Pronouncing Shakespearean Names

For an updated and comprehensive spelled pronunciation guide to the names of Shakespeare's characters, please see Shakespeare's Characters A to Z.

KEY
a,e,i,o,u -- as in cat, bet, it, lot, nut.
â,ê,î,ô,û -- as in ate, mote, mite, mote, mute.
å -- as in America, freeman, coward.
ë -- as in her, fern.
ü -- as in burn, furl.

Adriana (ad-ri-â'-nå)
AEgeon (ê'-ge-on)
AEmilia (ê-mil'-i-å)
Alcibiades (al-si-bî'-å-dêz)
Aliena (â-li-ê'-nå)
Andromache (an-drom'-akê)
Angelo (an'-je-lô)
Antenor (an -te'-nër)
Antioch (an'-ti-ok)
Antiochus (an-tî'-o-kus)
Antipholus (an-tif'-o-lus)
Antonio (an-tô'-ni-ô)
Apemantus (ap-e-man'-tus)
Apollo (å-pol'-ô)
Ariel (â'ri-el)
Arragon (ar'-å-gon)

Banquo (ban'-kwô)
Baptista (bap-tis'-tå)
Bassanio (bas-sa'-ni-ô)
Beatrice (bê'å-tris)
Bellario (bel-lâ'-ri-ô)
Bellarius (bel-lâ'-ri-us)
Benedick (ben'-e-dik)
Benvolio (ben-vô'-li-ô)
Bertram (bër'-tram)
Bianca (bê-an'-kå)
Borachio (bô-rach'-i-ô)
Brabantio (brå-ban'chô)
Burgundy (bür'-gun-di)

Caliban (kal'-i-ban)
Calchas (kal' -kas)
Camillo (kå-mil'-ô)
Capulet (kap'-û-let)
Cassio (kas'-i-ô)
Celia (sê'-li-å)
Centaur (sen'-tawr)
Cerimon (sê'-ri-mon)
Cesario (se-sâ'-ri-ô)
Claudio (klaw'-di-ô)
Claudius (klaw'-di-us)
Cordelia (kawr-dê'-li-å)
Cornwall (kawrn'-wawl)
Cymbeline (sim'-be-lên)

Demetrius (de-mê'-tri-us)
Desdemona (des-de-mô-nå)
Diana (dî-an'-å)
Dionyza (dî-ô-nî'-zå)
Donalbain (don'-al-ban)
Doricles (dor'-i-klêz)
Dromio (drô'-mi-ô)
Duncan (dung'-kån)

Emilia (ê-mil'-i-å)
Ephesus (ef'e-sus)
Escalus (es'-kå-lus)

Ferdinand (fër'-di-nand)
Flaminius (flå-min'-i-us)
Flavius (flâ'-vi-us)
Fleance (flê'-ans)
Florizel (flor'-i-zel)
Fortinbras (fôr'-tin-brås)

Ganymede (gan'-i-mêd)
Giulio (jû'-li-ô)
Goneril (gon'-e-ril)
Gonzalo (gon-zah'-lô)

Helena (hel'-e-nå)
Helicanus (hel-i-kâ'nus)
Hercules (hër'kû-lêz)
Hermia (hër'mi-å)
Hermione (hër-mî'-o-nê)
Horatio (hô-râ'-shi-ô)
Hortensio (hor-ten'-si-ô)

Iachimo (yak'-i-mô)
Iago (ê-ah-gô)
Illyria ((il-lir'-i-å)
Imogen (im'-o-jen)

Jessica (jes'-i-kå)
Juliet (ju'li-et)

Laertes (lâ-ër'-têz)
Lafeu (lah-fu')
Lear (lêr)
Leodovico (lê-ô-dô'-vi-kô)
Leonato (lê-ô-nâ'-tô)
Leontes (lê-on-têz)
Luciana (lû-shi-â'nå)
Lucio (lû'-shi-ô)
Lucius (lû'-shi-us)
Lucullus (lû-kul'-us)
Lysander (lî-san'-dër)
Lysimachus (lî-sim'-å-kus)

Macbeth (mak-beth')
Magdalen (mag'-då-len)
Malcolm (mal'-kum)
Malvolio (mal-vô'li-ô)
Mantua (man-'tû-å)
Mariana (mah-ri-â'-na)
Menaphon (men'-å-fon)
Mercutio (mer-kû'-shi-ô)
Messina (mes-sê'-nah)
Milan (mil'-ån)
Miranda (mî-ran'-då)
Montagu (mon'-tå-gû)
Montano (mon-tah'-nô)

Oberon (ob'-ër-on)
Olivia (ô-liv'-i-å)
Ophelia (ô-fêl'-i-å or o-fêl'-yå)
Orlando (awr-lan'-dô)
Orsino (awr-sê'-nô)
Othello (ô-thel'-ô)

Parolles (pa-rol'-êz)
Paulina (paw-lî'-nå)
Pentapolis (pen-tap'-o-lis)
Perdita (për'-di-tå)
Pericles (per'-i-klêz)
Petruchio (pe-trû'-chi-ô)
Phoenix (fê'-niks)
Pisanio (pê-sah'-ni-ô)
Polixines (pô-liks'-e-nêz)
Polonius (pô-lô'-ni-us)
Portia (pôr'-shi-å)
Proteus (prô'-te-us or prô'-tûs)

Regan (rê'-gån)
Roderigo (rô-der'-i-gô)
Romano (rô-mah'-nô)
Romeo (rô'-me-ô)
Rosalind (roz'-å-lind)
Rosaline (roz'-å-lin)
Rousillon (ru-sê-lyawng')

Sebastian (se-bas'-ti-ån)
Sempronius (sem-prô'-ni-us)
Simonides (si-mon'-i-dêz)
Solinus (sô-lî'-nus)
Sycorax (sî'-ko-raks)
Syracuse (sir-å-kus)

Thaisa (tha-is'-å)
Thaliard (thâ'-li-ård)
Thurio (thû'-ri-ô)
Timon (tî'-mon)
Titania (tî-tan'-i-å)
Tybalt (tib'-ålt)

Ursula (ur'-sû-lå)

Venetian (ve-nê'-shån)
Venice (ven'-is)
Ventidius (ven-tid'-i-us)
Verona (vâ-rô'-nå)
Vicentio (vê-sen'-shi-ô)

Pronunciation key created by Edith Nesbit

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