Shakespearean Linguistics

By Guest Author Scott Ferrara

Language is the heart and soul of the story. All stories should be written as if told over a roaring fire under a starry sky. Fantasy language conveys the language of myth. The first rule of language is that names have power. To name something gives one power over it. Naming gives the power of definition. Unusual names are the spice of the fantastic. John Carter upon reaching Mars would have been less than threatened if he had been attached by a vicious bloodthirsty horde of Cuddly Chihuahuas. The purpose of fantastic language is to inspire awe and define a race, object, or character. The sound of the name should invoke a particular image or feeling. Shakespeare created words that we still use today. Fantasy stories should be metaphors brandishing a lantern in the face of ignorance. We are his decedents.

Poetry is the rhythm of the story. The pace ebbs and flows with the speed of the language. The beauty of fantastic stories is the opportunities for characters to speak in true heroic almost Shakespearean language. Heroes get their power from saying the thing we wish we could say without a sense of irony. Villains get to reveal their evil plans. Villains get to revel in their deeds. Characterizations in fantasy should pull out all the stops. And this is exhibited in what the character says. Now when I say that a character should speak in a Shakespearean manner. I don't mean thee's and thou's, or blank verse. Use modern language. But create the feeling of a high drama.

A fantasy world is a world and a play. As in Shakespeare certain societal factors collude to create the world of his plays. They reveal all the same core elements of societal intrigue: religion, race/family, politics, war, and crime. A world without these institutions makes for extremely dry literature.

 

Important World Building Factors

Firstly make a list. Answer these basic questions.