Explore "thou" and "you" in Shakespeare's plays

In this section you can check your knowledge on the basis of extracts from Shakespeare's plays.

The passages have been adjusted to fit the text of the film scenes (which are quite close to the original).

For each scene you will be given the context, including information on the social status and the relationship of the characters.

Make sure you know who belonged to the upper and lower classes and that you are familiar with the use of thou and you in different contexts.

To watch the scenes, you need for example the Quicktime player which you can download for free here.

• King Lear, Act I, Scene 1, example 1
• King Lear, Act I, Scene 1, example 2
• King Lear, Act I, Scene 1, example 3
• King Lear, Act I, Scene 4, example 4
• Much Ado About Nothing, Act II, Scene 3, example 5
• Much Ado About Nothing, Act III, Scene 1, example 6
• Much Ado About Nothing, Act III, Scene 3, example 7
• Much Ado About Nothing, Act V, Scene 1, example 8
• Much Ado About Nothing, Act V, Scene 1, example 9
• Much Ado About Nothing, Act V, Scene 2, example 10
• Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene 3, example 11
• Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene 5, example 12
• Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 2, example 13
• Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 4, example 14
• Romeo and Juliet, Act III, Scene 1, example 15
• Romeo and Juliet, Act III, Scene 1, example 16