Shakespeare name for character and other suggestions [Archive] - Wizards Community

Shakespeare name for character and other suggestions [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
AnAverageDM
01-04-05, 05:09 PM I’m starting a new character for my friend’s new campaign. The shoreline is settlers have come to a new land about 75 years ago and now tensions are starting to rise between the original inhabitance and the settlers. I want my character to reflect this. I am thinking of the standard half-elf whose mom was raped by the human settlers. I’ve never really played a story driven character before so I’m kind of excited. I want to pick a really good name. I’m thinking of choosing a name of a Shakespeare character. Can anyone suggest a name of a character that is bitter and hateful of his heritage or upbringing? Someone who is not that easy to get along with. Eventually I will want my PC to finally find peace with him self and his mixed race, but to start off I want to play him like a teenager x10 type of attitude (“I blame the world for who I am and everyone should pity me and I know everything”). Any ideas or tips on how to play this.
Kintara
01-05-05, 01:40 AM Caliban is fitting in many ways. He's from The Tempest.

Here's an excerpt from eNotes:
Caliban is a half-human creature who inhabits the island that serves as the setting for Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. The son of a demon and an African witch, he shares his island home with PROSPERO, an exiled duke who is also a magician, and with Prospero’s daughter MIRANDA.He's not exactly what you'd call a likable character....
Nani?
01-05-05, 03:46 AM I actually played a very simular character concept recently (1/2 elf raised by the Imperial Magic Users Guild as an experiment to gain insight to better "tame" the elven race, oh yea, the guild murdered her parents). I even had a Shakespearean name, Desdamona, for her mother, who was killed partially for her mixed race romance like the character in Othello.
You might also look into A Midsummer Night's Dream to get something "Elven".

Name that comes to mind is Benedick, smart a## from Much Ado About Nothing and played by Kenneth Branaugh in a very good movie version. He is unhappy, sarcastic, has a wicked tounge, but ultimatley he overcomes his social diffculties (in his case w/women) by getting married.

The name, I think, is much less star crossed.

All the Best,

Nani?
TheMightyMcClaw
01-05-05, 05:09 PM My personal favorite would be a minor character from MacBeth, Second Murderer. He could haver an older brother named First Murderer!
Nuntius128
01-05-05, 05:31 PM Hahahaha, Chorus. Just kidding. I think Caliban is an excellent choice, from an excellent play(probably the only Shakespeare I can think of that I really liked).
DBoot
01-05-05, 08:14 PM Caliban is a good name. Though personally, I liked him. He's a bit of a bravo, but really a coward when actually confronted with Prospero's power (He's got access to ninth level spells like Time Stop. Extended somehow, to deliver speeches)

Benedict is a bit of immature when it comes to women, but he's also really likeable in being having one of the faster paced tongues in Shakespeare (at least that I've read).

Edmund is a good choice too. He's from King Lear. His deal? He's a bastard child, and he's annoyed that he'll never inherit because of it (uses it as a rallying point for injustice). A bit immature, but with a clear statement of purpose, and a very clever way of getting the job done. Alot like Iago from Othello, but less seductive and more sympathetic. Granted, Edmund is a distinctly human name. Your call on that one.

John is a very plain name, and is also from Much to Do About Nothing. Full Title: Don John the Bastard. Has a ring to it. His schtick: a 'plain dealing villain', who failed in userping his brother, the Prince.

Mercutio: Okay, not really related, but worth noting cause he's awesome. He's extremely silly and more than a bit boisterious, with a tendancy for long winding speeches with no real point. He rocks.

Just some thoughts.
Jedi Steve-O
03-20-05, 02:45 AM As long as we're going with cool Shakespeare names... I'll throw my two cents in to the mix.

Tybalt, Prince of Cats. "A duelist of the very first house." Meaning:
A bold leader of the people.

Balthasar. Meaning: The Lord protects the king. One of the three wise men in the Bible.

Orlando. Italian form of Roland. Famed throughout the land. The name of Shakespeare's hero in As You Like It.

Alcibiades. Greek "Alkibiades," meaning 'Violent force'.

Claudio. The lame one.

