 .......Modern
English uses only four pronouns for addressing a person or persons: you,
your, yourself, and yours. The English of Shakespeare’s time
used ten pronouns: thou, thee, thy, thyself, thine, ye, you, your, yourself,
and yours. The rules governing the use of these ten pronouns were
both grammatical and cultural–that is, their application depended not only
on syntax but also on the social status of the person or persons addressed.
The following table shows at a glance second-person pronoun use under these
rules, as well as Shakespeare's varying uses of you, your, yourself,
and yours. In addition, the table includes an entry for ye
as a definite article (or adjective) meaning the.
| Pronoun |
Case or Syntax |
Example |
When Used |
Verb Endings |
| Thou |
Nominative |
Thou art my friend. |
To address a person of inferior
status, such as a child or servant; to address a friend; to impart a poetic
ring when expressing profound thoughts or reciting a prayer |
t, st, and est
Thou art, thou hast
Thou doest, thou wast
Thou hadst |
| Thee |
Objective |
I love thee.
I give thee all my love. |
To address a person of inferior
status, such as a child or servant; to address a friend; to impart a poetic
ring when expressing profound thoughts or reciting a prayer |
Not affected |
| Thy |
Possessive |
Here is thy sword. |
To address a person of inferior
status, such as a child or servant; to address a friend; to impart a poetic
ring when expressing profound thoughts or reciting a prayer. Thy
is not used before words beginning with a vowel or before words beginning
with a silent "h" followed by a vowel. Instead, thine is used. |
Not affected |
| Thine |
Possessive |
This sword is thine. Where is thine
enemy? |
To show possession without a following
noun or with a following noun beginning with a vowel or a silent "h" followed
by a vowel. |
Not affected |
| Thyself |
Reflexive or intensive |
Wash thyself.
Thou thyself art a fool. |
To address a person of inferior
status, such as a child or servant; to address a friend; to impart a poetic
ring when expressing profound thoughts or reciting a prayer |
t, st, and est
Thou thyself art
Thou thyself doest
Thou thyself hadst |
| Ye (early use) |
Nominative |
Ye are mighty lords. |
To address several persons of exalted
social position(s) |
Not affected |
| Ye (later use) |
Nominative or objective |
Ye are a fool.
Ye are all fools.
I'll strike ye down. |
To address one or several persons
of any social status |
Not affected |
| Ye as definite article (early);
pronunciation same as the |
Definite article |
Ye olde tavern (meaning the old
tavern)
Ye gods (meaning the gods) |
To modify a noun in the same way
as the definite article "the." "Y" was a printer's character representing
"th."
Shakespeare generally did not use
"ye" in this sense. |
Not affected |
You, your, yourself, yours
(early use) |
Same as modern English |
You are the king
You are all kings
You yourself are king
You youselves are kings
Your majesty
Your lordship
That jewel of yours |
To address a person or persons of
any status.
Shakespeare sometimes used "you"
and the other pronouns at the far left according to the usage in the above
box, but he also sometimes used them for persons of both high and
low social status. |
Not affected |
.
.......As
the table indicates, Shakespeare sometimes followed the old rules and sometimes
ignored them, preferring you, for example, to thee, thy,
or ye–regardless of who was speaking to whom. In The Merchant
of Venice, Portia uses thou or thee one moment to address
her servant, Nerissa, and you the next to address the same woman.
In Henry V, the hostess uses thy and your in the same
sentence when addressing Nym: “Good Corporal Nym, show thy valour and put
up your sword.” In Richard III, Shakespeare uses the singular or
plural you 379 times in conversations involving commoners, nobles,
and royals. It is fair to say that, given the popularity of his plays with
Elizabethan and Jacobean audiences, he helped the English language make
the transition from the cumbersome thee and thy era to the
simple you era of later centuries.
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