Farewells

Several words and phrases can be used to say farewell or to bring a conversation to a close, either gently or abruptly. Most are no longer used (good night is the chief exception), or are used only in certain contexts (e.g. ‘make my farewells’). Modern English goodbye is also present, in a variety of spellings; its modern form is an early 19th-century development.

A simple farewell

Keyword	Location	Example
adieu	Ham I.v.91	Adieu, adieu, adieu
fare	2H4 III.ii.289	Fare you well, gentle gentlemen [also: thee, ye]
farewell	Ham II.i.74	Farewell
God bye [= God be with you]	1H6 III.ii.73	God bye, my lord
God bye [= God be with you]	Ham II.i.69	God bye ye
God bye [= God be with you]	Ham II.ii.546	God bye to you
God bye [= God be with you]	AYL III.ii.250	God buy you
God bye [= God be with you]	Oth I.iii.187	God bu’y! I have done

A farewell with time of day

Keyword	Location	Example
even	Cor II.i.88	Good e’en to your worships
morrow	KL II.ii.156	Give you good morrow!
night	Ham III.iv.218	Good night, mother
night	Ham I.i.16	Give you good night

A farewell with kind regards

Keyword	Location	Example
commend	Ham V.ii.178	I commend my duty to your lordship
commend	Ham I.v.183	I do commend me to you
commend	CE I.ii.32	I commend you to your own content [i.e. wish you all you wish yourself]
commend	RJ II.iv.208	Commend me to thy lady

A farewell with concern for well-being

Keyword	Location	Example
keep	2H4 III.ii.288	God keep you!
merry	RJ I.ii.80	Rest you merry
save	Ham II.ii.221	God save you, sir!

A dismissal

Keyword	Location	Example
drink	R3 III.ii.105	There, drink that for me [thanking a messenger]
even	RJ III.v.172	O, God-i-good-e'en!
leave	TN II.iv.71	Give me now leave, to leave thee [very courteous dismissal]
way, ways	TNK III.v.59	Go thy ways [i.e. on your way]
way, ways	TN III.i.131	There lies your way

There is some overlap with expressions used in greeting: GREETINGS