Shakespeare's power is evident everywhere if you know where to look. He shows up in obvious places -he remains the dominant influence on Hollywood and Bollywood -but he also shows up in places you might never expect. The reason there are starlings in North America? Shakespeare. On March 6, 1890, a New York pharmaceutical manufacturer named Eugene Schiefflin released 60 starlings into Central Park, following his plan to introduce every species of bird mentioned in Shakespeare into the New World. Those 60 birds swelled to over 200 million birds today, and they have wrought havoc on our public buildings as well as on our agriculture.
"Odds bodkins, dude, you're not gonna blame me for your bird s**t, are you?"
not having a television , my mother insisted we read. and i did. i have read books i dont remember reading. at work one day a colleague was munching away and i immediately broke out into Macbeth, Act one, Scene three .. where hast thou been sister... a sailors wife had chestnuts in her lap and munch'd and munch'd.....
ReplyDeleteit just came naturally to me, the only passage from shakespeare i can quote by heart, on a whim, to this day. where it came from in my mind, i could not tell you.
It's amazing how his stuff can stick in your mind. I have always admired a line from King Henry VI (I forget which part): "Such safety finds the trembling lamb, environed with wolves."
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that Shakespeare introduced over 1700 new words to the English language. There is a joke about Hollywood producer Darryl Zanuck, that he said he didn't like Shakespeare's plays because they were full of cliches.
ReplyDeleteFull of cliches! Sounds like a Bidenism.
ReplyDeleteLittle known or discussed factoid:
Cervantes and Shakespeare both died on 4/23/1616.
I find reading Shakespeare heavy going, but when I hear the words spoken, I understand immediately. They're sublime.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit like Rebecca, Shakespeare didn't come easy for me. I read copiously when I was younger, but other than The Merchant of Venice, I couldn't make it completely thru any Shakespeare work. And for some reason, I've always felt like I have a hole in my mind that should have been filled with Shakespeare.
ReplyDeleteEspecially when I watch Jeopardy, and stare blankly at the Shakespeare answers. :)
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Completely dorkish confession: In my early 20s, I would frequently sit in our library (which was known as the "red room" because of the crimson carpet) and read the plays straight through.
ReplyDeletePaco, youthful dorkishness is a small price to pay for mature erudition.
ReplyDeleteSkeeter: Verily, sir, thou hast said a mouthful.
ReplyDeleteSkeeter: Verily, sir, thou hast said a mouthful.
ReplyDelete