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13 Everyday Phrases That Actually Came From Shakespeare

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shakespeare

Just the mention of William Shakespeare makes some people cringe. Even I'll admit his writing seems daunting at times.

Whether a fan or not though, you probably use many of Shakespeare's phrases on a regular basis.

Here's a list of 13 popular, albeit strange, sayings The Bard coined. In fact, we say or write some of these so often, they've become clichés.

1. "Green-eyed monster"

Meaning: jealousy.

In "Othello," Iago describes jealousy as a monster which devours its source.

"Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on" (Act 3, Scene 3).

In this case, Iago uses romance as an example. He thinks a man would rather know his wife is cheating than suspect her without proof.

2. "In a pickle"

Meaning: a difficult or uncomfortable situation.

In "The Tempest," King Alonso asks his jester, Trinculo, "How camest thou in this pickle?" (In modern language, "how did you get so drunk?")

The drunk Trinculo responds, "I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last ..." (Act 5, Scene 1).

Trinculo's drinking does cause trouble for him, the way we use the phrase today. Shakespeare's original intent makes sense though. Many pickling processes use alcohol.

3. "The world is your oyster."

Meaning:being in a position to take advantage of life's opportunities.

In "The Merry Wives Of Windsor," Falstaff refuses to lend Pistol any money. Pistol retorts, "Why, then the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open" (Act 2, Scene 2).

Since Falstaff won't help him financially, Pistol vows to obtain his fortune using violent means.

We've dropped the angry undertones for modern use.

4. "Catch a cold"

Meaning: to get sick.

In "Cymbeline," one of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays, Iachimo says to Posthumus Leonatus, "We will have these things set down by lawful counsel, and straight away for Britain, lest the bargain should catch cold and starve ..." (Act 1, Scene 4).

In other words, if the deal takes too long, it will fall apart. Shakespeare created the idea of "cold" causing illness for the first time.

5. "It's all Greek to me."

Meaning: that something is indistinguishable or incomprehensible.

In "Julius Caesar," when Cassius asks Casca what Cicero said, Casca responds, "But, for mine own part, it was Greek to me" (Act 1, Scene 2).

Cassius didn't understand because he doesn't speak Greek. The phrase has obviously morphed and expanded its meaning.

6. "Love is blind"

Meaning:an inability to see shortcomings in a lover; doing crazy things when in love.

In the "The Merchant Of Venice," Jessica disguises herself as a boy just to see her beloved, Lorenzo. Needless to say, she feels a little silly but simply has to see him.

"But love is blind, and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit ..." (Act 2, Scene 6)

7. "Wild goose chase"

Meaning: a hopeless and never-ending pursuit.

In "Romeo and Juliet," Romeo makes a play on words comparing his shoe to his penis, and Mercutio can't compete with Romeo's wit. He tells Romeo to stop joking, but Romeo implores his friend to continue — an impossible feat in Mercutio's mind.

Mercutio says, "Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I am done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five" (Act 2, Scene 4).

8. "A heart Of gold"

Meaning: a very kind or honorable person.

In "Henry V," King Henry disguises himself as a commoner, and Pistol, unaware of the King's true identity, speaks to him. When the King asks if he considers himself a better man than the king, Pistol says, "The king's a bawcock, and a heart of gold, a lad of life, an imp of fame ..." (Act 4, Scene 1).

9. "Break the ice"

Meaning: to start conversation.

"And if you break the ice, and do this feat,
Achieve the elder, set the younger free ..." (Act 1, Scene 2).

In the "The Taming Of The Shrew," Baptista Minola has two daughters: a sassy one and a modest, beautiful one — the younger daughter. He refuses to let any suitors even speak to his younger daughter until his older daughter marries. Tranio (as Lucentio) suggests that another man marry the older daughter, so he can try to win the younger one's affection.

10. "Laughing stock"

Meaning: a person subjected to ridicule.

In "The Merry Wives Of Windsor," Doctor Caius says to Sir Hugh Evans:

"Pray you let us not be laughing-stocks to other men's humours;
I desire you in friendship, and I will one way or other make you amends" (Act 3, Scene 1).

Here, Doctor Caius thinks the two will make fools of themselves if they fight — exactly what people want and expect. They should end the conflict and save their reputations instead.

11. "Wear your heart on your sleeve"

Meaning: to express your emotions openly, especially when others notice without much effort.

In "Othello," Iago says he'll "wear my heart upon my sleeve. For daws to peck at: I am not what I am" (Act 1, Scene 1).

The phrase most likely stemmed from jousting matches in the Middle Ages. Knights would wear tokens (such as scarfs) from their ladies tucked into the sleeves of their armor. But the first recorded use appears in Shakespeare's play.

12. "Dogs of war"

Meaning: soldiers; the brutalities that accompany war.

In "Julius Caesar," Mark Antony says to Brutus and Cassius, "Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war ..." (Act 3, Scene 1) shortly after Caesar's assassination.

Here, Mark Antony predicts that Caesar's ghost will come back, with help from the goddess of vengeance, to start a massive war in Italy.

He continues, "This foul deed will stink up to the sky with men’s corpses, which will beg to be buried" (Act 3, Scene 1).

Thus, the phrase today carries a serious connotation.

13. "Method to his madness"

Meaning: Someone's strange behavior has a purpose.

In "Hamlet" Polonius says as an aside, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t"(Act 2, Scene 2).

Just before this, Hamlet randomly pretends to read a passage from his book that makes fun of the elderly. Polonius, an old man, doesn't fully understand the jab but knows Hamlet has some "method" behind this "madness."

SEE ALSO: 12 Famous Quotes That People Always Get Wrong

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The Devious, 'Shakespearean' Way Israeli Soldiers Get Confessions From Suspected Militants

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Palestinian prisoners Ala'a Miqbel, a husband and father, spent a month in an Israeli prison under interrogation for suspected ties to radical Palestinian organizations.

Israeli intelligence officers eventually freed Miqbel (with no charges) but not before they tried to trick him into confessing with "a cross between Big Brother and Shakespeare," as Emily Harris reported for NPR

Officers at the prison placed Miqbel with "the sparrows," as they call themselves in Arabic — actors of-sorts who treated Miqbel as one of their own.

But in reality, the other inmates worked for Israel as informants. 

"I couldn't believe it," he says. "I was in normal prison. The guys welcomed me, they brought me new clothes, I took a shower. They gave me coffee and a pack of cigarettes. When it was time we prayed together," Miqbel told NPR.

