Shakespeare: Forever and a day

‘He doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus.’ – Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is perhaps the world’s most celebrated dramatist and poet. The richness of his language and the universal themes of his work mean that he remains popular around the world, even 400 years after his death. While Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into all major living languages, and many regional dialects, few people are aware of the extent to which his writing influenced the way we use English today.

Shakespeare’s playful, stylish inventiveness with words ways. Many of his expressions captured the imagination of audiences and readers, so much so that they became part of everyday language and are still in use. He gave us uniquely vivid ways in which to express hope and despair, sorrow and rage, love and lust. So, even if you’ve never seen a Shakespeare play, or read one of his sonnets, you probably to have quoted him unwittingly.

Love is blind    ——The Merchant of Venice

Break the ice ——The Taming of the Shrew

Wild-goose chase ——Romeo and Juliet

Green-eyed monster ——Othello

Heart of gold ——Henry V

Not sleep one wink ——Cymbeline

Fight fire with fire ——King John

Salad days ——Antony and Cleopatra