Some lines feel unmistakably Shakespearean. The rhetoric rolls around in your ears, and you’re certain it must be his — until you realize you’re reading one of the many Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 

So we put that idea to the test. We sat down with two of the Spring 2026 repertory season directors, Twelfth Night Director Nana Dakin and The Hound of the Baskervilles Director Brian Issac Phillips, to see whether or not they could tell the difference between Shakespeare’s language and Sherlock’s wit.

  

 

As you watch, play along, and see how you compare to our directors.  How did you do? Check out the bottom of our blog for the answers.

Hear the Difference Live

Test your ear under the shared light of the Blackfriars Playhouse and experience the words of Shakespeare and Sherlock live on the very same stage.

Catch them both this spring only at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, VA.

Can You Tell Shakespeare From Sherlock? Answers:

  1. “To answer by the method, in the first of his heart.” – Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
  2. “Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself” – Sherlock, The Valley of Fear 
  3. “Talent instantly recognizes genius” – Sherlock, The Valley of Fear 
  4. “My wit untrained in any kind of art” – Shakespeare, Henry VI 
  5. “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”  – Shakespeare, Hamlet 
  6. “The course of true love never did run smooth.” – Shakespeare, Midsummer Night’s Dream
  7. “that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained” – Sherlock, A Study in Scarlet 
  8. “Lay hands upon these traitors and their trash” – Shakespeare, Henry VI Pt 2
  9. “What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence.” – Sherlock, A Study in Scarlet 
  10. “Dispute not with her: she is lunatic.” – Shakespeare, Richard III 
  11. “To a great mind, nothing is little.” – Sherlock, A Study in Scarlet
  12. “Where there is no imagination, there is no horror.” – Sherlock, A Study in Scarlet 
  13. “So wise so young, they say, do never live long.” – Shakespeare, Richard III 
  14. “His Ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge.” – Sherlock, A Study in Scarlet
  15. “That which is clearly known hath less terror than that which is but hinted at and guessed.” – Sherlock, The Hound of the Baskervillles 
  16.  “The game is afoot” – Sherlock quoting Shakespeare, Henry V