To gain admission, they told Miqbel, he had to openly talk about his past — and only to the pretend Palestinian prison leader, Abu Bahar.

Miqbel's talks with Bahar often focused on militant activity, his reputation, and how he ended up in jail. "Didn't you do any activity against Israel in the 2008 war?" Bahar asked him.

Thankful for all the good treatment, Miqbel spilled all his secrets. 

But before he even met "the sparrows," Israeli intelligence strip-searched him, blindfolded him, hand-cuffed him to a chair, and kept him alone in a cell. They even planted another prisoner to tell Miqbel he had passed interrogation and would head to a regular prison soon. 

Although he fell for Israeli tactics, Miqbel maintained he didn't know anything about launch rockets or Islamic Jihad. And he found out Israeli intelligence had fooled him days later when officials repeated every detail back to him. 

"The prisoner is absolutely helpless, and he thinks that the interrogation is over. He can't guess or know that this is [part] of the whole interrogation process," Israeli human rights and criminal defense lawyer Smadar Ben-Natan told NPR.

Israeli officers just consider the technique a form of "good cop, bad cop," NPR reports. And the information would hold up in trial, according to lawyers. Although having prisoners sign confessions themselves works much better.

In the end, Israeli security sources couldn't confirm anything Miqbel said happened. They say officials released him after his interrogation.

SEE ALSO: 22 Beautiful images from the IDF's Instagram

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Revenge: Man Texts 19 Full Shakespeare Plays To The Fraudster Who Stole His PS3

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To text or not to text? It wasn't even a question. 

When 24-year-old Edd Joseph dropped £80 for a PS3 on Gumtree, he never expected the seller would take his money and run.

As soon as Joseph realized he wasn't going to be receiving the PS3 he rightfully paid for, he did what any human in their right mind would do: He texted "Macbeth" in its entirety to the seller. (via Betabeat.)

“It just occurred to me you can copy and paste things from the internet and into a text message. It got me thinking, ‘what can I sent [sic] to him’ which turned to ‘what is a really long book’, which ended with me sending him Macbeth,"Joseph told The Telegraph.

Macbeth Text

"Macbeth" soon led to "Hamlet,""Othello" and 19 other plays sent entirely through text message, about 17,424 texts.

“I’m going to keep doing it. If nothing else I’m sharing a little bit of culture with someone who probably doesn’t have much experience of it,” he told The Telegraph. ”I’m not a literary student, and I’m not an avid fan of Shakespeare but I’ve got a new appreciation you could say – especially for the long ones.”

Does the punishment fit the crime? As Shakespeare would have texted, "fair is foul and foul is fair."

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13 Everyday Phrases That Actually Came From Shakespeare

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shakespeare

On Wednesday, April 23, renowned poet, playwright, and snappy dresser William Shakespeare will turn 450 years old. 

Whether you're a fan or not, you probably use many of his phrases on a regular basis — maybe without even knowing.

We created a list of 13 popular, albeit strange, sayings The Bard coined. In fact, we say or write some of them so often they've become clichés.

1. "Green-eyed monster"

Meaning: jealousy.

In "Othello," Iago describes jealousy as a monster that devours its source.

"Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on" (Act 3, Scene 3).

In this case, Iago uses romance as an example. He thinks a man would rather know his wife is cheating than suspect her without proof.

2. "In a pickle"

Meaning: a difficult or uncomfortable situation.

In "The Tempest," King Alonso asks his jester, Trinculo, "How camest thou in this pickle?" (In other words, "How did you get so drunk?")

The inebriated Trinculo responds, "I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last ... " (Act 5, Scene 1).

Trinculo's drinking does cause trouble for him, which gives the modern use its meaning. Shakespeare's original intent makes sense, though, as many pickling processes require alcohol.

3. "The world is your oyster"

Meaning: being in a position to take advantage of life's opportunities.

In "The Merry Wives of Windsor," Falstaff refuses to lend Pistol any money. Pistol retorts, "Why, then the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open" (Act 2, Scene 2).

Since Falstaff won't help Pistol financially, he vows to obtain his fortune using violent means.

We've dropped the angry undertones for modern use.

4. "Catch a cold"

Meaning: to get sick.

In "Cymbeline," one of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays, Iachimo says to Posthumus Leonatus, "We will have these things set down by lawful counsel, and straight away for Britain, lest the bargain should catch cold and starve ... " (Act 1, Scene 4).

In other words, if the deal takes too long it will fall apart. This created the idea of "cold" causing an unwanted event, like illness, for the first time.

5. "It's all Greek to me."

Meaning: that something is indistinguishable or incomprehensible.

In "Julius Caesar," when Cassius asks Casca what Cicero said, Casca responds, "But, for mine own part, it was Greek to me" (Act 1, Scene 2).

Cassius didn't understand because he doesn't speak Greek. The phrase has obviously become not so literal. 

6. "Love is blind"

Meaning: an inability to see shortcomings in a lover; doing crazy things when in love.

In the "The Merchant Of Venice," Jessica disguises herself as a boy just to see her beloved, Lorenzo. Needless to say, she feels a little silly but simply has to see him.

"But love is blind, and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit ... " (Act 2, Scene 6)

7. "Wild goose chase"

Meaning: a hopeless and never-ending pursuit.

In "Romeo and Juliet," Romeo makes a play on words comparing his shoe to his penis, and Mercutio just can't compete with Romeo's wit. He tells Romeo to stop joking, but Romeo implores his friend to continue — an impossible feat in Mercutio's mind.

Mercutio says, "Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I am done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five" (Act 2, Scene 4).

8. "A heart of gold"

Meaning: a very kind or honorable person.

In "Henry V," King Henry disguises himself as a commoner, and Pistol, unaware of the King's true identity, speaks to him. When the King asks if he considers himself a better man than the king, Pistol says, "The king's a bawcock, and a heart of gold, a lad of life, an imp of fame ... " (Act 4, Scene 1).

Today, however, we say someone "has" a heart of gold, not that he or she "is" one. 

9. "Break the ice"

Meaning: to start conversation.

"And if you break the ice, and do this feat,
Achieve the elder, set the younger free ... " (Act 1, Scene 2).

In the "The Taming Of The Shrew," Baptista Minola has two daughters: a sassy one and a modest, beautiful one — the younger daughter. He refuses to let any suitors even speak to his younger daughter until his older daughter marries. Tranio (as Lucentio) suggests that another man marry the older daughter, so he can try to win the younger one's affection. But first, he must "break the ice"— maybe a reference to heart.

