Phrases coined by Phrases coined by ShakespeareShakespeare

May LeeWorld Lit: Block C

Background InformationBackground Information

Shakespeare was never able to receive proper education at university, nor get mentored under an experienced artist, nor get married to the wealthyHis career as a playwright heavily depended on royal patronage- another reason for his successDespite these limitations, Shakespeare went on to becoming considered as one of the greatest playwrightsAlong the way, many of his lines and sayings caught on and became very widespread

Why did it become Why did it become popular?popular?

His plays were reproduced in large theaters- significantly and very frequently

The people found a common ground for appreciating his work

Attracted people from all types of backgrounds- plays in which everyone could enjoy and watch

His works became popularized in schools and was taught as rhetoric

His allusions and quotes were referred to in newspapers and in other forms of text

To be, or not to be: To be, or not to be: that is the question.that is the question.

Play: Hamlet

Context: “To be or not to be: that is the question.” Hamlet asks himself whether the uncertainties of death outweighs the pain of life.

Meaning: Is it better to be alive or dead?

Modern-Day Use: “To be, or not to be: that is the question.”

http://www.thevancouvermovers.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Man-With-Question-01.png

Strange Strange BedfellowsBedfellows

Play: The Tempest

Context: Trinculo finds shelter in the house of a mysterious creature. He wonders if this mysterious creature is a man or a fish.

Meaning: unlikely or unexpected alliances

Modern-Day Use: Political leaders make strange bedfellows.

Cruel to be kindCruel to be kindPlay: Hamlet

Context: “I must be cruel only to be kind.” Hamlet accidentally killed Polonius, and he is clueless of his how future is going to turn out.

Meaning: To be helpful but viewed as being hurtful

Modern-Day Use: Being cruel to be kind is good, but telling a girl that she looks fat in a dress is unacceptable.

Green-Eyed Green-Eyed MonsterMonster

Play: Othello

Context: Villain Iago makes Othello doubt his wife’s faithfulness. At the same time, he is also pretending to advise Othello, “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock.”

Meaning: To be envious or jealous

Modern-Day Use: The green-eyed monster is the bane of all relationships.

In a PickleIn a PicklePlay: The Tempest

Context: King Alonso asks Trinculo, his jester, “How camest thou in this pickle?" The drunk jester, who is in deep trouble- replies, “"I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last..."

Meaning: To be placed in an unwanted or difficult situation

Modern-Day Use: She is in a pickle because she has none of her homework completed.

Love is BlindLove is BlindPlay: The Merchant of Venice

Context: Jessica, who is disguised as a boy, is embarrassed to see her beloved Lorenzo. However, she realizes that Lorenzo’s view of her will not change and says, “But love is blind and lovers cannot see...”

Meaning: Two meanings- Though love helps the the flaws become overlooked, it may be blinding to serious situations

Modern-Day Use: She believes love is blind; she is letting her boyfriend steal from her!

Wild Goose Wild Goose ChaseChase

Play: Romeo and Juliet

Context: Mercutio compares his exchange of jokes with Romeo to a wild goose chase. During Shakespeare’s time, wild good chase was a famous cross-country horse race.

Meaning: A complicated search or pointless pursuit.

Modern-Day Use: She is on a wild goose chase looking for her lost daughter.

Wear My Heart on Wear My Heart on My SleevesMy Sleeves

Play: Othello

Context: Villain Iago, who is planning his betrayal to Othello says, “But I will wear my heart on my sleeves.”

Meaning: To reveal feelings without hiding it

Modern-Day Use: He wore his heart on his sleeves when he proposed to her.

http://danienglish.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/heart-sleeve.jpg

There’s the RubThere’s the RubPlay: Hamlet, during his famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy

Context: “ay, there’s the rub.” The prince acknowledges that death will not bring a halt to his hardship; the dead may still be disturbed by dreams.

Meaning: the problem or cause

Modern-Day Use: There’s the rub- how are you going to earn enough money in time?

Salad Days Salad Days

Play: Antony and Cleopatra

Context: Cleopatra recalls her “salad days” when she was in a relationship with Caesar.

Meaning: a person’s youth (pinnacle in life)

Modern-Day Use: She was named prom queen in her salad days.

Works CitedWorks Cited