Taylor Swift or Shakespeare: Who Said It?
Quick, free quiz to test your Shakespeare or Taylor Swift quote skills. Instant results.
This quiz helps you tell if a line is by Taylor Swift or Shakespeare. Read each quote, choose the author, and watch your score update as you go. When you finish, sharpen your skills with the Hamlet quotes quiz, try a who said it quiz, or pick the which Taylor Swift song quiz to keep the fun going and share your score.
Study Outcomes
- Differentiate Taylor Swift vs Shakespeare quotes -
Use stylistic and linguistic cues to correctly identify whether a line comes from a modern pop song or an Elizabethan play.
- Analyze lyrical and poetic devices -
Detect rhyme schemes, meter, metaphors, and other devices that distinguish Taylor Swift's songwriting from Shakespeare's verses.
- Compare thematic elements -
Recognize recurring themes like love, loss, and nature across both modern lyrics and classic poetry.
- Recognize linguistic patterns -
Spot archaic language and iambic pentameter in Shakespeare and contemporary slang in Taylor Swift's lyrics.
- Sharpen critical listening and reading skills -
Improve your ability to pick up on subtle textual and auditory clues in quotes and lyrics.
- Evaluate cultural and historical contexts -
Understand how the era and cultural background shape the tone, style, and language of each quote.
Cheat Sheet
- Iambic Pentameter vs Pop Meter -
Spot the difference in Taylor Swift or Shakespeare quotes by tapping out iambic pentameter (five unstressed-stressed pairs) versus a 4/4 pop rhythm aligned to choruses. According to the Purdue OWL, Shakespeare's lines use five "da-DUM" beats, while Swift's songs match lyrical syllables to four beats per measure - try it out aloud to train your ear.
- Archaic Vocabulary vs Contemporary Slang -
Distinguish Shakespeare or Taylor Swift by spotting words like "thee," "thou," and "ere" in the Bard's works versus modern idioms and proper nouns in Swift's lyrics. A quick mnemonic - "T for Thou, T for Taylor, T for Today" - helps you recall archaic English words belong to Shakespeare while contemporary slang marks a Taylor Swift lyric (Oxford English Dictionary).
- Sonnets and Stage Directions vs Verse - Chorus Structure -
When testing Taylor Swift vs Shakespeare, look for 14-line sonnets or scene markers in Shakespeare's texts versus labeled verses, choruses, and bridges in Swift's songs. Cambridge University Press notes that sonnet form and act/scene cues pinpoint the Bard, while materials like "Verse 2" and "Chorus" in album booklets signal Taylor Swift.
- Rhetorical Devices vs Pop Hooks -
In Shakespeare vs Taylor Swift face-offs, watch for metaphors, antithesis, and soliloquies (e.g., "all the world's a stage") versus catchy hooks, anaphora ("we are never ever…") and pop-culture nods in Swift's choruses. The University of York highlights that a repeating lyrical hook is a signature of modern songwriting, while extended metaphor flags a Shakespearean line.
- Historical Context vs Personal Narrative -
Deciding Taylor or Shakespeare often comes down to context: Shakespeare references Elizabethan politics and myth, whereas Swift writes first-person tales of contemporary romance. A JSTOR study shows that mentions of queens, classical gods, or old currency hint at the Bard, while callouts like "2009," "dream," or "cardigan" are Swift giveaways.
