400 yrs later, Shakespeare still rules

[MikeWhalen]

evidently, this month is the 400th anniversary of the 'Bards' great works! Yay Bill!!

I remember studying several of his plays in my various High School English classes and once you got past the archaic language, the themes and issues were surprisingly relevant and interesting
..dare I say an amazing feat in capturing the attention of a bunch of mid teens who's minds were mostly on the opposite sex or sports or parties
...having some good teachers that loved his work no doubt helped

I have also noted that over the years I have occasionally quoted or used as an example some point from a few of his classics that I particularly liked or we studied in great detail (M.o.V., Macbeth, Hamlet, Henry VI pt 1, Romeo & Juliet & 12th night) only to find that no one else at the table had a clue of what I was talking about...a bit discouraging to say the least

anyway, here is a fun list of phrases we still use today that come from his works...many I use, but few I realized came from him

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/19-phrases-coined-william-shakespeare-083904340.html

"Here are 19 phrases that were given to the English language by Shakespeare.

1. “With bated breath” - The Merchant Of Venice

2. “The be all and end all” - Macbeth

3. “Break the ice” - The Taming Of The Shrew

4. “Dead as a doornail” - Henry VI, Part II

5. “Faint-hearted” - Henry VI, Part I

6. “Wild-goose chase” - Romeo And Juliet

7. “Laugh yourself into stitches (in stitches)” - Twelfth Night

8. “Zany” - Love’s Labour’s Lost

9. “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve” - Othello

10. “What’s done, is done” - Macbeth

11. “At one fell swoop” - Macbeth

12. “Though this be madness, yet there is method in it (There’s method in my madness)” - Hamlet

13. “Spotless reputation” - Richard II

14. “Laughing-stock” - The Merry Wives Of Windsor

15. “Eaten out of house and home” - Henry IV, Part 2

16. “Fair play” - The Tempest/King John/Troilus And Cressida

17. “In a pickle” - The Tempest

18. “Send him packing” - Henry IV, Part 1

19. “Too much of a good thing” - As You Like It"

Mike

[GTC]

11. “At one fell swoop” - Macbeth

All too often misquoted as a foul swoop, or even a fowl swoop. :lol:

[MikeWhalen]

wow, that's a pretty bad misquote that I'm glad I never heard before

M

[jdean]

All too often misquoted as a foul swoop, or even a fowl swoop. :lol:

Or fowl soup ?

[vettor]

Some of Shakespeare works where already done in other countries.....he mearly rewrote them in English.............like Romeo and Juliet....written by Luigi da Porto 70 years earlier.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Da_Porto

many of his Italian plays, where copied from the various Italian states.............2 merchants from Verona, Othello and the merchant from Venice etc etc

A recent n English documentary from the BBC called Shakespeare in Italy is an interesting watch.

[curiousII]

"Bid me discourse, I will enchant thine ear" is, without doubt, the most beautiful line ever written in English. Entirely describes theater and the entertainment industry in just eight words: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Venus_and_Adonis_(Shakespeare_poem)

From Venus and Adonis, which apparently no one reads but me. Speaking of school plays and whatnot, my mom went to a private university back in the day when frats and sororities were the thing to do along with Shakespeare plays. This is from her yearbook, I'm pretty sure that's Sigma Tau Delta decked out in their Elizabethan finery:

2235822358

[mainer]

The list of Shakespeare's phrases we still use is baffling, to be honest. I, too, was introduced to the bard in high school. For some reason, I took an instant liking. I did not understand his works very well then, but I remember being smitten, enchanted rather. Reading Julius Caesar was such an enriching experience.

I haven't felt the same way about Dante or even Milton. I can feel the weight of time that separates us from these authors. With Shakespeare, it never felt that way. His works are a difficult read; I am not claiming otherwise. I just mean that I didn't mind putting in the effort.

My first post on this forum, BTW :D