What's the Difference between Thou, Thee, You, and Ye?

      Although "thou" is Shakespeare's most memorable pronoun in the minds of most English speakers, Shakespeare's plays also use the pronouns, "thee," "you," and "ye." So what's the difference?

    One difference is a difference of tone. In Shakespeare's day, "you" and "ye" were often more respectful and formal than "thou" and "thee." (The tonal difference of pronouns is a trend in Shakespeare's plays, not a hard and fast rule.) Another difference among the pronouns is grammatical. First, the pronouns "thee" and "thou" can only be singular, whereas "you" and "ye" can be singular or plural. Second, the pronouns "you" and "ye" take on many grammatical functions, while the pronouns "thou" and "thee" each have a more specific usage. The possessive form of "thee" and "thou" is "thy." The possessive form of "you" and "ye" is "your."

Differences in Tone

    Because the "you" and "ye" pronouns were more respectful, they are often used by characters who address characters of higher status than themselves. Because the "thou" and "thee" pronouns were less respectful, they are often used between characters of the same status, and in teases or insults.

Example 1: Status

    In the opening scene of The Tempest, Gonzalo and the Boatswain quarrel. The Boatswain addresses Gonzalo, who is of a higher social status than he, with the respectful pronoun "you." 

"You mar our labor: keep your cabins, you do assist the storm." (I.1.19-20) 

    When Gonzalo is displeased with these impolite orders, Gonzalo emphasizes his own superiority to keep the Boatswain in check.

"Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard." (I.1.24)

Example 2: Insults versus Respect

    In King Lear, Kent provides great examples of the difference in tone of "you" and "thou." When Kent is angry with King Lear for disowning Cordelia in the first scene, he uses the possessive form "thy" of the pronouns "thee" and "thou." Kent's suggestion that he is of the same status as Lear is incredibly insulting, and contributes to Lear's anger and banishment of Kent.

"Do, kill thy physician, and thy fee bestow / Upon the foul disease. Revoke thy gift, / Or whilst I can vent clamour from my throat / I'll tell thee thou dost evil." (I.1.164-167)

    Later in the play, when Kent is serving Lear in disguise, he uses the respectable (and appropriate for addressing a king) pronouns "you" and "ye."

"Alack, bareheaded? / Gracious my lord, hard by here is a hovel: / Some friendship will it lend you 'gainst the tempest. / Repose you there, while I to this hard house – / More harder than the stones whereof 'tis raised, / Which even but now, demanding after you, / Denied me to come in – return and force / Their scanted courtesy." (III.2.60-67)

Differences in Usage (Grammatical Part of Speech)

    The pronouns "you" and "ye" can be singular or plural. But here's where it gets tricky: when referring to multiple people, "you" or "ye" could be the plural form of the more respectful pronouns ("you" and "ye") or of the less respectable pronouns ("thee" and "thou"). Consequently, plural pronouns require a bit of interpretation: were they intended to be deferential or insulting?

       The pronoun "thou" is a subject, a subject complement, or a direct address. The pronoun "thee" is a direct object, an indirect object, or the object of a preposition. The pronouns "you" and "ye" can take on all of these grammatical functions: subject, subject complement, direct object, indirect object, object of a preposition, and direct address.

Example 1: "You" as a Plural

    In the opening line of Julius Caesar, Flavius the tribune scolds the townspeople for waiting in the streets for Caesar to return.

"Hence! home, you idle creatures, get you home!" (I.1.1)

    In this example, we know from the meaning of the line and from the context that Flavius does not feel the need to address the townspeople with respect. Thus, we can infer that Flavius is using "you" as a plural of "thee" or "thou." Some cases are more ambiguous than this one, but taking the time to think about the tone of one of Shakespeare's plural "you" pronouns could clarify the tone of the entire line.