10. "Laughing stock"

Meaning: a person subjected to ridicule.

In "The Merry Wives Of Windsor," Doctor Caius says to Sir Hugh Evans:

"Pray you let us not be laughing-stocks to other men's humours;
I desire you in friendship, and I will one way or other make you amends" (Act 3, Scene 1).

Here, Doctor Caius thinks the two will make fools of themselves if they fight — exactly what people want and expect. They should end the conflict and save their reputations instead.

11. "Wear your heart on your sleeve"

Meaning: to express your emotions openly, especially when others notice without much effort.

In "Othello," Iago says he'll "wear my heart upon my sleeve. For daws to peck at: I am not what I am" (Act 1, Scene 1).

The phrase most likely stemmed from jousting matches in the Middle Ages. Knights would wear tokens (such as scarfs) from their ladies tucked into the sleeves of their armor. But the first recorded use appears in Shakespeare's play.

12. "Dogs of war"

Meaning: soldiers; the brutalities that accompany war.

In "Julius Caesar," Mark Antony says to Brutus and Cassius, "Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war ... " (Act 3, Scene 1) shortly after Caesar's assassination.

Here, Mark Antony predicts that Caesar's ghost will come back, with help from the goddess of vengeance, to start a massive war in Italy.

He continues, "This foul deed will stink up to the sky with men’s corpses, which will beg to be buried" (Act 3, Scene 1).

Thus the phrase today, either referring to soldiers or brutality in general, carries a serious connotation.

13. "Method to his madness"

Meaning: Someone's strange behavior has a purpose.

In "Hamlet" Polonius says as an aside, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t" (Act 2, Scene 2).

Just before this, Hamlet randomly pretends to read a passage from his book that makes fun of the elderly. Polonius, an old man, doesn't fully understand the jab but knows Hamlet has some "method" behind this "madness."

SEE ALSO: 12 Famous Quotes That People Always Get Wrong

NOW WATCH: Animated Maps That Will Change The Way You See The World

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Shakespeare Was Wrong — King Richard III Was No Hunchback

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Donation cards are seen displayed after a decision of the Judicial Review permitting King Richard lll to be buried at Leicester Cathedral in central England May 23, 2014.  REUTERS/Darren Staples

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - William Shakespeare excoriated Richard III, the last king of England to die in battle more than 500 years ago, with vibrant verbiage: a "foul bunch-back'd toad,""deformed, unfinish'd" and a hunchback so ugly that dogs barked as he passed by.

But the bard seems to have missed the mark, scientists said on Thursday. Their comprehensive analysis of the king's remains, including a 3-D reconstruction of his spine, confirmed that Richard was not really a hunchback but instead suffered from scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine.

Scientists spotted the spinal abnormality that looked like scoliosis when Richard's skeleton - replete with a cleaved skull - was dug up in the English city of Leicester in 2012 in one of the most important archaeological finds in recent English history.

Researchers who created a plastic 3-D model of the slain king's spine based on scans of the bones provided the first complete account of Richard's condition in a study published in the Lancet medical journal.

"It's pretty typical idiopathic adolescent-onset scoliosis," University of Leicester forensic radiologist Bruno Morgan said.

Richard's spine had a pronounced rightward curve of between 65 and 85 degrees and some twisting that yielded a spiral shape. Such a person today probably would be offered surgery to address it, the researchers said.

His right shoulder was higher than his left, and his torso relatively short compared to his limbs, they added.

"Shakespeare was right that he did have a spinal deformity. He was wrong with the kind of deformity that he had. He wasn't a hunchback," University of Cambridge biological anthropologist Piers Mitchell said.

"Shakespeare also said that he had a withered arm and a limp. But looking at the bones, everything is very symmetrical. There are no signs of a withered arm. And both legs are perfectly well formed. There is no sign of him having a limp," Mitchell added.

Richard was killed at age 32 as he fought to keep his crown at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. His death ended the Plantagenet dynasty and ushered in the Tudors under Henry VII.

"On the one hand, we want to say, 'This is nowhere near as bad as Shakespeare said it was.' But we don't want to trivialize somebody who has got a 70 degree scoliosis because they are going to have pain and discomfort," Morgan said.

"But there is no doubt that Richard III could put on a suit of armor and go to battle and fight," Morgan added.

In "Richard III," Shakespeare cast him as a tyrant who murdered two princes in the Tower of London and died in battle crying out: "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" Richard's supporters argue his reputation was tarnished intentionally to cement Tudor rule.

While Shakespeare provides Richard's best known description, it came more than a century after the king died. "It was colorful, but Shakespeare was basically writing a play to entertain people," Mitchell added.

 

 

(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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7 Things People Pretend To Like But Actually Hate

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shakespeare

While many of us try to be as authentic as possible, the reality is that being a functioning member of society requires us to massage the truth every now and then.

Often these white lies are a matter of taste: feigning mastery of a foreign novelist to appear sophisticated, winning the boss' affection by laughing at their unfunny jokes.

Users on Quora recently discussed the question: "What are some things many people pretend to like but don't actually enjoy?"

The answers are pretty illuminating.

1. Shakespeare

Last month "This American Life" host Ira Glass stirred the pot among theater nerds when he tweeted the unpopular opinion that "Shakespeare sucks."

On Quora, user Joe Dew did Glass one better by writing a screed against the Bard's faux fans in rhyming verse.

Dew maintains that while Shakespeare lovers show off their intelligence and education by paying to see his works, the truth is that many don't even know what the plays are about.

Writes Dew: "If you ask them a simple question/About the story or central tension/You get a blank stare/They're exposed and unaware/Because they cannot explain their affection."

2. The Truth

Honesty is a tricky thing. While people tend to admire those who take a stand and speak the truth, very few of us like hearing something hurtful.

As Liam Gorman put it on Quora, "'Say it to my face' is a phrase said a lot, but it pisses almost everybody off — at least on the inside — when it's actually done."

Bacon toothpaste3. Bacon

Bacon is a totally legitimate thing to eat with your eggs, but its fetishization in recent years speaks more to its perceived coolness than to the idea that bacon-flavored coffee is something people actually enjoy (to say nothing of bacon gumballs, bacon lollipops, and bacon dental floss).

"I'm not saying most people don't like bacon," writes Quora user Caroline Zelonka. "I'm saying that most people don't worship the stuff or favor it as an ingredient or flavoring option in just about any food (or even non-food) category out there."

