Hi everyone!

In the spirit of Father’s Day, I thought I’d give you some ideas on how to create some Shakespearean Father’s Day Cards for the Shakespeare Nut Dad in your life. If you want to tell your dad how much you care about him, here are some quotes from Shakespeare that might help, arranged in no particular order, with ideas as to who might want to use them:

Part I: Quotes about Fathers from Shakespeare

From multiple kids: “Father, soul and substance of us all” (Titus Andronicus, I,i)

From a daughter: To you your father should be as a god;

One that composed your beauties, yea, and one

To whom you are but as a form in wax

By him imprinted and within his power

To leave the figure or disfigure it. (Midsummer Night’s Dream I.i).

From a Daughter 2: 

Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter;

Dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty;

Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;

No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour;

As much as child e’er loved, or father found;

A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable;

Beyond all manner of so much I love you. (King Lear Act I, Scene i)

From a Daughter 3:

Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, loved me: I
Return those duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and most honour you. (King Lear Act I, Scene i)

From anyone:

Youth, thou bear’st thy father’s face;            

Frank nature, rather curious than in haste,            

Hath well composed thee. Thy father’s moral parts            

Mayst thou inherit too! (All’s Well I, ii)

From Anyone 2:

The king, your father, was reputed for            

A prince most prudent, of an excellent            

And unmatch’d wit and judgment. (Henry VII, Act II, Scene iv).

Short Quotes:

“To his father, that so tenderly and entirely loves him.” (King Lear, I, ii)

“You have show’d a tender fatherly regard.” Taming of the Shrew, Act II, Scene

You can of course, pick your own Shakespearean father quotes for your card, and I have this link to help you out: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/quotes/shakespeareonfathers.html

My favorite quotes of all, are the ones Hamlet gave in honor of his own father:

“He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again.” (Hamlet, I, ii) 

See, what a grace was seated on this brow;
Hyperion’s curls; the front of Jove himself;
An eye like Mars, to threaten and command;
A station like the herald Mercury
New-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill;
A combination and a form indeed,
Where every god did seem to set his seal,
To give the world assurance of a man (Hamlet, III, iv)

Part II: How to find good Shakespearean Cards. If you’ve taken a look at my “Play of the Month” page, you’ll see artwork from Elizabeth Schuch and her website: “Immortal Longings.” She creates some of the best contemporary Shakespearean art I’ve ever seen, and guess, what, they do greeting cards too! If you click this link, you can get some Shakespearean cards for dad before Father’s Day. Then, use one of the quotes above and customize your Father’s Day greeting.

Another option is to make a card yourself! If you want to make it look really Elizabethan, follow the steps below:

1.      Download a parchment JPEG like the one I have posted below. Paste this into Microsoft Word Or Publisher as your Elizabethan parchment paper. If you prefer, you can also buy parchment colored paper in a stationary store or print shop. I get mine at Staples

2.      Download an Elizabethan or medieval border. I can recommend this one from the Medieval Woodcuts Clipart Collection.: http://www.godecookery.com/clipart/borders/clbord.htm Use this to make a nice illuminated border for your card.

3.      Write your message in a neat old fashioned font. I recommend Garamond because it’s the font clerks used most often in Elizabethan printing. You can find it on most editions of Microsoft Word. Just FYI, it’s also the font JK Rowling used in the last Harry Potter book! You can also use Old English or Lucinda Blackletter.

So enjoy your Shakespearean Father’s Day cards and check back tomorrow for more fun on The Shakespearean Student!