Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
Shakespearean. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Shakespearean, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Shakespearean in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
Shakespearean you have here. The definition of the word
Shakespearean will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
Shakespearean, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Shakespeare + -ean.
Pronunciation
Adjective
Shakespearean (comparative more Shakespearean, superlative most Shakespearean)
- (literature) Of or pertaining to, characteristic of, associated with, or suggestive of William Shakespeare (an English playwright), his works, or his authorship, or the time in which he lived.
1851 June – 1852 April, Harriet Beecher Stowe, chapter XI, in Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life among the Lowly, volume I, Boston, Mass.: John P Jewett & Company; Cleveland, Oh.: Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, published 20 March 1852, →OCLC:[…] there were those who had them set far over back—wide-awake men, who wanted a clear prospect; while careless men, who did not know, or care, how their hats sat, had them shaking about in all directions. The various hats, in fact, were quite a Shakespearean study.
1922, G K Chesterton, “The Hole in the Wall”, in The Man Who Knew Too Much , London: Cassell and Company, pages 80–81:The boisterous Bulmer playfully made a pass at him with his drawn sword, going forward with the lunge in the proper fencing fashion, and making a somewhat too familiar Shakespearean quotation about a rodent and a Venetian coin.
1973, Gore Vidal, chapter 25, in Burr:Meanwhile, I presided over the Senate. I also dined quite frequently with the President who continued to delight and fascinate me with his conversation, not to mention his wonderful malice which was positively Shakespearean in its variety.
2023 May 7, Michael Billington, “The Coronation review – immaculately rehearsed, touching and Shakespearean”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:There was indeed something Shakespearean about both the service in the abbey and the marches that surrounded it. By Shakespearean I mean there was a blend of pageantry, procession, music and mystery.
- Derivative of Shakespeare's works or authorship.
- Composed of Shakespearean sonnets.
Derived terms
Translations
pertaining to Shakespeare or his works
Noun
Shakespearean (plural Shakespeareans)
- A scholar of the works of Shakespeare.
1909, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “Is Shakespeare Dead?”, in What Is Man? And Other Essays, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers, published May 1917, page 341:Another lawyer and well-known Shakespearian, Richard Grant White, says: "No dramatist of the time, not even Beaumont, who was the younger son of a judge of the Common Pleas, and who after studying in the Inns of Court abandoned law for the drama, used legal phrases with Shakespeare's readiness and exactness. […]"
- A person trained to act in Shakespeare's plays.