William Shakespeare is responsible for many words, sayings, quotes and idioms that are used today, known as Shakespeare Expressions. Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He is credited with writing 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and several longer narrative poems. He is often referred to as “The Bard of Avon.”
Interestingly, little is known of his personal life, but his works are timeless. His writing has inspired and impacted our culture and the English language for centuries and continues to do so today! Love him or dislike him (for those of us with nightmares about lengthy Shakespeare memorization assignments in high school or college), he certainly left his mark on the world!
Here’s a little bit more from www.williamshakespear.net:
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who is considered one of the greatest writers to ever use the English language. He is also the most famous playwright in the world, with his plays being translated in over 50 languages and performed across the globe for audiences of all ages. Known colloquially as “The Bard” or “The Bard of Avon,” Shakespeare was also an actor and the creator of the Globe Theatre, a historical theatre, and company that is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.
His works span tragedy, comedy, and historical works, both in poetry and prose. And although the man is the most-recognized playwright in the world, very little of his life is actually known. No known autobiographical letters or diaries have survived to modern day, and with no surviving descendants, Shakespeare is a figure both of magnificent genius and mystery.
Consider the following to measure Shakespeare’s impact on our language and culture. He has influenced current entertainment, and an amazing number of Shakespeare expressions are commonly used today.
Movies based on Shakespeare plays:
| Movies | Inspiration |
| 10 things I Hate About You | The Taming of the Shrew |
| Anyone But You | Much Ado About Nothing |
| Big Business | The Comedy of Errors |
| Coriolanus | Coriolanus |
| Ex Machina | The Tempest |
| Forbidden Planet | The Tempest |
| Men of Respect | Macbeth |
| My Own Private Idaho | Henry IV, Parts I and II |
| Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead | Hamlet |
| She’s the Man | Twelfth Night |
| Strange Brew | Hamlet |
| The Cutting Edge | The Taming of the Shrew |
| The Lion King | Hamlet |
| The Northman | Hamlet |
| Valley Girl | Romeo and Juliet |
Shakespeare Expressions used today:
| Expression | Source |
| A heart of gold | Henry V |
| A wild goose chase | Romeo and Juliet |
| Addiction | Othello |
| All of a sudden | The Taming of the Shrew |
| All that glisters is not gold | The Merchant of Venice |
| All’s well that ends well | All’s Well That Ends Well |
| As dead as a doornail | Henry VI |
| As good luck would have it | The Merry Wives of Windsor |
| Assassination | Macbeth |
| Be-all and end-all | Macbeth |
| Bedazzled | The Taming of the Shrew |
| Brave new world | The Tempest |
| Break the ice | The Taming of the Shrew |
| Come what, come may | Macbeth |
| Devil incarnate | Titus Andronicus |
| Discretion is the better part of valor | Henry IV |
| Dog will have his day | Hamlet |
| Eaten out of house and home | Henry IV, Part II |
| Elbow room | King John |
| Faint-hearted | Henry VI, Part I |
| Fair play | The Tempest |
| Fashionable | Troilus and Cressida |
| Fight fire with fire. | Julius Caesar |
| For goodness’ sake | Henry VIII |
| Foregone conclusion | Othello |
| Full circle | King Lear |
| Good riddance | Troilus and Cressida |
| Heart of gold | Henry V |
| I have been in such a pickle | The Tempest |
| I will wear my heart upon my sleeve | Othello |
| In my heart of hearts | Hamlet |
| In my mind’s eye | Hamlet |
| In stitches | Twelfth Night |
| In the twinkling of an eye | The Merchant of Venice |
| It was Greek to me | Julius Caesar |
| Laughing stock | The Merry Wives of Windsor |
| Lie low | Much Ado About Nothing |
| Love is blind | The Merchant of Venice |
| Mum’s the word | Henry VI, Part II |
| Neither here nor there | Othello |
| Neither rhyme nor reason | The Comedy of Errors |
| Night owl | The Rape of Lucrece |
| Not slept one wink | Cymbeline |
| Obscene | Love’s Labour’s Lost |
| One fell swoop | Macbeth |
| Own flesh and blood | Hamlet |
| Refuse to budge an inch | The Taming of the Shrew |
| Set your teeth on edge | The Winter’s Tale |
| Spotless reputation | Richard II |
| Star-crossed lovers | Romeo and Juliet |
| Such stuff as dreams are made on | The Tempest |
| Swagger | Henry V |
| The be-all and the end-all | Macbeth |
| The world’s mine oyster | The Merry Wives of Windsor |
| There’s method in the madness. | Hamlet |
| Vanish into thin air | Othello |
| What the dickens | The Merry Wives of Windsor |
| With bated breath | The Merchant of Venice |
| Zany | Love’s Labour’s Lost |
Quite amazing! Thank you William Shakespeare for your contributions to our modern English language and culture! Shakespeare Expressions are timeless!