不问是不是就问为什么。
首先，莎士比亚并不是凭一己之力创造众多英文词汇的。莎士比亚所处的中世纪，正是英语文字开始普及的时期，语言文字不再是少数上层阶级和教会人士的专利。这种普及，和当时的剧院文化是息息相关的。
在当时，剧院承载了一个非常重要的作用，就是让老百姓多学点英语词汇。还没上升到弘扬文化、创造艺术的高度，连「识字」都谈不上，仅仅是「学说普通话」。女王非常鼓励老百姓走进剧院去学说话，而莎士比亚是当时最有名的戏剧创作者，老百姓自然会从莎士比亚那里学到不少自己从没听过的词。并非「创造」，而是「普及」。但事后各种传言，都把这部分老百姓新学的词汇算作莎士比亚的功劳，多少把这个故事神话了。
其次，莎士比亚的造词大多不是重新发明，主要是通过词类活用、加前缀后缀，整理方言等方式，让语言更加丰富。他特别擅长用比喻，把一些普通词变成「流行词汇」，使之有了新的意义和用法。莎翁还爱写荤段子，这荤段子闯进脑洞，各种词汇联想，根本停不下来。
啊，莎士比亚!
他是人类文学史奥林匹克山上的宙斯，
也是世界戏剧史众人朝圣的无冕帝王;
他是市井生活中滴滴答答的咸湿大叔，
也是横跨四百年口吐莲花的相声艺人。
是的，你没有看错，莎翁爱写荤段子。莎士比亚的形象对于中国读者来说，的确是被「戏剧就是高雅艺术」的大帽子给带偏了。再加上翻译的删减和各种审批制度，我们是无法在中文里读到原汁原味的莎士比亚的。
但凡是人民大众特别喜爱的舞台表演，自古以来就离不开荤段子。不仅如此，据考证，当时是「鼓励」大家说荤段子的。这些荤段子不光迎合下层阶级口味，上层人士也不甘示弱，就连女王的继承人詹姆斯一世也是历史上著名的荤派段子手。很多达官贵人也是色情业的后台大 boss，当时伦敦最有名的妓院几乎都是皇亲国戚开的。一般开妓院的老板同时也会开剧院。社会风气大概如此，情色戏剧不分家。
而莎士比亚是荤段子界的佼佼者，语言丰富，善用修辞，在词汇创造上开拓了不少新思路。现代莎剧学者通过对各个版本剧本的研究，尤其通过英语语言语源的研究，逐渐发现莎士比亚戏剧中充斥着大量的「Sexual Puns」(与性有关的双关语)。
比如《罗密欧与朱丽叶》第二幕第一场中，罗密欧 EX 的台词，中文版的经典翻译是这样的：「爱情如果是盲目的，就射不中靶。此刻他该坐在枇杷树下，希望他的情人就是他口中的枇杷。啊罗密欧，但愿她真的成了你到口的枇杷。」
原台词：If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark. Now will he sit under a medlars tree, and wish his mistress were that kind of fruit as maids call medlars when they laugh alone. Romeo, that she were, O, that she were an open arse, thou a poperin pear!