Hmmm... I think I might have to use these for a d20 Modern game...
Morka
03-20-05, 11:41 AM ...I am thinking of the standard half-elf whose mom was raped by the human settlers. ..

It's not an answer to your question, but another advice. Isn't classic, and pointlessly violent? What if your elven mother had a love affair with an human, but when treatened by her elders to be driven away, she just renied him?
MadApplejack
03-23-05, 09:02 AM With some literary names, the name has become a description of a person who is like that character (such as Quixotic or Faustian). Caliban is a name like that, describing someone pathetic, miserable, and deformed. It'd be like naming your character Romeo in that it creates certain expectations for how the character should be played. Other examples would be Iago (two-faced traitor) or Falstaff (loudmouthed Hedonist).

The best Shakespearean names? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
b6
03-23-05, 09:26 AM what, no on likes Lysander? i always loved that name...
it, too, is from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and it would fit an elf or human pretty easily. after all, it sounds about as good as either race would muster :P

Caliban might be popular, but in that respect, it has also been used more often by outside sources. personally, i cannot hear the name without thinking of the Marvel comics character, too. i just suppose that shows my love for comics though. :)

hope you find something you like.
also, dont rule out non-Shakespearean things. there is a lot of great writing (and naming) from around that period. it wasnt just limited to the famous guy.
Nuntius128
03-24-05, 05:45 PM It's not an answer to your question, but another advice. Isn't classic, and pointlessly violent? What if your elven mother had a love affair with an human, but when treatened by her elders to be driven away, she just renied him?

Agreed. When did that become classic? Oh... wait... never.

Also, for more Shakespearian names, Check this out:
http://www.cool-baby-names.com/search-categories-shakespeare.htm

I just found that. Definitions, and everything.

EDIT: Wow, I need to read Hamlet, after all of the names being pilfered by Onimusha. :D
Arcane Drow
03-27-05, 11:25 PM From The Twelfth Night;
Malvolio: Full of self-love, snide, easily deceived.
Sir Toby: Cruel, witty and a drunk.
Sir Andrew: Foolish, energetic, self aware.