4. When Their Friends Succeed

"Everyone pretends to be happy for other people,"Quora user Rajsi Rana writes. "Oh, this happened, SO HAPPY FOR YOU."

In actuality, though, it's natural for human beings to compare themselves to one another, and someone else's good news could mean they're getting ahead of you in their job, relationship, or life path.

Morrissey sang, "We hate it when our friends become successful," but Rana goes even further.

She writes: "The majority either doesn't care or feels like 'I hope you rot in hell, I am not happy for you.'"

Reading on bench5. Reading

Liam Gorman writes, "A huge majority of people I know pretend to like reading a good book, but just hate the intellectual effort and silence involved with it."

Indeed, there's research to back up his claim.

A 2013 study of 2,000 members of the British public found that more than 60% of people had lied about reading classic novels, with many using film adaptations and online summaries to feign knowledge.

6. Being Parents

It's a huge social taboo to talk negatively about your children, but the truth is that having kids is an exhausting, often frustrating experience.

While studies on how having children affects parents' happiness are inconclusiveNuno Heartki writes that many parents regret having children, and not enough of them speak openly about their experiences.

"Many real people are simply drained and tired all the time, without ever feeling that the experience of parenting compensates for it," Heartki writes. "I think there should be awareness about it given somewhere, in order to allow people to understand that having children is not 'an experience' or a temporary situation; it's a dramatic, life-changing, irrevocable choice."

7. Themselves

Self-confidence is a necessary skill for getting ahead in school or the workplace, and sometimes it's best to just fake it till you make it.

For instance, there's no way every single person applying for a job truly believes they are the most qualified candidate, but refusing to pretend as much would be fatal to their chances of getting hired. Even teenagers are able to figure out that people are more likely to want to be their friends if they give off the impression they like themselves.

Quora user Adrienne Michelson explains: "People build facades to disguise how they feel about themselves. I've seen it a lot as a counselor to pre-teens and also as a student at university. It's pretty common."

SEE ALSO: 'Live And Let Live' And 4 Other Happiness Tips From Pope Francis

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13 everyday phrases that actually came from Shakespeare

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shakespeare

Scholars believe William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564.

Whether you're a fan or not, you probably use many of his phrases on a regular basis — 451 years later.

We created a list of 13 popular sayings The Bard coined. In fact, we say or write some of them so often they've become clichés.

1. "Green-eyed monster"

Meaning: jealousy.

In "Othello," Iago describes jealousy as a monster that devours its source.

"Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on" (Act 3, Scene 3).

In this case, Iago uses romance as an example. He thinks a man would rather know his wife is cheating than suspect her without proof.

2. "In a pickle"

Meaning: a difficult or uncomfortable situation.

In "The Tempest," King Alonso asks his jester, Trinculo, "How camest thou in this pickle?" (In other words, "How did you get so drunk?")

The inebriated Trinculo responds, "I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last ... " (Act 5, Scene 1).

Trinculo's drinking does cause trouble for him, which gives the modern use its meaning. Shakespeare's original intent makes sense though, as many pickling processes require alcohol.

3. "The world is your oyster"

Meaning: being in a position to take advantage of life's opportunities.

In "The Merry Wives of Windsor," Falstaff refuses to lend Pistol any money. Pistol retorts, "Why, then the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open" (Act 2, Scene 2).

Since Falstaff won't help Pistol financially, he vows to obtain his fortune using violent means.

We've dropped the angry undertones for modern use.

4. "Catch a cold"

Meaning: to get sick.

In "Cymbeline," one of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays, Iachimo says to Posthumus Leonatus, "We will have these things set down by lawful counsel, and straight away for Britain, lest the bargain should catch cold and starve ... " (Act 1, Scene 4).

In other words, if the deal takes too long it will fall apart. This created the idea of "cold" causing an unwanted event, like illness, for the first time.

5. "It's all Greek to me."

Meaning: that something is indistinguishable or incomprehensible.

In "Julius Caesar," when Cassius asks Casca what Cicero said, Casca responds, "But, for mine own part, it was Greek to me" (Act 1, Scene 2).

Cassius didn't understand because he doesn't speak Greek. The phrase has lots some of literalness. 

6. "Love is blind"

Meaning: an inability to see shortcomings in a lover; doing crazy things when in love.

In the "The Merchant Of Venice," Jessica disguises herself as a boy just to see her beloved, Lorenzo. Needless to say, she feels a little silly but simply has to see him.

"But love is blind, and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit ... " (Act 2, Scene 6)

7. "Wild goose chase"

Meaning: a hopeless and never-ending pursuit.

In "Romeo and Juliet," Romeo makes a play on words comparing his shoe to his penis, and Mercutio just can't compete with Romeo's wit. He tells Romeo to stop joking, but Romeo implores his friend to continue — an impossible feat in Mercutio's mind.

Mercutio says, "Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I am done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five" (Act 2, Scene 4).

8. "A heart of gold"

Meaning: a very kind or honorable person.

In "Henry V," King Henry disguises himself as a commoner, and Pistol, unaware of the King's true identity, speaks to him. When the King asks if he considers himself a better man than the king, Pistol says, "The king's a bawcock, and a heart of gold, a lad of life, an imp of fame ... " (Act 4, Scene 1).

Today, however, we say someone "has" a heart of gold, not that he or she "is" one. 

9. "Break the ice"

Meaning: to start conversation. 

"And if you break the ice, and do this feat, 
Achieve the elder, set the younger free ... " (Act 1, Scene 2).

In the "The Taming Of The Shrew," Baptista Minola has two daughters: a sassy one and a modest, beautiful one — the younger daughter. He refuses to let any suitors even speak to his younger daughter until his older daughter marries. Tranio (as Lucentio) suggests that another man marry the older daughter, so he can try to win the younger one's affection. But first, he must "break the ice"— maybe a reference to her heart.

10. "Laughing stock"

Meaning: a person subjected to ridicule.

In "The Merry Wives Of Windsor," Doctor Caius says to Sir Hugh Evans:

"Pray you let us not be laughing-stocks to other men's humours;
I desire you in friendship, and I will one way or other make you amends" (Act 3, Scene 1).

Here, Doctor Caius thinks the two will make fools of themselves if they fight — exactly what people want and expect. They should end the conflict and save their reputations instead.

11. "Wear your heart on your sleeve"

Meaning: to express your emotions openly, especially when others notice without much effort.

