What does bardolatry mean?
Bardolatry is the term for excessive, quasi-religious admiration of William Shakespeare and his works. Coined by the Irish playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw in the early twentieth century, it fuses 'the Bard' — Shakespeare's traditional epithet — with '-latry', a suffix from Greek meaning worship, as found in idolatry. Shaw intended the word as a barb: he believed the Victorian tendency to treat Shakespeare as an infallible sage stifled honest criticism of his plays. Today bardolatry is used almost exclusively in a critical or ironic register, appearing in scholarly essays, theatre reviews, and cultural commentary to describe uncritical reverence not only for Shakespeare but occasionally for other canonized writers. Its derivatives include bardolater, one who practises such veneration, and bardolatrous, describing that attitude. The word endures because it names a real cultural phenomenon — the elevation of a writer into an object of worship — while reminding readers that even the greatest art benefits from clear-eyed appraisal.
nounExcessive or reverential admiration of William Shakespeare and his works; worship of the Bard as if he were an idol.
- Excessive or uncritical admiration of William Shakespeare and his works.
- By extension, reverential devotion to any literary figure treated with near-religious awe.
"The critic dismissed the festival's opening speech as pure bardolatry, all incense and no insight."
"Shaw attacked what he called bardolatry, insisting that Shakespeare should be judged as a playwright rather than worshipped as a saint."
"Her book punctures a century of bardolatry by examining the plays' flaws alongside their genius."
Rarely pluralized; the word is typically used as an uncountable mass noun referring to an attitude or cult of admiration.
"Different eras have produced their own bardolatries, each reshaping Shakespeare in its own image."
George Bernard Shaw coined 'bardolatry' as an insult — he thought worshipping Shakespeare was getting in the way of honest criticism.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bardolatry
Bardolatry was coined by George Bernard Shaw, who used the word in his critical writings in the early 1900s to mock what he saw as excessive British reverence for Shakespeare. The word combines 'Bard', Shakespeare's long-standing epithet, with '-latry', a suffix derived from Greek 'latreia' meaning service or worship, which also appears in idolatry, iconolatry, and bibliolatry. Related forms include bardolater and bardolatrous, both attested in English usage following Shaw's coinage.
Related word forms
How bardolatry is actually used
The term is almost always used critically or ironically, implying that admiration for Shakespeare has become blind or excessive. It belongs to a formal or literary register and appears chiefly in criticism, essays, and reviews rather than everyday conversation.
Easily confused with bardolatry
Idolatry is the worship of idols or false gods in general, while bardolatry specifically means excessive veneration of Shakespeare.