The Bard and the Born Sinner: Inventive Language

Shakespeare is often famed for his linguistic creativity. It is well known that he virtually expanded the English lexicon single handedly, with scholars claiming he coined over 1,700 new words and countless phrases still in use. His plays and sonnets are full of puns, metaphors, and turns of phrase that were genius even 450 years ago. For example, when Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” he crafted a metaphor for the roles we play in life that is so apt it transcended its literary setting and became an enduring idiom we still use today.   This inventive spirit and innovative use of language find a modern echo in J. Cole’s rap verses.

J. Cole’s lyricism is renowned for clever word play and the use of double entendres, demonstrating an almost Shakespearean flair for wit. On “The Climb Back,” for instance, Cole quips: “Cole under pressure, what does that make? Diamonds.” On the surface, he’s saying that he thrives under pressure by turning hardship into something valuable, but there’s a second, self-referential interpretation in play. As homophones, “Cole” and“coal” sound identical, so while Cole references the process by which coal under extreme pressure forms diamonds, he also captures the sociopolitical forces which have shaped him as an artist and define rap as a genre. In one line, he layers commentary on money, commercial success, and the turbulent transformations of social class and economic mobility, much like Shakespeare used double-speech, puns, and double entendre to capture the shifting social complexities of an Elizabethan audience in a stratified strategy experiencing the rapid growth of the middle class.  

Even J. Cole’s straightforward lines carry proverbial weight. In “January 28th,” he delivers a now famous line: “If you ain’t aim too high, then you aim too low.” This motivational punchline resonates like a modern mirror of the advice of Polonius: “To thine own self be true.” Both artists coin memorable quotes that outlive their immediate cultural moment; Cole’s line has become an inspirational quote passed around among fans just as Shakespeare’s phrases have become platitudes repeated in everyday speech. In each case, the artist’s unique way with words is a part of the cultural vocabulary. 

Crucially, neither Shakespeare nor Cole employs wordplay just for its sake alone. It almost always serves a larger purpose in their art. Shakespeare’s inventive metaphors deepen the subversive meanings behind his plays while Cole’s punchlines underscore the socially conscious messages behind his music as well. On “Fire Squad,” for example, Cole uses biting irony and contemporary references to critique cultural appropriation in hip-hop. His language is modern and accessible, but the technique, which includes sharp, well-placed lines that challenge societal issues, is very much like Shakespeare, who had a talent for capturing an idea in a colorful phrase.