Here is quick guide to some common Elizabethan terms you will find while reading Shakespeare.
| Elizabethan | Contemporary |
| Adieu | Goodbye |
| Affright | Frightened |
| An | If |
| Annon | Soon as in “I will see you soon!” |
| Aroint | Away |
| Bedchamber | Bedroom |
| Sirrah | Boy (usually used to address an inferior) |
| Counsel | Advice |
| Discourse | Speak |
| Dispatch | Kill |
| Doth | Does |
| E’en | Evening |
| Fare thee well | Goodbye/Good Luck |
| Foe | Enemy |
| Good Morrow | Hello/Good Morning |
| Hark | Listen |
| Heavy | Sad/Depressed |
| Hither | Here |
| Mark | Pay attention |
| Merry | Depending on how it is said it could mean happy or expletive “Indeed!” |
| Methings | I think |
| Nay | No |
| Ne’r | Never |
| Oft | Often |
| Perchance | Maybe |
| Plague | Curse |
| Pox | Depending on context, it could be talking about Small Pox, or is said as a curse. |
| Privy | Knowledgeable |
| Resolve | Plan |
| Soft | Wait a minute |
| Thee | You as the subject |
| Thou | You as an object |
| Thou art | You are |
| Thy | Your |
| Tidings | News |
| Well Met | Hello |
| Wherefore | Why |
| Whereto | To Which |
| Withal | With |
| Woe | Misery |
| Would | Wish |
The Groundling's Guide to Shakespeare 