Take, for example, the word “zounds”. This expression was a shortened version of “God’s wounds”, referring to the wounds of Christ on the cross. Similarly:
- “’sblood” = God’s blood
- “’swounds” = God’s wounds
- “’slid” = God’s eyelid
- “’snails” = God’s nails (from the Crucifixion)
- “’sbodikins” = God’s little body
These expressions were so common that even playwrights used them liberally. Shakespeare’s plays are riddled with such oaths. In Othello, the title character exclaims:
“Zounds, sir, you're robbed!”
But using these expressions outside the stage carried moral and legal risks. The Church and civic authorities considered them dangerous forms of blasphemy. Under Elizabeth I and James I, several statutes sought to curtail public swearing. In 1606, Parliament passed “An Act to Restrain Abuses of Players,” prohibiting the use of the name of God or Jesus in stage plays. This law was a direct reaction to the perceived blasphemy in theatre, which was often blamed for moral decay. shutdown123