Proper Britannian (Elizabethan as a Second Language)

Speak the Speech!

"Speak the speech . . . trippingly on the tongue" - Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Role-playing in UO seems to me not to be so much dressing and talking like an Orc or painting oneself with Kin Paint and wearing a deermask while riding a ridgeback like a Savage. Nor does it seem to me to be so much the playing of a member of the guard assigned to the protection of the Master of the Guild. Role-playing seems to me to be the endeavor to appear as believable as possible in my role as a citizen of Britannia. This includes not only proper dress and appearance but also and just as importantly, proper speech.

The culture of Britannia is one that closely resembles that of Elizabethan England right down to the speech. Far be it from me to decide why this culture was chosen but then again I did not make the game, I merely play it. Yet if the Lords and Ladies of OSI deem it proper to speak "Elizabethan" (even as the npc's do) then I deem it proper to speak it . . . . well, properly. Many other players have expressed a desire to me that I teach some portion of the little that I know of the "tongue of the times". To that end I submit these few humble pages of instruction in Elizabethan as a Second Language.

Hail and Farewell
Lesson One
A greeting is in many cases the first impression another player is going to form when you interact with him or her for the first time. Most players have fallen into the habit of merely saying "Hail" upon a meeting and this seems to me to be rather lackluster. Elizabethans; however, would have used much more wordy greetings and would have embellished with many colorful terms. Attend:

Fenton (a gentleman): How now good woman; how dost thou?
Mistress Quickly (a servant): The better that it pleases your good worship to ask.
Fenton: What news? How does pretty Mistress Anne?
-Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor

So here we see that although "Hail" is good, "How now good woman; how dost thou?" is much better. Elizabethans loved redundancy (more so when it came to insults). Here we see that the servant has been asked the same thing twice in one sentence - "How now (how are you?) good woman; how doest thou?" (how are you doing?). This gives us two examples that we can either use together or independently of one another.

In past times (i.e. the Elizabethan Renaissance) death was all too common (and they could not even rez!). "Keeping" or "Saving" a person's life was all important. This can be seen in greetings such as, "God give you good morrow" which is the same as saying "May God give to you a good morning". The phrase can also be said with the word God being understood as in "Give you good Morrow". Farewells were also a parting wish for safety. "God save you, Fare you well!" Much of our time in UO is spent in travel (much more so than in Elizabethan England) so a very appropriate farewell to use in substitution might be "Safe Journeys" yet we can add so much color to that oft used phrase. "Fare thee well Mistress, God keep thee and safe journeys".

Some sample greetings to learn or to make macros by:
(Rank will be explained later in "Titles and Rank" and again in"Thees and Thous")

Greeting	Meaning
Good morrow	Good morning
Give you good morrow	Good morning
God give you good morrow	Good morning
God ye good morrow	Good morning (addressing more than one person - familiar or lower rank)
Good day / Good den	Good day (den = day)
Give you good day	Good day
God you good day	Good day
God give you good day	Good day
God ye good day	Good day (addressing more than one person - familiar or lower rank)
God ye good den	Good day (addressing more than one person - familiar or lower rank)
Good even	Good afternoon or evening
Give you good even	Good afternoon or evening
God give you good even	Good afternoon or evening
God ye good even	Good afternoon or evening (addressing more than one person - familiar or lower rank)
God ye good e'en	Good afternoon or evening where e'en = evening. (addressing more than one person - familiar or equal/lesser rank)
Well met!	Glad to see you / it is well (good) meeting you
How now?	How are you doing?
How dost thou?	How are you doing? (Addressing familiar or equal/lesser rank)
Hail and well met!	Hello, Glad to see you

Be creative! You can mix and match parts of these various greetings such as "Give ye good e'en" or "God give you good den" (as opposed to "God ye good den" as mentioned above). What ever you do always remember to avoid "Hello" as this term was not used as such and "Hi" should never be used when speaking proper Britannian.

Some Farewells
Good-byes or Farewells (as mentioned above) often have to do with a wish for the continued safety and well being of the person to whom the farewell is directed. Even our modern "Good-bye" stems from the phrase "God Be with you". Embellish your farewells with a hope for future meetings or as a sign of faith that you will meet again. "Fare thee well, I shall thee anon" (anon means "shortly", "soon" or "before long").

Here are some Macro examples:
Good bye	Meaning or comment
Farewell	To Fare (pass your time) well - given to familiar or equal/lesser rank
Fare thee well	To Fare (pass your time) well - given to familiar or equal/lesser rank
Fare you well	To Fare (pass your time) well - given to familiar or equal/higher rank AND to horses (will explain later).
God keep you	A wish for safety while parted
God save you	A wish for safety while parted
Fare you well	To Fare (pass your time) well - given to familiar or equal/higher rank
I shall see you anon	I will see you soon/shortly (anon = soon, shortly etc).
God ye safe journeys	My own contrivance - "May God grant you safe journeys". (equal/lower rank)
God you safe journeys	My own contrivance - "May God grant you safe journeys". (equal/higher rank)
Give ye safe journeys	My own contrivance - "May God grant you safe journeys". (equal/lower rank)
Give you safe journeys	My own contrivance - "May God grant you safe journeys". (equal/higher rank)
Adieu	Used if French, well learned or pretentious.

Again, mix and match, or use parts of these farewells in other sentences such as: "I do bid farewell unto thee good sir, may god keep thee well".

Simply saying "Give ye good morrow" or "Fare thee well" seems rather lacking without a title at the end. Titles in Elizabethan England as in UO are very important in everyday life (Don't believe me? Then just go to the Brit bank and start opening some paperdolls). The next section will cover Titles - who uses them and what titles to use when speaking to certain characters.