If you need a Shakespeare translator, you are in the right place. This free tool turns your modern English into Shakespearean English in one click. Type a sentence like “Hello, how are you?” and get “Hail, how art thou?” back, ready to copy. It is built for fun, school projects, and parties, and it runs entirely in your browser with no sign-up.
Shakespeare Translator
Type modern English below and press translate. The tool swaps in thee, thou, thy and thine, gives verbs their -eth endings, and seasons the rest with the Bard’s own vocabulary.
A playful stylizer, not a scholar. It follows the famous patterns of Early Modern English (thou/thee/thy, -eth verb endings, classic word swaps) but real Shakespeare is subtler. For the full grammar, see our Shakespearean English guide.
Watch: Could You Understand English of Shakespeare's Time?
Before you translate, it helps to hear how Shakespeare's English actually worked. This short video walks through famous lines like "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" and explains what words like wherefore, thou, and art really meant, so your translations land even better.
How the Shakespeare Translator Works
The tool works in four passes, the same way a friendly guide would rewrite your sentence. First it expands contractions, then it swaps whole phrases like "you are" into "thou art", then it trades single words like "hello" for "hail", and finally it gives ordinary verbs their Shakespearean -eth ending, so "speaks" becomes "speaketh". Capitalization and punctuation stay exactly where you put them.
- Type or paste your text. Anything from a single line to a whole paragraph works.
- Press the translate button. The translation happens instantly in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
- Copy the result. Use the copy button, or try a sample chip to see the tool in action first.
Shakespeare Translator Examples
Here is what the tool does with everyday lines:
| Modern English | Shakespearean English |
|---|---|
| Hello my friend, how are you today? | Hail my good fellow, how art thou this day? |
| Do not be afraid. I will help you. | Do not be afeared. I will aid thee. |
| I love you with all my heart. | I love thee with all my heart. |
| Why are you so angry? | Wherefore art thou so wroth? |
| Thank you for the good news. | I thank thee for the good tidings. |
| He speaks very quickly. | He speaketh most with haste. |
The Building Blocks of Shakespearean English
Three simple patterns do most of the work. Learn them and you can write like the Bard without any tool.
1. The pronouns: thou, thee, thy, thine
Modern English uses "you" for everything. Shakespeare's English had four words for it. Thou is the subject (thou art kind), thee is the object (I thank thee), thy goes before a consonant (thy sword), and thine goes before a vowel or stands alone (thine eyes, it is thine). Our full thee, thou, thy, thine chart lays this out with examples.
2. The verb endings: -eth and -est
Third-person verbs take -eth: he speaks becomes he speaketh, she runs becomes she runneth. With thou, verbs take -est: thou speakest, thou runnest. A few famous verbs are irregular: hath for has, doth for does, art for are.
3. The vocabulary swaps
A few dozen word changes sell the whole effect: hello becomes hail, goodbye becomes farewell, please becomes prithee, yes becomes aye, no becomes nay, and news becomes tidings. The Shakespearean words glossary collects the most useful ones with meanings.
Tips for the Best Translation
- Write plainly first. Short, clear sentences translate best. The tool keeps your meaning and dresses it in period clothing.
- Read it aloud. Shakespearean English was written for the stage. If it sounds grand spoken, it reads grand on the page.
- Going the other way? Paste the Bard's own lines into our Shakespeare to English translator to decode them into plain modern English.
- Want insults or praise? Try the Shakespeare insult generator for comedy, or the Shakespeare compliment generator for charm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Shakespeare translator free?
Yes. It is completely free with no sign-up, no limits, and no downloads. Everything runs in your browser.
Is the translation accurate Early Modern English?
It is a playful stylizer, not a scholarly edition. It follows the famous patterns, thou and thee, -eth endings, classic vocabulary, but real Shakespeare is more subtle and varied. For schoolwork, always check important lines against a real edition or our Shakespearean English guide.
Can I translate long passages?
Yes. Paste whole paragraphs and the tool handles them at once. Very long texts still work, though the page may take a breath on older phones.
Does it work in reverse, Shakespeare to modern English?
This page goes modern to Shakespearean. For the reverse direction, use our Shakespeare to English translator, which decodes thou, thee, thy, and -eth verbs back into plain English.
Why does "you" sometimes become "thee" and sometimes "thou"?
Thou is the subject form and thee is the object form. The tool uses common phrase patterns, like "help you" becoming "aid thee", to pick the right one in the most frequent cases.
Can I use the output in my school project or play?
Yes. The output is yours to use anywhere: essays, party invitations, wedding vows, or stage dialogue. If you want to write it yourself next time, our how to write like Shakespeare guide teaches the method.