It came by sea,
a love that sings
both high and low.
This complete, line-by-line translation makes the language of Shakespeare's romantic comedy contemporary while preserving the metrical rhythm, complexity, and poetic qualities of the original. The aim is to capture both sound and sense without the need for glosses or notes—to use contemporary language without simplifying or modernizing the play in any other way. Readers experience this hilarious tale of mistaken identity and frustrated love with the challenge, comprehension, and delight of audiences 400 years ago—the way Shakespeare intended. Original. Illustrations. Appendix: How Iambic Pentameter Works
See for yourself. Take a peek at the Twelfth Night excerpt below.
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- What is a Verse Translation?
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Twelfth Night Translation Excerpt
From Act 1 Scene 1
DUKE ORSINO (Duke of Illyria)
If music is the food of love, play on.
Fill me with such excess, that gorged on it,
My craving turns to sickness, and thus dies.
That song again! Its cadence fell away.
O, it came past my ear like the sweet sound,
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing in, giving fragrance! [pause for music]
Enough. No more.
It’s not so sweet now as it was before.
O spirit of love! So keen and ravenous,
That, even though your vast capacity
Lets in as much as seas, what enters there
Despite its value and the height it gains
Will sink into low price and worthlessness,
In but a minute! So rich in forms is love
That it alone incites such fantasy.
What is a Verse Translation?
A verse translation maintains as closely as possible the rhythm and line length of the original work. Shakespeare's original lines from Twelfth Night and the ENJOY SHAKESPEARE verse translation are written in a kind of verse meter called iambic pentameter, or blank verse.*
Shakespeare’s Original Iambic Pentameter Lines
There is a fair behavior in thee, captain;
And though that nature with a beauteous wall
Doth oft close in pollution, yet of thee
I will believe though has a mind that suits
With this thy fair and outward character.
—Twelfth Night, Act 1, Scene 2
ENJOY SHAKESPEARE Verse Translation
I sense a decent man inside you, captain.
And although nature often hides what's foul
Behind a lovely wall, I can have faith
That you, sir, have a mind that matches well
This fair and outward character I see.
Prose translations, on the other hand, focus on capturing the literal meaning, without concern for the rhythm of the original. You will not sense a meter developing, and you will not feel like you are reading Shakespeare.
Prose Translation
You appear to be a decent person, captain, and although nature may hide inner corruption behind a beautiful exterior, I believe that you have a mind the matches your pleasant demeanor.
"Dumbed Down" Prose Translation
Viola said, “You seem to be a decent man, captain. Although awful people can seem nice, I believe that your pleasant behavior means you are nice inside too.”
* For more information on Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter, see “Appendix 1: How Iambic Pentameter Works” in Twelfth Night: A Verse Translation in English. For a brief description try this Wikipedia link. Here are two more extensive descriptions of Shakespeare's meter—"Scansion Guide" and "Teaching Meter" at the Interactive Shakespeare Project at the College of the Holy Cross Theater Department.
The ENJOY SHAKESPEARE translations recreate the rhythm, pace, and power of the original plays with all verse passages, songs, and rhymes painstakingly recast in contemporary English.
- Complete, line-by-line translations—in verse!
- Verse, songs, and rhymes meticulously recast.
- Accurate and authentic iambic pentameter.
- Tone, complexity, and poetic devices preserved.
- No "dumbing down."
- Uncluttered layout for comfortable reading.
- Ready for theatrical perfomance.
