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| Source: studentmediahub.com |
The problem with Shakespeare lies in the seemingly archaic language - a perception maintained to this day despite the fact that Modern English was founded in the 16th Century with Shakespeare as one of its main progenitors. No other individual has contributed more words or phrases to the English language, many of them still in use today.
All of the following common phrases are Shakespearean in origin:
~ a foregone conclusion ~ all corners of the world
~ eaten out of house and home ~ it was Greek to me
~ fight fire with fire ~ night owl
More can be found HERE
Many famous works of literature have quotes from Shakespeare as their titles:
Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury
The Sound and the Fury – William Faulkner
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead – Tom Stoppard
The Moon is Down – John Steinbeck
Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution – Adrienne Rich
Titles from Shakespeare reveals an amazing number of authors who have been inspired by his words.
Goodreads has a wonderful list of books devoted to "Willsphernalia".
Our challenge is to find a phrase or quote from Shakespeare to either inspire a poem or to use as the title of the finished piece.
I have provided a quick link to the Goodreads page of Quotes from Shakespeare.
For those of you who have stuck around to the end of my post, I will leave you with these words:
“Our doubts are traitors,
and make us lose the good we oft might win,
by fearing to attempt.”
― William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure
28 comments:
Well, Kerry, I think I might be back. I think I can actually wrap what's left of my brain around this challenge. It does sound like fun.
If John Steinbeck could do it, if William Faulkner and Aldous Huxley could do it, and come up with famous works of literature, there's no reason I can't come up with a bit of doggerel inspired by The Bard.
Fingers and toes crossed, I'm off to bed. It's after midnight here, and the dog is snoring beside my computer chair. Hint hint hint.
K
I know I am not here apart from Mondays. but the Bard sort of lured me in.but I am quite bad with prompts.so I'll just leave a link in this comment box, if you dont mind, to a poem I had written earlier, alluding to the Bard.some of you have already read this one though:
http://abinsliteraryworld.blogspot.in/2011/10/epilogue-of-abinash-c-halder.html
pardon the oddity.couldnt resist :)
I was lucky to find an apt quote and I enjoyed writing my bit of nonsense.
I'm glad to see we might have some fun with this idea today!
This one's been quite a toughie for me. I tried my hand at two lines:
"Hark! Hark! The Lark at heaven’s gate sings"
and
"Shuffle off that mortal coil"
The bard truly is a genius! How did he come up with some of those!!
--Karishma
Fun, FUn, FUN!! Love this idea. Off to dust off the old Shakespeare books...
I always enjoyed Shakespeare, even though I had to MEMORIZE a lot of his words in high school (in the days when kids memorized); so this was an enjoyable challenge!
Another very good prompt Kerry. He (Shakespeare) is truly a man who has traveled well through the ages, isn't he!
An interesting prompt, Kerry--thanks for including the link so I don;t have to get out my old Shakespeare and sift it--you are spot on with how many of his marvelous phrases have become common parlance--I always find that the first five minutes of one of his plays are difficult, but that after that it all gels and starts making perfect sense. My brain has been on the dry side lately, but I'll put some Shakespearean butter on it and hope for the best.
What a fun Challenge! I enjoy Shakespeare just as he is on the page and stage and rolling in, playing in, directing, etc, the words and layers. One line has cracked me up for ages, though I don't know if I dare put up R&J as a comedy. So my poem is serious, after all, at least from one perspective.
BTW: I love the variety of "takes" on the old school that you include in this challenge, Kerry.
This is an inspiring prompt! He has contributed so much~ The last quote got me. I have been feeling blocked... Maybe Shakespeare can snap me out of my haze! Thank you Kerry :D Yes, thank you for the link!
Rinkly Rimes -- How do I get the message to you that I adored your poem! Your description of Shakespeare on-line cracked my up! I think you are right on the button.
oooooooooh i love it! what, my poem from last night, titled DEATH STAR, is not enough for you!?! hah! i am totally jazzed to write to this prompt, Kerry, but it will likely take me a bit, i'm in a marathon work situation till sunday. but i'll try my best to do it before that. xoxo
Great Challenge Kerry!!
Such a great challenge! I can't resist joining in.
ohh I like this one Kerry! There are so many brilliant lines I can think of, and I can think of one quote already that would fit the piece I'm messing around with at the moment... but to be or not to be....
I wanted to use "He jests at scars, that never felt a wound", but it didn't turn out, so I went in an entirely nother direction.
Hi Kerry- I was swearing off prompts because my life is a bit out of control with my job at the moment but this one so good - didn't look at links because something came to mind immediately and thought I should just go with that. And even then, wrote one "real" poem - free verse, vivid, but just too too long, so went with sonnet.
Oh well - a wonderful prompt. It is impossible to come to an end of the wonderful lines. I realize that what I should have done was Exit Pursued by Bear - but will save for another time.
k.
Thanks Kerry! I think this may have helped my ego~ I have another blog in case this looks odd~
Kerry!!! Thank you! I just love it here...I'm always being inspired to write something new! Appreciated!
P.s. I named the wrong name above so removed my goof and my goof explanation, too! :)
I'm so thrilled at the wonderful response to this prompt. keep them coming.
@ Manicddaily - I would love to see your free verse response too!
I thought I was too tired for the Bard, but managed a tongue in (wrinkled) cheek one!
great challenge, Kerry, I think I just wrote my first sonnet! (or is it a sonnet if it fails to adhere to prescribed rhyme patterns?)
Finally found a quote I couldn't refuse--I read half A Midsummer Night's Dream last night, but finally found it in King Lear. This was fun, Kerry, thanks!--will be around to read shortly.
This was a challenging prompt. I finally decided on a quote I could work with.
Better late than never! Great prompt, Kerry!
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