 2 volumes.
Unlike the Shakespeare Glossary, the Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary defines a wide range of words and phrases, both common and obscure. After the definition, each entry provides sample quotations, along with a list of all the plays (including act, scene and line numbers) containing this word. All references are to the Globe Edition.