In "Othello," Iago says he'll "wear my heart upon my sleeve. For daws to peck at: I am not what I am" (Act 1, Scene 1).

The phrase most likely stemmed from jousting matches in the Middle Ages. Knights would wear tokens (such as scarfs) from their ladies tucked into the sleeves of their armor. But the first recorded use appears in Shakespeare's play.

12. "Dogs of war"

Meaning: soldiers; the brutalities that accompany war.

In "Julius Caesar," Mark Antony says to Brutus and Cassius, "Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war ... " (Act 3, Scene 1) shortly after Caesar's assassination.

Here, Mark Antony predicts that Caesar's ghost will come back, with help from the goddess of vengeance, to start a massive war in Italy.

He continues, "This foul deed will stink up to the sky with men’s corpses, which will beg to be buried" (Act 3, Scene 1).

Thus the phrase today, either referring to soldiers or brutality in general, carries a serious connotation.

13. "Method to his madness"

Meaning: Someone's strange behavior has a purpose. 

In "Hamlet" Polonius says as an aside, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t" (Act 2, Scene 2).

Just before this, Hamlet randomly pretends to read a passage from his book that makes fun of the elderly. Polonius, an old man, doesn't fully understand the jab but knows Hamlet has some "method" behind this "madness."

SEE ALSO: 12 Famous Quotes That People Always Get Wrong

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5 myths about Shakespeare

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Shakespeare1. Shakespeare did not write Shakespeare's plays.

Roland Emmerich's 2011 film "Anonymous," which dramatizes the theory that the Earl of Oxford (Edward de Vere) was the author of Shakespeare's works, has given fresh life to this stubborn myth.

Even celebrated Shakespearean actor Derek Jacobi has fallen prey to it: "I believe the man from Stratford-upon-Avon, known as Shakespeare," Jacobi has said, "became the frontman for . . . the 17th Earl of Oxford."

Shakespeare, however, was a well-known playwright, actor and theater co-owner.

Tales of such an elaborate conspiracy — which would involve countless actors, writers, printers, publishers, servants and neighbors — surely would have surfaced in the 200 years before 1805, when James Cowell supposedly recorded his doubts in a manuscript called "Some reflections on the life of William Shakespeare."

In fact, James Shapiro has recently argued that Cowell's account was itself a forgery produced sometime after the 1840s. Then-new discoveries, including records that Shakespeare hoarded grain during famine while others starved, proved unsavory to Victorians who venerated the nobility they saw in his work. So they decided to find another, more noble, author.

In fact, almost all Shakespeare denial is rooted in the belief that the greatness of the works is not reflected in what we know of the man. This idea relies on the fallacy that we can ascertain the truth of a person's character from the fictions he or she creates, an idea as unreliable now as it was in the Victorian age (or, for that matter, in Shakespeare's).

It is far more likely that the many contemporaneous references to Shakespeare, like that of Francis Meres in 1598, mean what they say: that William Shakespeare, stage actor, theater owner and, yes, barley hoarder, was a widely recognized and admired writer.

2. Shakespeare had a uniquely huge vocabulary.

ShakespeareOne of the most oft-repeated observations about what made Shakespeare great is that he possessed an extraordinary vocabulary and a unique facility for coining words. Estimates of Shakespeare's vocabulary range from 20,000 to 30,000 words, depending on how they are counted (larger estimates tend to count singular and plural forms of words separately).

Until quite recently, even brilliant and influential scholars such as Stanley Wells accepted this myth. "Shakespeare's works use an exceptionally large vocabulary," Wells wrote in 2003, and "many of these words were new to the language."

This may sound like a lot, but claims of "exceptionality" require context — exceptional compared to what or whom? Hugh Craig, a Shakespearean scholar with expertise in statistics, recently published an essay that analyzes Shakespeare's works and those of his peers to compare how large most Renaissance playwrights' vocabularies were and how many words they invented. Shakespeare's relative vocabulary size came out exactly in the middle — with John Webster at the top and Shakespeare ensconced between Robert Greene and John Lyly.

Similarly, compared to Ben Jonson and Thomas Middleton — the only authors whose surviving corpus approaches Shakespeare's in size — Shakespeare was perfectly average in the rate at which he coined words. It turns out that the Bard's reputation for staggering linguistic variety and ingenuity rests on the great number of his plays that survive today — almost double that of any other playwright of the time.

For that, thank the groundbreaking collection of his dramatic works, known as the First Folio, posthumously compiled in 1623 by his former colleagues and fellow actors John Heminges and Henry Condell.

3. Shakespeare was uneducated.

ShakespeareThe First Folio contains a prefatory poem by Jonson, Shakespeare's creative and commercial rival.

Jonson assures the dead playwright that his artistic reputation is secure, "though thou hadst small Latin and less Greek."

This comment, along with the fact that Shakespeare did not attend university, has been read as implying that Shakespeare was either a brilliant autodidact or a well-known fraud.

He was neither.

Yet the idea that Shakespeare had "little or no education" is endlessly repeated by doubters of his authorship, and he is included in Wikipedia's list of notable autodidacts.

To Jonson, a renowned neoclassicist, Shakespeare's Latin may have seemed small, but that doesn't mean he was poorly educated. If his education was like those of similar socioeconomic status, Shakespeare probably attended the king's Free Grammar School at Stratford. Sadly, the school's records did not survive, but based on the records of similar schools, Shakespeare would have studied Latin grammar, rhetoric and literature, Renaissance humanist textbooks and classical Latin texts by Cicero, Ovid, Seneca and Virgil, among others.

He probably would have been required to speak Latin in class, and to translate Latin texts into English and then back into Latin. Shakespeare's plays, particularly "Love's Labor's Lost" and "The Merry Wives of Windsor," dramatize the life and lessons of the Elizabethan grammar school classroom, and his work throughout shows an awareness of its curriculum.

4. Shakespeare was a solitary artist.

We generally talk about Shakespeare as a lone figure (certainly this is how we anthologize him), even one with a divine singularity, as in Harold Bloom's influential argument that Shakespeare "invented [the concept of] the human as we know it."

Yet scholars have long recognized that collaboration was the rule in the early modern theater, rather than the exception. Indeed, Jonathan Hope's linguistic analysis of the plays suggests that Shakespeare collaborated with at least three dramatists — John Fletcher, Thomas Middleton and George Wilkins — on at least four works: "Henry VIII" (or "All Is True"); "The Two Noble Kinsmen"; "Timon of Athens"; and "Pericles, Prince of Tyre."

