Thou and Thee, You and Ye

A Primer on Shakespearean Pronouns

Maintained as a public service by Michael J. Cummings, a freelance writer in Williamsport, PA, USA By Michael J. Cummings.. 2003

.......Modern English uses only four pronouns for addressing a person or persons: you, your, yourself, and yours. The English of Shakespeares 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 culturalthat 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 secondperson 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
t, st, and est Thou art, thou hast Thou doest, thou wast Thou hadst

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

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 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. To show possession without a following noun or with a following noun beginning with a vowel or a silent "h" followed by a vowel. 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.

Not affected

Thine

Possessive

This sword is thine. Where is thine enemy?

Not affected

Thyself

Reflexive or intensive

Wash thyself. Thou thyself art a fool.

t, st, and est Thou thyself art

Thou thyself doest Thou thyself hadst Ye are mighty lords. Ye are a fool. Ye are all fools. I'll strike ye down. Ye olde tavern (meaning the old tavern) Ye gods (meaning the gods) 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 several persons of exalted social position(s) Not affected

Ye (early use)

Nominative

Ye (later use)

Nominative or objective

To address one or several persons of any social status

Not affected

Ye as definite article (early); pronunciation same as the

Definite article

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

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 yeregardless 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.