How to teach Shakespearean insults (with this free poster)

William Shakespeare is credited with coining over 1,700 words over his lifetime. According to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, this list includes words like 'bedroom', 'gossip', and even 'alligator' – but your students might be surprised to learn about some of his less complimentary inventions!

In today's blog, we're talking all about Shakespearean insults, from why Shakespeare used insults in his plays, to how you can get your hands on our brand-new Shakespeare Insults Poster!

Why should you teach Shakespearean insults?

As teachers, we spend enough time trying to steer our students away from insults – but when it comes to teaching Shakespeare's language, they can actually be a helpful learning tool for students.

• Engage your students: introducing complex language through amusing insults can help to remove the stigma of Shakespeare as 'scary' or 'too difficult', creating a memorable learning experience.
• Demonstrate literary devices: the best Shakespearean insults use wordplay, alliteration, and plenty of double meanings, encouraging your students to develop their critical thinking skills.
• Build contextual understanding: Shakespeare's insults usually reflect common opinions and beliefs held in Elizabethan England, helping students to discuss and analyze historical contexts.

Shakespearean insult activities for middle schoolers

1. A memorable approach to character analysis

Shakespeare was highly skilled in dramatic irony, which means his insults usually reveal far more than meets the eye. By analyzing who says a specific insult, who the insult is directed at, and where in the play this conversation occurs, students can begin to unlock a deeper understanding of character.

You can try this in the classroom by having students watch or read a particularly insult-heavy scene from the Shakespeare play of your choice. In pairs or small groups, ask them to discuss:

• What insults did you spot in this scene (and what do you think they mean)?
• How would you feel if someone said these things to you?
  
• How did the relationship between these characters change before and after the insults?

💡 Try this activity with Henry and Falstaff's Act 2, Scene 4 conversation in Henry IV, Part 1, or the fast-paced war of words between Petruchio and Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew, Act 2, Scene 1.

2. Finding connections with wider themes and contexts

Shakespeare's wordplay usually reveals common beliefs and opinions of the world he lived in, which means students can uncover key themes and contexts during literary analysis.

This is seen particularly in how Ophelia is treated in Shakespeare's great tragedy, Hamlet. In our Unlocked Study Guide, Hamlet's cruel insults towards Ophelia are highlighted. For example:

"I have heard of your paintings well enough.

God hath given you one face and you make yourselves

another." (Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1)

Hamlet is playing on an insult we still hear today: 'two-faced'. On one level, he is saying that Ophelia hides her real appearance with makeup. On the other, he is saying that she is deceitful and lies to him.

Insulting a woman's honor was one of the worst things you could do in Shakespeare's time. An insult could ruin her reputation, and there was little proof needed for an accusation to be believed. By analyzing the insults thrown at women in Hamlet, students can develop their understanding of gender themes in Shakespeare's plays, and the wider context of life in Elizabethan England.

💡 Explore insults in Hamlet in Act 1, Scene 2, Act 1, Scene 3, and Act 3, Scenes 1-3.

Get your free Shakespeare Insults Poster!