现在我们根据莎士比亚时期的英语来理解下台词。
这里没有枇杷，而是另一种叫「medlar」的水果。「arse」是屁股的意思。由于「medlar」长得像屁股，所以被称为「open arse」。「poperin」是地名，那里盛产一种梨子叫「poperin pear」，据说在特定时期长得特别像男性生殖器。至于 O，大家也可以顺其发挥下。
然后，莎士比亚时代的剧场没有我们现代的声、光、电等舞美特效，说是「看戏」其实是以听为主。16 世纪的戏剧最主要的艺术手段是「台词上面耍花招」。比如「poperin pear」，拆分下就变成「popp’rin’ pear」，再把个别音重读，听上去几乎可以等于「pop in her」(猛然进入她)。
这段台词是罗密欧的 EX 说的，此时罗密欧翻墙到别的情人家花园里去了，风流得不行，还有专门的情人朋友圈，EX 在墙外咒骂，于是有了这句台词。
如果根据上文中 EX 的情绪重新把原台词进行翻译，应该是这样的(四川话版)：你个龟儿子的罗密欧，你这会儿正在 medlars 树下翻云覆雨哇。有本事你就 pop in her 三!她就是 medlars，就是 O，就是 open arse;你就是 poperin pear!你娃天到黑在外面打起爱情的名义找情人嘛，这盘是不是真爱?有本事 pop in her ， pop in her 三，你要是 #￥%&* XXX #￥~射得准，我就认了，你们就是真爱无敌。不过我赌你娃眼瞎射不准。
据英国编剧、莎剧研究专家 Pauline Kiernan 统计，莎士比亚作品中涉及女性身体私处的双关语大概有 180 种，事关男性生殖器的双关语有 200 种以上，此外另有 700 多种涉及其他淫秽含义的双关语句。莎士比亚不仅从伦敦南岸居民那里学习词汇，他自己也非常善于创造词汇。据统计，莎剧中词汇超过 29000 个，而近日一名英国大学毕业生在写作中使用的词汇不过 3000—4000 个。当时观众们不仅可以在他那里找乐子，还可以学习最时髦的荤段子。一出剧院，拐进个小酒馆，脱口就是个新学的段子，倍儿有的面子。
当然，莎士比亚并非为写荤段子而故意用这些词。更多时候是为了塑造人物的性格。
在《哈姆雷特》里，哈姆雷特这位忧郁王子最痛恨的就是他那淫荡的母亲，居然跟杀父仇人交媾。他曾对前女友说过这样一段话：
Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? We are arrantknaves, all; believe none of us. Go thy ways to a nunnery.
Get thee to a nunnery, go: farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool;for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go and quickly too. Farewell.
去修道院吧，你何必去怀上一堆罪人的种子，我们全是一帮彻头彻尾的混蛋，别信我们的，去修道院吧。
去修道院吧，去吧，再会。你如果一定想嫁人。嫁个傻瓜好了，聪明人都知道你会让他们变成怎样的一个怪物，去修道院吧，去，越快越好，再会。
如果单从字面理解，王子是劝他女朋友去修道院，以便脱离宫廷这块罪孽深重的地方。然而这个地方也存在一个双关语。有莎剧专家们认为「修道院」(nunnery)这个词也指「妓院」(1503 年版本的牛津英语词典如此注释)。而「go and quickly」(去，越快越好)的「quickly」在当时的莎剧里应该读成「quick-lay」(快躺下)，带有明显的性意味。在双关的语境下，王子此事内心愤懑怨恨的一面呈现了出来：要么你去修道院，要么你可以(像他淫荡的母后那样)去当妓女。莎士比亚通过这种说话方式来表现哈姆雷特病态的双面性格。
哈姆雷特和女友奥菲利亚有这样一段对话：
哈姆雷特：Lady, shall I lie in your lap? 小姐，我能躺你大腿上不?
奥菲利亚：No, my lord. 不，殿下。
哈姆雷特：I mean, my head upon your lap? 我是说，能不能把头枕在你腿上?
奥菲利亚：Ay, my lord. 恩，殿下。
哈姆雷特：Do you think I meant country matters? 你觉得我想说的是那些乡村野外的事?
奥菲利亚：I think nothing, my lord. 我倒没有想到，殿下。
哈姆雷特：That’s a fair thought to lie between maids’ leg. 睡在姑娘的大腿中间想想真是有趣。
奥菲利亚：What is, my lord. 什么，殿下。
哈姆雷特：Nothing. 没什么。
奥菲利亚：You are merry, my lord. 你真开心。
这段看似普通的对话却是当时莎剧里最爆棚的笑点。Why?
