ShakesPy

ShakesPy is a lightweight Python library and CLI for translating Modern English into a playful Early Modern English style inspired by Shakespeare and the King James Bible.

ShakesPy combines spaCy-powered grammatical analysis with phrase and vocabulary remapping to produce translations that feel more intentionally Shakespearean than a simple word-for-word replacer.

Features

• spaCy-powered grammatical rewrites for subject/object pronouns
• Smarter second-person verb conjugation such as you are -> thou art
• Auxiliary handling for forms such as you will find -> thou wilt find
• Expanded lexical and phrase replacements such as good morning -> good morrow
• Simple command-line interface

Why ShakesPy

• Distinguishes subject and object you so You know me and I know you do not translate the same way
• Uses dependency parsing to conjugate second-person verbs more naturally
• Supports both programmatic use and a small CLI for quick translations
• Ships as a single Flit-packaged Python library with a focused API

Installation

Install from source for local development:

pip install -e .
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

Or install the project with Flit:

flit install --symlink
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

Usage

from shakespy import translate

print(translate("You are making a mistake."))
print(translate("You will find your answer before night."))
print(translate("Good morning, please wait."))

shakespy "You are making a mistake."
python -m shakespy.cli "Hello! I want to help you."
python -m shakespy.cli "Good morning, please wait."

Example outputs:

• You are making a mistake. -> Thou art making a mistake.
• You will find your answer before night. -> Thou wilt find thine answer ere night.
• I want to help you. -> I desire to help thee.
• Good morning, please wait. -> Good morrow, prithee bide.

Development

pip install -e .[dev]
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm
python -m pytest
flit build

Notes

The translator uses a two-tier pipeline:

1. spaCy dependency parsing for grammatical rules
2. Regex-based phrase and lexical replacements for broader stylistic coverage

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE.