Shakespeare for laymen like me

What I write today are the thoughts of an engineer, who has never been formally educated in any form of literature or art. My study, therefore, is largely for people who are in the same boat as mine. The number of such inerudite people like me is legion but it does not take away their genuine love for art or literature. After all, let alone readers, the number of even gifted artists or writers who excel due to their inherent creativity is also very large. Writing, and indeed reading, is down-to-earth at one plane, and as long as it excites, broadens your perception or even fires your imagination, the purpose of a meaningful and passionate engagement is served for both the writer and the reader; both would not miss the matter of their lack of qualification. And free but professedly ‘egghead’ use of Google, the king of kings among the resources of today, is not such a sacrilege. I have written this piece for a private group of poetry-lovers, which is blessed to have some accomplished scholars, and therefore this disclaimer at the outset; however, the disclaimer apart, as the proverb goes, ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing’ and so you do run the risk that my writings with limited knowledge can be mere trite or misleading or both. So do read but with caution.

Think English literature and the first name that buoys up is Shakespeare, the bard. No, think any literature and you think of him, because his works have been translated in nearly a hundred languages. A truly global exponent of literature. A trivia, Shakespeare's influence even extends into the outer reaches of our solar system; 24 of Uranus' 27 moons are named after Shakespeare characters. He is, without doubt, the greatest ever. Surely, English literature has seen some truly great poets and writers so why all this fuss only about the bard? When Shakespeare (1564-1616) died, John Milton (1608-1674), an ardent admirer of the bard, was an eight-year-old boy but the boy could never achieve the heights and depth of Shakespeare. Milton even wrote in a poem that Shakespeare was the ‘dear son of memory, great heir of fame.’ In spite of his reverence for Shakespeare, Milton’s oeuvre was not influenced much by Shakespeare and he remained confined to biblical and moral themes. I bring this to say that in spite of the richness of the English language with numerous great poets and writers, no one has been able to scale the heights that Shakespeare did. 

Was Shakespeare indeed a poet in the conventional sense? I cannot answer that competently but we do call him the bard, don’t we? He did write many freestanding poems but poetry, spoken through his characters is an elemental feature of his dramatic corpus, including verses in many forms and lyrics. All his plays are written employing both verse and prose for his characters but his plays are made largely of poetry and, quite often, poet characters write or sing lyrics.

Most of us have been acquainted with the bard only through his signature plays which formed a part of the syllabus for English in high school and pre-Univ courses (not English literature) as a subject, at times with abridged or in modern English versions. The mere reference to Shakespeare, therefore, may inflict you with dread and instant recall of sleepy periods spent in stuffy classrooms with oddball English teachers. It may, however, be worth it to reweigh the bard with an open mind and see if you can kindle some interest in him, ready to reassess that far from being esoteric, intellective and yes, boring, Shakespeare's plays are in fact exhilarating, poignant, rude, funny, obscure, pithy, witty and beautiful. Memorable plots, great insults, filthy jokes, eccentric characters, chivalrous men, pretty women, funny jesters, treacherous rogues and above all, clever manner of speaking in words, idioms and phrases.

Shakespeare was touched strongly by the experiences of his life and it naturally reflected in his works. Shakespeare’s experiences were not particularly tragic but were nevertheless volatile; during the last years of his life, the theatres were closed down due to plague and he had to reduce his creative work and he resorted to drinking heavily. The human reality in all its variegated forms comes through so beautifully in his plays; his obsession with tragedy, deception, treachery and certainly the way he transcended the ordinary boundaries of love with multiple shades of this human emotion and its expression.

Shakespeare, a mouthpiece for the mightiest to the poorest and the virtuous to the crafty, a master dramatist, spoke differently and often nebulously through his dramatis personae, influenced the English language immensely by inventing words, idioms and phrases. This is the only aspect that I would write about today as scholarly, appreciative or detractive, comparisons can be left to the scholars and litterateurs. I have been left spellbound by the bard in his simple creation of nearly 2000 words and phrases which we, mostly unknowingly, speak even today. Where else can you find such brilliant wisdom that is so durable? Which other literary figure can claim to have carried this leverage in any language? Indeed, it is one of the reasons that Shakespeare is celebrated all over the world in a manner no other exponent would perhaps ever match. In a glowing tribute, Ben Jonson has written that Shakespeare was “not of an age, but for all time”.

