abstract
| - The immense popularity of William Shakespeare and the King James version of The Bible has made the style in which those works were written very popular. For this reason, Flowery Elizabethan English is often the first thing that writers turn to when they want to show that a character is extremely old-fashioned -- generally more so than an ordinary human could be. Their speech will be sprinkled with terms like "prithee" or "forsooth", and use obsolete pronouns like "thee" or "thou". This is often used for immortals or near-immortals, like elves or gods, or for characters with a very strong connection to the era (perhaps a hyper-obsessive scholar). It can be used in alternate worlds and Fantasy works where there never was an Elizabethan England. May also be used by time travelers. Works written during or set in the Elizabethan era do not qualify, however, as the purpose there is quite different. This even occurs in translated works, where it may signal a similar level of old-fashionedness in the original, or, in a language like Japanese, a formal or traditional style of speech that has no direct analogue in English. In extreme cases, the characters may use Gratuitous Iambic Pentameter as well. When done badly, perhaps for humor, may shade into Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe. For characters who speak like they came from the much-later Victorian era, see Antiquated Linguistics. Talk Like a Pirate is similar, but quite distinct. Examples of Flowery Elizabethan English include:
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