同样我们按照当时莎士比亚的英语方式解析下：
当时扮演奥菲利亚的是一位男演员，反串。
明白几个知识点再回去读刚才那段台词 。
1、 Lap，大腿，在当时还有女性私处的意思。哈姆雷特与奥菲利亚关于躺大腿这段对话显然是一种放肆的「性骚扰」。少女似乎不明白王子语言不庄，用白痴的语气回答说「不，殿下。」于是，王子强调指出：我的意思是把我的「头」放在你的 lap 上，少女貌似仍然搞不清状况，不过观众已经明白，这里的「头」肯定不是脖子上那个大头了。
2、 Country matter. 前面讲当时莎剧最喜欢在台词上耍花招，这里 country 前半部要重读，读作 COUNT-ry。所以，这不是一个 country matter，而是 count matter，count，女性私处。
3、 Nothing，什么都没有。也指女性两腿间的部分，什么都没有。
研究莎剧的专家认为，这种双关语的喜好不仅出于「荤段子」时尚，也因为时人对一种新近发现的语言功能的热衷。莎剧中的大量词汇其实是属于这一部分的，在今天已经几乎不用了。
总结下来，以上莎翁的造词主要有这样几类：
因为普及语言而把功劳算在他头上的。很多是常用词汇。
整理方言、古籍，甚至医学、天文书籍时发现的。主要是一些专有名词，比如国王、王后皇冠上都使用了同一种宝石，但叫法却不一样。他还把一些星星的命名用作人名，使之传播出来。
利用比喻、双关语等修辞赋予词语新的意义的。
把名词变成动词、动词变成形容词的;把单独两个词连起来的;添加前缀后缀的。这是最主要的部分。
最后，才是由莎士比亚原创的词。
有兴趣的朋友可以点这里：Words Shakespeare Invented
每个词点进去都有对应的剧目。
【拓展阅读】最常见的 20 个莎士比亚造词：
20 Words We Owe to William Shakespeare
1. ADDICTION: OTHELLO, ACT II, SCENE II
「It is Othello's pleasure, our noble and valiant general, that, upon certain tidings now arrived, importing the mere perdition of the Turkish fleet, every man put himself into triumph; some to dance, some to make bonfires, each man to what sport and revels his addiction leads him.」 – Herald
If not for that noble and valiant general and his playwright, our celebrity news coverage might be sorely lacking.
2. ARCH-VILLAIN: TIMON OF ATHENS, ACT V, SCENE I
「You that way and you this, but two in company; each man apart, all single and alone, yet an arch-villain keeps him company.」 – Timon
With the added prefix of arch-, meaning more extreme than others of the same type, Shakespeare was able to distinguish the baddest of the bad.
3. ASSASSINATION: MACBETH, ACT I, SCENE VII
「If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly: if theassassination could trammel up the consequence, and catch with his surcease success.」– Macbeth
Though the term “assassin” had been observed in use prior to the Scottish play, it seems apt that the work introduced yet another term for murder most foul.
4. BEDAZZLED: THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, ACT IV, SCENE V
「Pardon, old father, my mistaking eyes, that have been so bedazzledwith the sun that everything I look on seemeth green.」– Katherina
A word first used to describe the particular gleam of sunlight is now used to sell rhinestone-embellished jeans. Maybe poetry really is dead.
5. BELONGINGS: MEASURE FOR MEASURE, ACT I, SCENE I
「Thyself and thy belongings are not thine own so proper as to waste thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee.」– Duke Vincentio
People prior to Shakespeare’s time did own things; they just referred to them by different words.
6. COLD-BLOODED: KING JOHN, ACT III, SCENE I
「Thou cold-blooded slave, hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side, been sworn my soldier, bidding me depend upon thy stars, thy fortune and thy strength, and dost thou now fall over to my fores?」 – Constance
Beyond its literal meaning, the 17th-century play initiated a metaphorical use for the term that is now most often used to describe serial killers and vampires—two categories which, of course, need not be mutually exclusive.
7. DISHEARTEN: HENRY V, ACT IV, SCENE I
「Therefore when he sees reason of fears, as we do, his fears, out of doubt, be of the same relish as ours are: yet, in reason, no man should possess him with any appearance of fear, lest he, by showing it, shoulddishearten his army.」 – King Henry V
The opposite of 「hearten」, a word already extant at the time of Shakespeare’s writing, 「dishearten」 was most appropriately first utilized in print by King Henry V, who didn’t let insurmountable odds at the Battle of Agincourt get him down.
8. EVENTFUL: AS YOU LIKE IT, ACT II, SCENE VII
「Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness and mere oblivion, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.」- Jaques
If all the world’s a stage, it’s safe to assume that an event or two is taking place.
