The Shakespeare Programming Language Between Poetry and Computer Code

The Shakespeare Programming Language (SPL) (Jon Åslund and Karl Wiberg, 2001) is an esoteric programming language which allows users to program their computer using Shakespeare-inspired language. In this paper, I will argue that SPL invites users and scholars to think about the differences and similarities between poetry and computer programs, as well as between human languages and computer programming languages more generally. It thereby opens up a window on one of the most intriguing areas of literature research and production today. Comparing a simple program written in SPL with a piece of Shakespearean poetry, this paper contends that in both cases, the meaning of the poem/program can be understood to result from the complex interaction of formal features and content. Generally speaking, the main difference seems to be the restricted range of meaning of the computer program: programming languages necessarily prohibit any kind of ambiguity, while poems might arguably be defined by an excess of meaning. This paper will show how an esoteric programming language such as SPL attempts to overcome this limitation, to turn the act of computer programming into writing poetry.