Talk Like Shakespeare Day for the year 2024 is celebrated/observed on Sunday, April 23rd. There are until the next observance.

Talk Like Shakespeare Day, celebrated on April 23, allows us to speak like one of the most important playwrights of all time, William Shakespeare. We may speak like the “Bard of Avon,” as he was also called, by substituting “you” and “thee” or “thou” for simple terms like “you” and “they.” The Chicago Shakespeare Theater started this fun day in 2009, which was officiated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and has been celebrated ever since.

📆 When is Talk Like Shakespeare Day?

This year, Talk Like Shakespeare Day is on April 23rd. It is the 4th Sunday in April; in 2024, it is on Tuesday.

Countdown to Talk Like Shakespeare Day

Did you know: When Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, she was eight years his senior and three months pregnant with their first child.

You can also learn all interesting things you didn’t know about and facts about April 23, 2023.

📜 History of Talk Like Shakespeare Day

Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children. Between 1585 and 1592, he became a successful actor, playwright, and owner of a performing company, which is a group of actors. This led to a successful career as a playwright.

Shakespeare authored many sonnets, plays, and narrative poems during his lifetime, particularly in the genres of comedy, history, and tragedy. However, tragedies such as “Romeo and Juliet,” “Hamlet,” “Othello,” “King Lear,” and “Macbeth” were among his most popular and greatest compositions in the English language. He retired at the age of 49 in 1613 and died three years later.

The Chicago Shakespeare Theater, which inspired Talk Like Shakespeare Day, opened in 1921 and originally included both motion pictures and live performances. Each year, the theater arranges up to 20 shows and 650 performances and has been recognized with national and international honors as well as leaders in the industry. This day was made up in 2009 to honor the great author. It was based on Talk Like a Pirate Day.

William Shakespeare utilized a particular style of speech in all of his plays, mostly to entertain, and while his works had a significant impact on the English language, they did not represent the real way people spoke at the time.

Talk Like Shakespeare Day wants us to get in touch with our inner Bard and appreciate how creative he was with language.

☑️ Talk Like Shakespeare Day facts

He wasn’t sure of his last name either
William Shakespeare spelled his surname over 80 different ways and always signed with abbreviations.

He wore an earring
Shakespeare is seen wearing a gold hoop earring in his left ear in one of the most iconic images.

His dad had a lot of jobs
Shakespeare’s father was a glove manufacturer who also worked odd jobs, such as being paid to drink beer.

Things to do on Talk Like Shakespeare Day

Talk like the Bard
Have a good chuckle by copying Shakespeare’s conversation writing style. If you’ve read or seen any of Shakespeare’s plays, you know it’s not an easy task. Replace “it” with the letter “t” so that “it is” becomes “tis,” and “it will” becomes “t’will. You may also add ‘eth’ to the end of verbs like ‘runneth’, ‘falleth’, and so on.

Read some Shakespeare
Another excellent way to commemorate the occasion is to read one of his masterpieces. Although his works might be tough, there are many Shakespeare pieces that are simple to read, such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Watch a production
Are you not a reader? That’s OK because several of Shakespeare’s writings have been adapted into films. You may watch numerous versions of “Romeo and Juliet” from the comfort of your own home.

📅 Talk Like Shakespeare Day Observances

YEAR DATE DAY
2023 April 23 Sunday
2024 April 23 Tuesday
2025 April 23 Wednesday
2026 April 23 Thursday
2027 April 23 Friday

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We will continue to update this page with new information and must-know facts about Talk Like Shakespeare Day. So be sure to check back soon.