9. EYEBALL: THE TEMPEST, ACT I, SCENE II
「Go make thyself like a nymph o' the sea: be subject to no sight but thine and mine, invisible to every eyeball else.」 – Prospero
Shakespeare’s protagonist Prospero, though no medical doctor, can claim to be the first fictional character to name those round objects with which we see.
10. FASHIONABLE: TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, ACT III, SCENE III
「For time is like a fashionable host that slightly shakes his parting guest by the hand, and with his arms outstretch'd, as he would fly, grasps in the comer: welcome ever smiles, and farewell goes out sighing.」 – Ulysses
And with just 11 letters, centuries of debate over what’s hot or not began.
11. HALF-BLOODED/HOT-BLOODED: KING LEAR, ACT V, SCENE III/ ACT III, SCENE III
「Half-blooded fellow, yes.」 – Albany
「Why, the hot-blooded France, that dowerless took our youngest born, I could as well be brought to knee his throne, and, squire-like; pension beg to keep base life afoot.」– Lear
As is the tradition in Shakespearean tragedy, nearly everyone in King Lear dies, so the linguistic fascination here with blood is unsurprising, to say the least.
12. INAUDIBLE: ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, ACT V, SCENE III
「Let's take the instant by the forward top; for we are old, and on our quick'st decrees the inaudible and noiseless foot of Time steals ere we can effect them.」 – King of France
One of a number of words (invulnerable, indistinguishable, inauspicious, among others) which Shakespeare invented only in the sense of adding a negative in- prefix where it had never been before.
13. LADYBIRD: ROMEO AND JULIET, ACT I, SCENE III
「What, lamb! What, ladybird! God forbid! Where's this girl? What, Juliet!」– Nurse
Although the Oxford English Dictionary notes that this particular term of endearment has fallen into disuse, maybe it’s about time for its comeback. Valentine’s Day is coming up, after all.
14. MANAGER: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, ACT V, SCENE I
「Where is our usual manager of mirth? What revels are in hand? Is there no play to ease the anguish of a torturing hour?」– King Theseus
If not for Shakespeare, workday complaining in the office break room just wouldn’t be the same.
15. MULTITUDINOUS: MACBETH, ACT II, SCENE II
「No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas in incarnadine, making the green one red.」– Macbeth
「Multitudinous」may not be the most appropriate synonym when the phrase “a lot” starts to crop up too often in your writing, but it’s certainly the one with the most letters.
16. NEW-FANGLED: LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST, ACT I, SCENE I
「At Christmas I no more desire a rose than wish a snow in May's new-fangled mirth.」– Biron
Ironically, this word sounds old-fashioned if used today.
17. PAGEANTRY: PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE, ACT V, SCENE II
「This, my last boon, give me, for such kindness must relieve me, that you aptly will suppose what pageantry, what feats, what shows, what minstrelsy, and pretty din, the regent made in Mytilene to greet the king.」– Gower
Although modern scholars generally agree that Shakespeare only appears to have written the second half of the play, this newly invented term for an extravagant ceremonial display appears in the section definitively authored by the Bard.
18. SCUFFLE: ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, ACT I, SCENE I
「His captain's heart, which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst the buckles on his breast, reneges all temper, and is become the bellows and the fan to cool a gipsy's lust.」– Philo
Another example of an existing verb that Shakespeare decided could stand up just as well as a noun.
19. SWAGGER: HENRY V, ACT II, SCENE IV/A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, ACT III, SCENE I
「An't please your majesty, a rascal that swaggered with me last night.」– Williams
「What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here, so near the cradle of the fairy queen?」– Puck
By transitive property, Shakespeare is responsible for Justin Bieber’s 「swag」.
20. UNCOMFORTABLE: ROMEO AND JULIET, ACT IV, SCENE V
「Despised, distressed, hated, martyr'd, kill'd! Uncomfortable time, why camest thou now to murder, murder our solemnity?」 - Capulet
Un- was another prefix Shakespeare appended to adjectives with a liberal hand. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy in which a father mourns his daughter’s suicide, “uncomfortable” seems to have originated with a slightly more drastic sense than how we use it now.
参考文献：
李道增《西方剧场史(下册)》，清华大学出版社，1999
《莎士比亚全集》，朱生豪译，译林出版社，1998
小白《好色的哈姆雷特》，上海译文出版社，2013