Shakespeare's
influence on the English language
Shakespeare was a prolific playwright whose works have given us a
ton of new phrases in the English language. He has popularized
already common phrases and has contributed some original
expressions. Take a gander.
A
fool's paradise
Meaning: Being in a state of happiness that is
based on denial or false hope.
Example: "You're living in a fool's paradise if
you think life is always going to be this good."
Origins: First used in Paston Letters,
then later in Romeo and Juliet.
A
sorry sight
Meaning: Something that you are almost sorry to
look at - a regrettable or unwelcome feature. It can also mean
something or someone who looks untidy.
Example: "All this garbage sure is a sorry
sight."
Origins: Macbeth. After killing King
Duncan, Macbeth looks at his bloody hands and says: "This is a
sorry sight."
Brevity
is the soul of wit
Meaning: Using as few words as possible is a sign
of being articulate and intelligent.
Example: "Please be brief in your explanation. As
they say, brevity is the soul of wit"
Origins: Hamlet. The character Polonious
is known for rambling and never getting to the point, yet notes
that being brief and avoiding redundancy is a sign of wit.
All
the world's a stage
Meaning:
Life is like a play where we have our roles and act out the stages
of our lives.
Origins:
As You Like It. This expression was already quite common,
but Shakespeare helped to popularize it in his literature. In the
opening lines of the play, the character Jaques says that: "All the
world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
The stages of life Shakespeare is referring to are the 7 stages of
man: infant, school-boy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon, and
second childhood (old age).
In a
pickle
Meaning:
In a difficult or challenging situation.
Example:
"Lucy simply can't decide. She has found herself in a pickle."
Origins:
As you know, making a pickle from a cucumber requires a pickling
solution. In the Dutch Middle Ages, pekel was the name of
this solution. A cucumber would sit in this pickle solution.
Shakespeare's play The Tempest from the character Alonso:
"How camest thou in this pickle?"
Something
is rotten in the state of Denmark.
Meaning:
A feeling that something fishy or suspicious is going on.
Example:
"This situation doesn't feel right. Something is rotten in the
state of Denmark."
Origins:
The play Hamlet. The character Marcellus states this when
Hamlet is hallucinating and seeing the ghost of the recently
deceased king. This phrase is especially used when describing
scandals.
Image Credits
nattu
blapp
Mary
Lynn Johnson
Silus
Grok
shareski
The
light show
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