[Jerome Betts]

The DNB quotes Thomas Vaughan, Henry's twin brother, also a writer, as saying "English is a Language the Author was not born to".

Shakespeare almost certainly knew some bilingual Welshme in London, but I am curious about the evidence for claiming that 'he knew some Welsh' or that it would confer social prestige in his day.

[Christopher ONeill]

Shakespeare has a substantial part of a scene in Henry IV.1 (III.i) in Welsh, though the text used has not survived. Many editors suggest Jacques' 'ducdame' in As You Like It is easiest to explain as either 'dewch da mi' or 'dameg' - both of which give the meaning Jacques offers.

Ben Jonson in his masque For the Honour of Wales has a character speak in recognisable Welsh for part of a scene.

......

James Howell - the author of the Familiar Letters - has left a poem commemorating his gift to Ben Jonson of Davies' 'Welsh Grammar.' This implies that Ben Jonson at least was seriously interested in the language.

[Tim Murphy]

Christopher, how about posting and discussing a few favorites?

[Jerome Betts]

(Both William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson seem to suggest they know at least some Welsh, so Welsh conferred social status a century earlier).

Christopher, one (possible) garbled word in AYLI and some exchanges and a song in Welsh (whether genuine or simulated) in one scene in H4 Pt 1 hardly suggests to me that Shakespeare necessarily knew any Welsh, any more than the scene in French in Henry V suggests that he was necessarily a fluent French speaker.

He could get enough 'French' for theatrical purposes from French Huguenots in London. Similarly 'Welsh' from Welsh-speaking informants in the community, actors or musicians. The actors of the day had to memorise parts from many different plays and could probably manage enough 'Welsh' to pass as such for a largely English-speaking audience, whatever they were actually saying.

Shakespeare doesn't suggest anything about knowing some Welsh, and even if he had how does it follow that this shows that Welsh conferred social status in England in late Elizabethan times? Birth, money, a grant of arms, yes, but a knowledge of Welsh . . . antiquarian street cred at best.

Shakespeare provided dialogue to bring characters to life on the stage. You cannot infer from Hotspur's theatrically effective attitude to Glendower that the playwright necessarily shared this view of him as a pretentious windbag.