A 17th-century publishing archive also records Shakespeare as collaborating with Fletcher on the lost play "Cardenio," based on the famous Spanish novel "Don Quixote," by Miguel de Cervantes. On the basis of stylistic and handwriting analysis, many scholars also believe that Shakespeare contributed a few pages to another play, "Sir Thomas More," which survives in a manuscript owned by the British Library.

Additionally, as Simon Palfrey and Tiffany Stern have argued, dramatic scripts were revised piecemeal, based on each actor's individual "part"— literally a part of the script. The final product therefore would have been a collaboration between author, actor and other professionals involved in the theatrical production.

5. Shakespeare's love poetry was written about a woman.

ShakespeareThe Oscar-winning film "Shakespeare in Love" portrays Shakespeare sending an aristocratic woman florid sonnets to proclaim his love and admiration. As Valerie Traub has pointed out, however, the movie overlooks the fact that the first 126 of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets were probably addressed to a male beloved, "Mr. W.H.," whom the 1609 first edition names as "the onlie begetter of these insuing sonnets."

Among these poems are some of the most famously romantic lines in English literature, including, "Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments," and, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

Interestingly, the Renaissance didn't attach the same stigma to male-male attraction that later generations would. In an influential essay, Margreta de Grazia went so far as to argue that the original "scandal" of Shakespeare's sonnets was the 28 poems addressed to the unnamed woman traditionally called the "Dark Lady."

Her darker skin, de Grazia said, would have been a far greater barrier to a socially acceptable romance than Mr. W.H.'s gender. Whether or not one accepts this hierarchy of scandals, Shakespeare's poetry evinces a pleasure in and comfort with male same-sex erotics that exceeds that of much of his later audience.

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Inside the £750 million project turning an old Shakespearean theatre into a trendy housing development

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The Stage, Shoreditch   central square showing heritage centre and sunken amphitheatre

As London gets more and more expensive, developers have started to look further afield than the traditionally highly desirable areas like the West End, and Mayfair, and into areas previously ignored by many people.

In recent years one of those areas, Shoreditch, has gone from being somewhere most people avoided, thanks to a reputation for crime and being generally run down, to one of the capital's coolest, most desirable areas. It is now home to some of the most exciting restaurants, bars and businesses in the capital.

Developers have started to take advantage of that changing reputation, and are building new sites at a rapid rate in the area.

One of those developments is the Stage, a massive project encompassing shops, bars, restaurants, and housing. It is being developed by Gaillard Homes, in conjunction with Cain Hoy, McCourt, and several other partners.  Building will start in April, and according to the developers, will be finished by 2019.

Speaking about the development, Gaillard chief executive Stephen Conway said: “The Stage will provide a world class new destination for London. At its heart will be a new central square, one of the largest public open spaces to be created in the capital, bordered by historic and new buildings providing cafes, restaurants, shops, offices and new homes. For apartment purchasers it offers the best new address in London and an exceptional lifestyle choice and long term investment opportunity.”

Business Insider got hold of some pictures from the developers, and you can check them out below.

The Stage will be built in the Shoreditch district of central London, immediately north of the City of London, east of the Old Street area, and close to Business Insider's UK office. It takes its name from a line in Shakespeare's "As You Like It".



That's because new development will be built on the site of the Curtain Theatre, an Elizabethan theatre used by Shakespeare, discovered three metres below the surface of the building site.



The theatre dates back as far as 1577, and was home to William Shakespeare's Theatre Company. It is thought that both Romeo and Juliet, and Henry V, two of Shakespeare's most well known plays, were first performed at the Curtain.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Inside the £750 million project turning an old Shakespearean theatre into a trendy housing development

0
0

The Stage, Shoreditch   central square showing heritage centre and sunken amphitheatre

As London gets more and more expensive, developers have started to look further afield than the traditionally highly desirable areas like the West End, and Mayfair, and into areas previously ignored by many people.

In recent years one of those areas, Shoreditch, has gone from being somewhere most people avoided, thanks to a reputation for crime and being generally run down, to one of the capital's coolest, most desirable areas. It is now home to some of the most exciting restaurants, bars and businesses in the capital.

Developers have started to take advantage of that changing reputation, and are building new sites at a rapid rate in the area.

One of those developments is the Stage, a massive project encompassing shops, bars, restaurants, and housing. It is being developed by Gaillard Homes, in conjunction with Cain Hoy, McCourt, and several other partners.  Building will start in April, and according to the developers, will be finished by 2019.

Speaking about the development, Gaillard chief executive Stephen Conway said: “The Stage will provide a world class new destination for London. At its heart will be a new central square, one of the largest public open spaces to be created in the capital, bordered by historic and new buildings providing cafes, restaurants, shops, offices and new homes. For apartment purchasers it offers the best new address in London and an exceptional lifestyle choice and long term investment opportunity.”

Business Insider got hold of some pictures from the developers, and you can check them out below.

The Stage will be built in the Shoreditch district of central London, immediately north of the City of London, east of the Old Street area, and close to Business Insider's UK office. It takes its name from a line in Shakespeare's "As You Like It".



That's because new development will be built on the site of the Curtain Theatre, an Elizabethan theatre used by Shakespeare, discovered three metres below the surface of the building site.



The theatre dates back as far as 1577, and was home to William Shakespeare's Theatre Company. It is thought that both Romeo and Juliet, and Henry V, two of Shakespeare's most well known plays, were first performed at the Curtain.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Researchers used a radar to scan Shakespeare's curse-protected grave

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shakespeare

Documentary film makers have radar scanned William Shakespeare's grave this year as Britain celebrates the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death, Channel 4 said and the Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

The grave in the Holy Trinity Church in Shakespeare's birthplace of Stratford upon Avon is a place of pilgrimage for fans and has an inscription on it with a curse against anyone planning to tamper with it.

Shakespeare"Bleste be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones," the inscription reads.

The survey could help researchers learn more about Shakespeare's life and family, helping to detect unmarked or previously unknown graves and items buried within the coffins, the Telegraph reported.

"We can confirm a scan has been completed. The results of the scan will be revealed as part of a Channel 4 documentary later in the spring," a spokesman for the church was quoted as saying.

A Channel 4 spokeswoman confirmed the report to AFP.

Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway and daughter Suzanna as well as other members of his extended family are buried in graves around his own.

The pre-eminent British writer, who lived between 1564 and 1616, is believed to have written around 38 plays -- although the precise authorship of some works has been disputed -- and 154 sonnets.