From As you like it;
Oliver: Starts out wanting to kill his brother but then is redeemed.
Touchstone: Witty, silver tongued, cultured.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
AnAverageDM 01-04-05, 05:09 PM	I’m starting a new character for my friend’s new campaign. The shoreline is settlers have come to a new land about 75 years ago and now tensions are starting to rise between the original inhabitance and the settlers. I want my character to reflect this. I am thinking of the standard half-elf whose mom was raped by the human settlers. I’ve never really played a story driven character before so I’m kind of excited. I want to pick a really good name. I’m thinking of choosing a name of a Shakespeare character. Can anyone suggest a name of a character that is bitter and hateful of his heritage or upbringing? Someone who is not that easy to get along with. Eventually I will want my PC to finally find peace with him self and his mixed race, but to start off I want to play him like a teenager x10 type of attitude (“I blame the world for who I am and everyone should pity me and I know everything”). Any ideas or tips on how to play this.
Kintara 01-05-05, 01:40 AM	Caliban is fitting in many ways. He's from The Tempest. Here's an excerpt from eNotes: Caliban is a half-human creature who inhabits the island that serves as the setting for Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. The son of a demon and an African witch, he shares his island home with PROSPERO, an exiled duke who is also a magician, and with Prospero’s daughter MIRANDA.He's not exactly what you'd call a likable character....
Nani? 01-05-05, 03:46 AM	I actually played a very simular character concept recently (1/2 elf raised by the Imperial Magic Users Guild as an experiment to gain insight to better "tame" the elven race, oh yea, the guild murdered her parents). I even had a Shakespearean name, Desdamona, for her mother, who was killed partially for her mixed race romance like the character in Othello. You might also look into A Midsummer Night's Dream to get something "Elven". Name that comes to mind is Benedick, smart a## from Much Ado About Nothing and played by Kenneth Branaugh in a very good movie version. He is unhappy, sarcastic, has a wicked tounge, but ultimatley he overcomes his social diffculties (in his case w/women) by getting married. The name, I think, is much less star crossed. All the Best, Nani?
TheMightyMcClaw 01-05-05, 05:09 PM	My personal favorite would be a minor character from MacBeth, Second Murderer. He could haver an older brother named First Murderer!
Nuntius128 01-05-05, 05:31 PM	Hahahaha, Chorus. Just kidding. I think Caliban is an excellent choice, from an excellent play(probably the only Shakespeare I can think of that I really liked).
DBoot 01-05-05, 08:14 PM	Caliban is a good name. Though personally, I liked him. He's a bit of a bravo, but really a coward when actually confronted with Prospero's power (He's got access to ninth level spells like Time Stop. Extended somehow, to deliver speeches) Benedict is a bit of immature when it comes to women, but he's also really likeable in being having one of the faster paced tongues in Shakespeare (at least that I've read). Edmund is a good choice too. He's from King Lear. His deal? He's a bastard child, and he's annoyed that he'll never inherit because of it (uses it as a rallying point for injustice). A bit immature, but with a clear statement of purpose, and a very clever way of getting the job done. Alot like Iago from Othello, but less seductive and more sympathetic. Granted, Edmund is a distinctly human name. Your call on that one. John is a very plain name, and is also from Much to Do About Nothing. Full Title: Don John the Bastard. Has a ring to it. His schtick: a 'plain dealing villain', who failed in userping his brother, the Prince. Mercutio: Okay, not really related, but worth noting cause he's awesome. He's extremely silly and more than a bit boisterious, with a tendancy for long winding speeches with no real point. He rocks. Just some thoughts.
Jedi Steve-O 03-20-05, 02:45 AM	As long as we're going with cool Shakespeare names... I'll throw my two cents in to the mix. Tybalt, Prince of Cats. "A duelist of the very first house." Meaning: A bold leader of the people. Balthasar. Meaning: The Lord protects the king. One of the three wise men in the Bible. Orlando. Italian form of Roland. Famed throughout the land. The name of Shakespeare's hero in As You Like It. Alcibiades. Greek "Alkibiades," meaning 'Violent force'. Claudio. The lame one. Hmmm... I think I might have to use these for a d20 Modern game...
Morka 03-20-05, 11:41 AM	...I am thinking of the standard half-elf whose mom was raped by the human settlers. .. It's not an answer to your question, but another advice. Isn't classic, and pointlessly violent? What if your elven mother had a love affair with an human, but when treatened by her elders to be driven away, she just renied him?
MadApplejack 03-23-05, 09:02 AM	With some literary names, the name has become a description of a person who is like that character (such as Quixotic or Faustian). Caliban is a name like that, describing someone pathetic, miserable, and deformed. It'd be like naming your character Romeo in that it creates certain expectations for how the character should be played. Other examples would be Iago (two-faced traitor) or Falstaff (loudmouthed Hedonist). The best Shakespearean names? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
b6 03-23-05, 09:26 AM	what, no on likes Lysander? i always loved that name... it, too, is from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and it would fit an elf or human pretty easily. after all, it sounds about as good as either race would muster :P Caliban might be popular, but in that respect, it has also been used more often by outside sources. personally, i cannot hear the name without thinking of the Marvel comics character, too. i just suppose that shows my love for comics though. :) hope you find something you like. also, dont rule out non-Shakespearean things. there is a lot of great writing (and naming) from around that period. it wasnt just limited to the famous guy.
Nuntius128 03-24-05, 05:45 PM	It's not an answer to your question, but another advice. Isn't classic, and pointlessly violent? What if your elven mother had a love affair with an human, but when treatened by her elders to be driven away, she just renied him? Agreed. When did that become classic? Oh... wait... never. Also, for more Shakespearian names, Check this out: http://www.cool-baby-names.com/search-categories-shakespeare.htm I just found that. Definitions, and everything. EDIT: Wow, I need to read Hamlet, after all of the names being pilfered by Onimusha. :D
Arcane Drow 03-27-05, 11:25 PM	From The Twelfth Night; Malvolio: Full of self-love, snide, easily deceived. Sir Toby: Cruel, witty and a drunk. Sir Andrew: Foolish, energetic, self aware. From As you like it; Oliver: Starts out wanting to kill his brother but then is redeemed. Touchstone: Witty, silver tongued, cultured.