Correct Pronunciation of Shakesperian Names

Shakespearean Names

A Simplified Pronouncing Guide for some of Shakespeare's Names

Gary Logan
Head of Voice and Speech
National Theatre Conservatory

Listen To Shakespearean Names

A few simple rules apply to names when pronounced for Shakespeare's plays: French names, and other foreign names (but French especially), are given virtually no native integrity — that is, they are rarely pronounced the way they sound in their native tongue. How often in conversation do you say Paris, France the way the French do? How did you say it when you just read it? See what I mean? They are Anglicized in Shakespeare, too, on purpose. To pronounce them as French words, or with a pseudo-French affectation, only goes against their purpose and meaning in Shakespeare. Also, since Shakespeare wrote verse in a particular metrical pattern, he tinkered with some names to fit his verse line.

A key to the pronunciation guide:

A or a, as in hat	OR or or, as in for
AY or ay, as in cake	OOR or oor, as in poor
UH or uh, as in above	AHR or ahr, as in are
AH or ah, as in don	AYR or ayr, as in air
AW or aw, as in draw	EER or eer, as in pier
OH or oh, as in coat	IGH or igh, as in eye
EE or ee, as in tree	OO or oo, as in two
IH or ih, as in bib	EH or eh, as in said
UR or ur, as in fur	U or u, as in put
TH or th, as in thin	ZH or zh, as in rouge
TH or th, as in this	CH or ch, as in church

Abhorson	uhb-HOR-suhn	Achilles	uh-KIH-leez
Adriana	ay-dree-A-nuh or ay-dree-AH-nuh	Aegle	EE-glee
Agenor	uh-JEE-nur	Aguecheek	AY-gyoo-cheek
Anthony	AN-tuh-nee	Ariel	AYR-ee-l
Ate	AY-tee or AH-tay	Bacchus	BA-kuhs (never BAH-kuhs)
Bassanio	buh-SAH-nee-oh	Benedick	BEH-nuh-dihk
Berowne	buh-ROON	Bolingbroke	BAH-lihn-bruk
Caius	KIGH-uhs or KAY-uhs	Calais	KA-luhs or KA-lay
Caliban	KA-lih-ban	Capulet	KAP-yoo-let
Charmian	KAHR-mee-uhn or CHAHR-mee-uhn	Cinna	SIH-nuh
Circe	SUR-see	Comfect	KUHM-fiht
Corioli	kuh-RIGH-uh-ligh	Dauphin	DAW-fihn (Shakespeare originally spelled it and pronounced it like the sea creature, i.e. DAHL-fihn)
Dian	DIGH-an	Dido	DIGH-doh
Egeus	ih-JEE-uhs	Feste	FEHS-tee
Fleance	FLEE-uhns	Fortinbras	FOR-tihn-bras
Ganymede	GA-nih-meed	Glamis	GLAHMZ or GLAH-mihz (depending on the meter)
Gloucester	GLAW-stur	Golgotha	GAWL-guh-thuh
Goneril	GAH-nuh-rul	Greenwich	GRIH-nihj or GREH-nihch
Hecate	HEH-kiht	Hecuba	HEH-kyoo-buh
Hippolyta	hih-PAH-lih-tuh	Holofernes	haw-luh-FUR-neez
Iago	ee-AH-goh	Jaques	JAYKS or JAY-kihs (depending on the meter. Never JAY-kweez)
July	JOO-ligh or JOO-lee	Juliet	JOOL-yeht
Laban	LAY-buhn	Lavache	luh-VACH
Leicester	LEH-stur	Leonato	lee-uh-NAH-toh or lay-uh-NAH-toh
Lucrece	LOO-krees or LYOO-krees	Lysander	ligh-SAN-dur
Michaelmas	MIH-kl-muhs	Milan	MIH-luhn
Moor	MOOR	Montague	MON-tuh-gyoo
Moth	MAWTH or MOHT	Niobe	NIGH-oh-bee
Norfolk	NOR-fuhk	Oberon	OH-buh-rahn
Orsino	or-SEE-noh	Othello	uh-THEH-loh
Pandarus	PAN-duh-ruhs	Perdita	PUR-dih-tuh
Petruchio	puh-TROO-kyoh	Phaëton	FAY-uh-tuhn
Phoebe	FEE-bee	Phoebus	FEE-buhs
Plantagenet	plan-TA-juh-niht	Plautus	PLAW-tuhs
Posthumus	pawst-HYOO-muhs	Prospero	PRAH-spur-oh
Romeo	ROH-myoh	Scone	SKOHN or SKOON
Setebos	SEH-tih-bahs	Shrewsbury	SHROOZ-buh-ree or SHROHZ-buh-ree
Southwark	SUH-thurk	Stephano	STEH-fuh-noh
Strachy	STRAY-chee	Suffolk	SUH-fuhk
Sycorax	SIH-kuh-raks	Tamora	TA-muh-ruh
Thames	TEHMZ	Theseus	THEE-see-uhs
Thisbe	THIHZ-bee	Tibalt	TIH-bult
Titania	tih-TAHN-yuh or tih-TAN-yuh	Ursula	UR-suh-luh or UR-syoo-luh, and sometimes URS-luh
Verges	VUR-jihs	Viola	VIGH-uh-luh
Warwick	WAW-rihk	Worcester	WU-stur
Yorick	YAW-rihk

There are hundreds of proper names in Shakespeare. Where can you look them up? There are two guides I recommend:

Irvine, Theodora; A Pronouncing Dictionary of Shakespearean Proper Names, Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1945.
Kökeritz, Helge; Shakespeare's Names, A Pronouncing Dictionary,Yale University Press, 1972.

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