About BardSubs
Making Shakespeare accessible to 21st century audiences
The Mission
Shakespeare doesn't have to be impenetrable.
BardSubs makes the Bard's greatest works accessible by providing modern, conversational subtitles that translate Elizabethan English into language we actually use today. Instead of struggling with "wherefore" and "prithee," you can focus on the brilliant stories, complex characters, and timeless themes that have captivated audiences for over 400 years.
How It Started
I started BardSubs to better understand Shakespeare—and to share the results with anyone else who's interested. The response has been tremendous.
What began as a personal project to crack the code of Shakespeare's language has grown into something much bigger. Teachers, students, theater groups, and Shakespeare newcomers from around the world have found value in these translations.
Real Impact in Real Classrooms
A teacher from New Jersey reached out hoping to use BardSubs as a teaching tool for Much Ado About Nothing. The only problem? My subtitles had a few too many swear words. I offered to let her edit them or create a new version, but instead, she had her students write their own. I added their subtitles to the film, and she showed the result to her class. You can watch that version here.
Another teacher contacted me about using Julius Caesar, but needed a version that fit within a 90-minute class period. I edited the movie down and cleaned up the subtitles for classroom use. That version is available here. The students loved it.
These collaborations show what excites me most about this project—it's not just about translation, it's about making Shakespeare a living, breathing part of education and culture again.
The BardSubs Approach
My subtitles don't just translate archaic words—they capture the wit, wordplay, and emotional nuance that makes Shakespeare genius. When Hamlet says "To be or not to be, that is the question," everyone knows what he means. But when he follows up with "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," that's where people get lost.
I bridge that gap, keeping Shakespeare's meaning and poetry while making it immediately understandable to modern audiences.
Looking Forward
Every month brings new requests from educators, theater directors, and Shakespeare enthusiasts looking for specific adaptations. Some want family-friendly versions, others need condensed formats, and many are working with English language learners who benefit from the clearer translations.
I'm constantly expanding the collection and refining the approach based on feedback from real users in real classrooms and theaters.
Get In Touch
Have a specific Shakespeare play or adaptation you need? Teaching a class and need a custom version? Just want to share how you've used BardSubs? Reach out—I love hearing from fellow Shakespeare enthusiasts and am always interested in collaborations that help more people discover the joy of the Bard's work.
Because Shakespeare is too good to be this hard to understand.