Britain is marking the anniversary of his death on April 23 with a series of performances and academic workshops as well as a planned candlelit vigil in the Holy Trinity Church itself on the day.

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21 everyday phrases that come straight from Shakespeare's plays

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Shakespeare

William Shakespeare wrote a lot of great plays, but he also coined and popularized a lot of words and phrases that we still use to this day.

We put together a list of our 21 favorites. Check them out:

"Puking"

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. ..."

How Shakespeare uses it: "Puking" was first recorded in Shakespeare's "As You Like It." It was likely an English imitation of the German word "spucken," which means to spit, according to Dictionary.com.

Modern definition: A synonym for the verb "to vomit."

Source: "As You Like It," Act 2, Scene 7



"Vanish into thin air"

"Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I'll away. Go; vanish into air; away!" (Othello)

How Shakespeare uses it: The Clown says this to the musicians in "Othello" to make them go away.

But some have also suggested that there is a darker underlying meaning. Act 3 in Othello is the final act that suggests that all of this might have a happy ending. It gets pretty dark starting in Act 4. So the Clown might be symbolically asking musicians and all happy things to "vanish into thin air" because there's no more room for them in the play.

A similar phrase is also found in "The Tempest."

Modern definition: To disappear without a trace.

Sources: "Othello," Act 3, Scene 1, "The Tempest," Act 4, Scene 1



"There's a method to my madness"

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't. Will you walk out of the air, my lord?"

How Shakespeare uses it: Polonius says it in "Hamlet," basically suggesting that there is reason behind apparent chaos.

Modern definition: The meaning is the same nowadays, although the language is a bit updated into modern terms. It is also a Bee Gees song.

Source: "Hamlet," Act 2, Scene 2



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Shakespeare's skull is apparently missing from his grave

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Shakespeare_grave_ Stratford upon Avon_ 3June2007

LONDON (Reuters) - Shakespeare's skull is likely missing from his grave, an archaeologist has concluded, confirming rumors which have swirled for years about grave-robbers and adding to the mystery surrounding the Bard's remains.

Four hundred years after his death and burial at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford-upon-Avon, central England, researchers were allowed to scan the grave of England's greatest playwright with ground-penetrating radar.

But in the area under the church floor where the Bard's skull was expected to be, they found signs of interference.

"We have Shakespeare's burial with an odd disturbance at the head end and we have a story that suggests that at some point in history someone's come in and taken the skull of Shakespeare," said archaeologist Kevin Colls from Staffordshire University.

"It's very very convincing to me that his skull isn't at Holy Trinity at all."

The findings deepen the mystery around Shakespeare's last resting place.

The grave does not bear his name, merely this warning rhyme: "Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones."

ShakespeareIn their quest to find Shakespeare's skull, Colls's team also investigated a long-standing tale that it was hidden in a sealed crypt in another church 15 miles (24 km) across the English countryside in Worcestershire.

But analysis of that skull showed it to be that of a woman who had been in her 70s when she died.

The story of Shakespeare's missing skull appeared in The Argosy magazine in 1879, which blamed the removal on trophy hunters from the previous century when grave-robbing was common.

Skulls were worth collecting because genius, thought some at that time, would be evident in the remains of a man like Shakespeare, whose character Hamlet famously holds a skull while musing on death.

The scan of the grave where Shakespeare's remains rest next to those of his wife Anne Hathaway was conducted in a non-intrusive way, said the team, who will present the results in a Channel 4 television documentary due to air in Britain on Saturday.

"There are so many contradictory myths and legends about the tomb of the Bard," said Colls in a statement.

"These results will undoubtedly spark discussion, scholarly debate and controversial theories for years to come. Even now, thinking of the findings sends shivers down my spine."

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You can now rent Hamlet's castle on Airbnb for £8 — for one night only

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hamlets castle

If you've ever dreamed of living like a Shakespeare character for a day, you could soon find out what it's like.

Airbnb is offering two guests the chance to spend a night at Kronborg Castle — the castle from "Hamlet"— in Helsingør, Denmark.

The listing, which we first read about on Travel + Leisure, is available for just £8 (including a service fee) for one night only on April 23, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.

During their stay, guests will have the entire King's Tower to themselves, and will be treated to a grand banquet for dinner, as well as breakfast in bed the next morning, according to the listing.

There are just a few house rules to bear in mind. Guests are warned to watch out for "rotten" floorboards, and that the door to the tower locks from the inside only. There's also no smoking allowed.

To win a night in the castle, fans of the Bard should contact the listing's host — coincidentally, a man named Hamlet — over Airbnb with their reason for why they deserve to sleep in the mad prince's residence by 11.59 p.m. on April 13. Extra points will be awarded to submissions written in iambic pentameter.

The castle is one of 12 Shakespeare-themed accommodations available on Airbnb, including a terrace in Verona like the one from the famous balcony scene in "Romeo and Juliet" (from £250/night), and a private island in Belize where guests can re-enact "The Tempest" (from £256/night). Though Kronborg Castle is by far the cheapest (and perhaps the creepiest) option available.

Take a look inside Hamlet's castle below.

Kronborg Castle is situated on the Danish coast with stunning views of Sweden.



The castle is accessible via moat, of course. Though use of the cannons is not advised.



On arrival, guests will enjoy a renaissance-style 7-course banquet along with 300 guests in the main ballroom, hosted by Hamlet. Dinner includes asparagus with oyster emulsion, boneless quail, shoulder well with figs and apricots, and lemon soufflé for dessert. Entertainment will be provided by the Royal Danish Ballet, while famous Danish actors and singers are also invited. Appropriately, tables will be decorated with love letters and vials of poison.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Tour Hamlet's castle which you can rent on Airbnb for £8 — for one night only

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0

hamlets castle

If you've ever dreamed of living like a Shakespeare character for a day, you could soon find out what it's like.

Airbnb is offering two guests the chance to spend a night at Kronborg Castle — the castle from "Hamlet"— in Helsingør, Denmark.

The listing, which we first read about on Travel + Leisure, is available for just £8 (including a service fee) for one night only on April 23, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.

During their stay, guests will have the entire King's Tower to themselves, and will be treated to a grand banquet for dinner, as well as breakfast in bed the next morning, according to the listing.

There are just a few house rules to bear in mind. Guests are warned to watch out for "rotten" floorboards, and that the door to the tower locks from the inside only. There's also no smoking allowed.

