Posted on 04/23/2016 8:31:19 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
Exactly 400 years ago on this day, William Shakespeare passed this mortal coil. His effect on the English language was YUUUUUGE. Therefore I am asking for general observations on The Bard.
p.s. PLEASE DON'T post conspiracy theories about how the true author of the Shakespeare plays was really somebody else. That stuff is old AND annoying. It was SHAKESPEARE who wrote it.
Unfortunately the Great Scalia was Antisratfordian.
The guy could write a play as well as a sonnet or two.
Many of Shakespeare's plays preceded the King James Bible which was begun in 1604 so perhaps Shakespeare influenced the language of the KJV Bible.
Take some time to read up on Elizabethan romantic imagery.
He’s much funnier than most people realize.
The starting plot for the tv show Dallas too.
I think he’s still dead. There is a rumor his skull might be somewhere besides the rest of his bones, however.
... You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon
Thereby hangs a tail!
I had the pleasure of visiting London last July, and we attended the Globe Theatre where they performed Richard II. I’ve always loved John of Gaunt’s “England” speech. I always pictured it as a rousing anthem to England. Instead, it was a lament for what England used to be.
This royal throne of kings, this scepter’d isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,
Addiction
Advertising
Bandit
Blanket
Cater
Critic
Dawn
Dwindle
Epileptic
Elbow (as verb)
Fixture
Frugal
Generous
Gnarled
Gossip
Grovel
Hint
Impede
Jaded
Label
Luggage
Mimic
Negotiate
Obscene
Pedant
Rant
Scuffle
Skim milk
Torture
Tranquil
Unreal
Varied
Worthless
Zany
“Let every eye negotiate for itself
And trust no agent; for beauty is a witch
Against whose charms faith melteth in blood.”
His phrase; “Much Ado About Nothing” can be very easily applied in today’s world, with our obsession on celebrities who are famous for being famous.
“Mortal coil” refers to the human body, not the planet Earth.
Some say Shakespeare was involved in the translation. If so, my guess would be John. Certainly not Paul.
The fact that there is a dispute tends to indicate a level of writing outside of Shakespeare equal to his works at that time, and it would be difficult to assess their impact on each other.
England was still using the Julian calendar at that time so the April 23 date is "Old Style"--equivalent to May 3 "New Style."
Cervantes' death is traditionally given as April 23, 1616 (N.S.), but it appears that it is now thought he actually died on April 22 (April 23 was the date of his burial).
“Brevity is the soul of Wit.” And I’ve used that quote when commenting on long-winded blowhard William Rivers Pitt.
I am in my 60s and just saw my first Shakespeare play last weekend at Chapman University. It was The Merchant of Venice. I have two observations. 1. It surprised me that it it was easy to understand and follow. I hated reading these plays in high school because I didn’t have the patience to stay with them. 2. His portrayal of Shylock, the Jewish lender, was brutal.
It’s Time’s, not time’s.
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