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Wherefore Art Thou Ro-meow?!

Was William Shakespeare more of a cat or dog lover?

We don’t know if we can answer this question, but we thought it’d be fun to interrogate by delving into the numerous canine and feline references from his plays.

Under the spotlight

When it comes to stage time, the dog wins paws-down, with over 200 references compared to more than 40 of the cat. But it's clear that neither animal get's a particularly good press.

Shakespeare on DOGS

Abused, associated with the lowest of the low, villainy and madness, among other traits - did Shakespeare have anything nice to say about 'man's best friend'?...

Mad Dogs?

“Why, this is lunatics! this is mad as a mad dog!” - SIR HUGH EVANS, Merry Wives of Windsor

..and poisonous to boot:

“Poisons more deadly than a mad dog's tooth” – AEMELIA, As You Like It

Warrior Dogs

Battle is a vile business...

Villainous Dogs

When the dastardly dog of the piece meets his sticky end...

The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead
Richmond, Richard III

“The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead” - Richmond, Richard III

King Lear blasts Oswald with "your whoreson dog! you slave! you cur!"

But the dog is also know for its teeth and ability to fight back - as Shylock, referring to himself as a dog, points out in The Merchant Of Venice...

Deserting Dogs

Cowardly canines? “Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled” – Edgar, King Lear

Base Dogs:

The lowest of the low - not worthy of words?

Faithful Dogs

There's a little bit of warmth put aside for our faithful canine friend...

Unpopular Cats

Is there really nothing worse to be than a cat?

Clingy Cats

What was Lysander's problem when Hermia showed a keen interest in him?:

Hang off, thou cat, thou burr! vile thing, let loose...

"Hang off, thou cat, thou burr! vile thing, let loose,

Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent!" - Lysander, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Sad Cats

'Sblood, I am as melancholy
as a gib cat or a lugged bear."

- Falstaff, Henry IV Part I

Smelly Cat?

In As You Like It, Touchstone describes the perfume ingredient civet as being "of a baser birth than tar, the
very uncleanly flux of a cat." (made from a cat's discharge).

Prince of Cats

Mercutio's nickname for Tybalt gives the cat ironic regal status.

We still can't say whether cats or dogs come off more favourably in Shakespeare - we'll leave that decision with you...

Shakespeare Festival

More on Shakespeare:

  • What did Shakespeare really look like?

  • ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Weather's Alex Deakin delivers a β€˜forecast’ inspired by the language, poems and plays of Shakespeare

  • When Shakespeare died, he famously left his wife only one thing, but new analysis of his will claims this was an act of love from a dying man