Six Reasons to Make Puns — Regardless of the Popular Trend Against It
Be a rebel
Are you a lover of puns, like Shakespeare?
I love puns. They’re fast and playful, shooting out like popcorn from a hot skillet, tasty tidbits of language that delight and surprise me every time. My love of puns is partly genetic — my dad was a punster, and my brilliant, articulate sister can spout sharp witticisms in less time than it takes a snake to flick its tongue.
By loving puns, I put myself in good company. William Shakespeare, was a fan of them, too. He injects puns frequently in his plays, a technique that keeps the audience entranced with the words, looking to catch the double meaning. Puns also inject levity into serious situations, lightening the mood.
“Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this, the Sun of York,” says Richard, in Shakespeare’s Richard III.
In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio’s dying words are a pun belying the seriousness of his injury:
“Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.”
Hamlet is the quintessential punster….one of Shakespeare’s most intelligent characters, continually creating double entendres and dual meanings for the audience to decipher.
