Early Modern English – Words, grammar, and spelling are different from contemporary English (e.g. “thou” / “thee” / “thy” / “thine” instead of “you” / “your”).

Poetic Forms – Frequent use of iambic pentameter, metaphors, and dense imagery.

Complex syntax – Inverted word order, long sentences, and unusual phrasing.

Cultural references – Historical, religious, and social references unfamiliar to modern readers (e.g. The Gunpowder Plot (1605): Shakespeare wrote Macbeth shortly after the failed Catholic plot to blow up King James I.).