To win a night in the castle, fans of the Bard should contact the listing's host — coincidentally, a man named Hamlet — over Airbnb with their reason for why they deserve to sleep in the mad prince's residence by 11.59 p.m. on April 13. Extra points will be awarded to submissions written in iambic pentameter.

The castle is one of 12 Shakespeare-themed accommodations available on Airbnb, including a terrace in Verona like the one from the famous balcony scene in "Romeo and Juliet" (from £250/night), and a private island in Belize where guests can re-enact "The Tempest" (from £256/night). Though Kronborg Castle is by far the cheapest (and perhaps the creepiest) option available.

Take a look inside Hamlet's castle below.

Kronborg Castle is situated on the Danish coast with stunning views of Sweden.



The castle is accessible via moat, of course. Though use of the cannons is not advised.



On arrival, guests will enjoy a renaissance-style 7-course banquet along with 300 guests in the main ballroom, hosted by Hamlet. Dinner includes asparagus with oyster emulsion, boneless quail, shoulder well with figs and apricots, and lemon soufflé for dessert. Entertainment will be provided by the Royal Danish Ballet, while famous Danish actors and singers are also invited. Appropriately, tables will be decorated with love letters and vials of poison.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Shakespeare died 400 years ago today — here are 21 everyday phrases he coined

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0

Shakespeare

William Shakespeare wrote a lot of great plays, but he also coined and popularized a lot of words and phrases that we still use to this day.

We put together a list of our 21 favorites. Check them out:

"Puking"

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. ..."

How Shakespeare uses it: "Puking" was first recorded in Shakespeare's "As You Like It." It was likely an English imitation of the German word "spucken," which means to spit, according to Dictionary.com.

Modern definition: A synonym for the verb "to vomit."

Source: "As You Like It," Act 2, Scene 7



"Vanish into thin air"

"Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I'll away. Go; vanish into air; away!" (Othello)

How Shakespeare uses it: The Clown says this to the musicians in "Othello" to make them go away.

But some have also suggested that there is a darker underlying meaning. Act 3 in Othello is the final act that suggests that all of this might have a happy ending. It gets pretty dark starting in Act 4. So the Clown might be symbolically asking musicians and all happy things to "vanish into thin air" because there's no more room for them in the play.

A similar phrase is also found in "The Tempest."

Modern definition: To disappear without a trace.

Sources: "Othello," Act 3, Scene 1, "The Tempest," Act 4, Scene 1



"There's a method to my madness"

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't. Will you walk out of the air, my lord?"

How Shakespeare uses it: Polonius says it in "Hamlet," basically suggesting that there is reason behind apparent chaos.

Modern definition: The meaning is the same nowadays, although the language is a bit updated into modern terms. It is also a Bee Gees song.

Source: "Hamlet," Act 2, Scene 2



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Academics claim that Shakespeare was a 'ruthless' businessman who evaded taxes

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William Shakespeare

Hoarder, moneylender, tax dodger — it's not how we usually think of William Shakespeare.

But we should, according to a group of academics who said the Bard was a ruthless businessman who grew wealthy dealing in grain during a time of famine.

In 2013, researchers from Aberystwyth University in Wales argue that we can't fully understand Shakespeare unless we study his often-overlooked business savvy.

"Shakespeare the grain-hoarder has been redacted from history so that Shakespeare the creative genius could be born," the researchers say in a paper due to be delivered at the Hay literary festival in Wales in May.

Jayne Archer, a lecturer in medieval and Renaissance literature at Aberystwyth, said that oversight is the product of "a willful ignorance on behalf of critics and scholars who I think — perhaps through snobbery — cannot countenance the idea of a creative genius also being motivated by self-interest."

Archer and her colleagues Howard Thomas and Richard Marggraf Turley combed through historical archives to uncover details of the playwright's parallel life as a grain merchant and property owner in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon whose practices sometimes brought him into conflict with the law.

Shakespeare"Over a 15-year period he purchased and stored grain, malt and barley for resale at inflated prices to his neighbors and local tradesmen," they wrote, adding that Shakespeare "pursued those who could not (or would not) pay him in full for these staples and used the profits to further his own money-lending activities."

He was pursued by the authorities for tax evasion, and in 1598 was prosecuted for hoarding grain during a time of shortage.

The charge sheet against Shakespeare was not entirely unknown, though it may come as shock to some literature lovers. But the authors argue that modern readers and scholars are out of touch with the harsh realities the writer and his contemporaries faced.

He lived and wrote in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, during a period known as the "Little Ice Age," when unusual cold and heavy rain caused poor harvests and food shortages.

"I think now we have a rather rarefied idea of writers and artists as people who are disconnected from the everyday concerns of their contemporaries," Archer said.

"But for most writers for most of history, hunger has been a major concern — and it has been as creatively energizing as any other force."

She argues that knowledge of the era's food insecurity can cast new light on Shakespeare's plays, including "Coriolanus," which is set in an ancient Rome wracked by famine. The food protests in the play can be seen to echo the real-life 1607 uprising of peasants in the English Midlands, where Shakespeare lived.

Shakespeare scholar Jonathan Bate told the Sunday Times newspaper that Archer and her colleagues had done valuable work, saying their research had "given new force to an old argument about the contemporaneity of the protests over grain-hoarding in 'Coriolanus.'"

Archer said famine also informs "King Lear," in which an aging monarch's unjust distribution of his land among his three daughters sparks war.

shakespeare"In the play there is a very subtle depiction of how dividing up land also involves impacts on the distribution of food," Archer said.

Archer said the idea of Shakespeare as a hardheaded businessman may not fit with romantic notions of the sensitive artist, but we shouldn't judge him too harshly. Hoarding grain was his way of ensuring that his family and neighbors would not go hungry if a harvest failed.

"Remembering Shakespeare as a man of hunger makes him much more human, much more understandable, much more complex," she said.

"He would not have thought of himself first and foremost as a writer. Possibly as an actor — but first and foremost as a good father, a good husband and a good citizen to the people of Stratford."

She said the playwright's funeral monument in Stratford's Holy Trinity Church reflected this. The original monument erected after his death in 1616 showed Shakespeare holding a sack of grain. In the 18th century, it was replaced with a more "writerly" memorial depicting Shakespeare with a tasseled cushion and a quill pen.

SEE ALSO: 21 everyday phrases that come straight from Shakespeare's plays

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The new ‘Macbeth’ movie looks like Shakespeare meets ‘Game of Thrones'

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