So here goes, I present some examples of things we say today which we owe to Shakespeare, with some background for a handful of them. Enjoy!!

Original text and context	Phrase/idiom in use
In The Tempest, Stephano, survives a wash up by clinging to a wine barrel. He, with Trinculo, the jester, have been drinking since. The king, Alonso asks Trinculo, "How came’st thou in this pickle?" Trinculo replies: "I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last that, I fear me, I will never out of my bones."	Although we still use the word ‘pickled,’ to mean drunk as used by Shakespeare, today, however, the idiom survives mostly to mean in a difficult situation.
In Henry V, the King disguised as a commoner asks Pistol if he considered himself a better man than the king, Pistol says, "The king's a bawcock, and a heart of gold, a lad of life, an imp of fame ..."	Someone with a ‘heart of gold’, in line with the sense of Pistol, means a very kind or honorable person.
Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, plays wittily on words and Mercutio cannot compete with him, saying, “Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I am done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five."	Roughly like what Mercutio meant, the usage today of ‘Wild goose chase’ is, a hopeless and never-ending pursuit.
Casca to Cassius in Julius Caesar, ‘’But, for mine own part, it was Greek to me."	Casca's literal ignorance of Greek is the source here, ‘All Greek  to…’, which today refers to something that is difficult to understand.
In Othello, Iago, advising that a man would rather know his wife was cheating than suspect her without proof, fashions jealousy as a monster which devours its source. "Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on."	‘Green-eyed monster’ simply means jealousy today.
Emilia says to Desdemona in Othello,  “'Tis neither here nor there,” in response to the former recalling Othello’s words, “If I court more women you’ll couch with more men—So, get thee gone, good night.” And continuing, “Mine eyes do itch, Doth that bode weeping?” In this scene, the former opines that women are ever as awful to their men as men are to their women,  trying to get the latter out of a sad mood while also trying to get her to see the light and realize what's really going on.	‘Neither here nor there’ is used today to convey that that it does not matter because it is not an important issue.
In Cymbeline, Iachimo says to Posthumus Leonatus, "We will have these things set down by lawful counsel, and straight away for Britain, lest the bargain should catch cold and starve ...", conveying that if the deal took too long, it would fall part, with the bard creating this idea of Cold causing illness.	‘Catch a cold’ largely means to get sick with cold.
In The Merchant Of Venice, Jessica,  dressed as a boy just to see her lover, Lorenzo, is  sheepish saying, “But love is blind, and lovers cannot see The pretty follies that themselves commit ..."	‘Love is blind’ means an inability to see the follies of a lover and doing insane things in love.
In The Taming Of The Shrew, Tranio (as Lucentio) suggests that another man marry the older daughter, so he can try to win the younger one's affection. "And if you break the ice, and do this feat, Achieve the elder, set the younger free ...",  the background being that Baptista Minola  has a sassy elder and a modest, beautiful younger daughter and refuses any conversation of suitors with the latter till the older one marries.	‘Break the ice’ means to get a  conversation started.
In The Merry Wives Of Windsor, Doctor Caius says to Sir Hugh Evans,  "Pray you let us not be laughing-stocks to other men's humours; I desire you in friendship, and I will one way or other make you amends."  the context was that the former thinks they would make fools of themselves if they fight.	‘Laughing stock’ means person open to severe ridicule.
In Hamlet Polonius says in an aside, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" after  Hamlet criticized the writer of a letter for being rude. Polonius knows something that Hamlet doesn't and understands the method behind the writer’s madness.	‘Method to his madness’ means that someone's mad behaviour has a plan, a purpose.
In Othello, Iago says he'll "wear my heart upon my sleeve. For daws to peck at: I am not what I am". It seems the phrase has origin in the jousts in which knights would wear tokens, like scarves of their love,  tucked in the sleeves of their armour.	‘Wear your heart on your sleeve’ means to express your emotions openly, especially when others notice you.
Lady Macbeth in and to Macbeth, says, "Things without all remedy should be without regard: what's done, is done", referring to the continual misgivings and fear that killing  Duncan has brought to them.	‘What’s done is done’ means the same; the consequence of a situation is now out of your control, no changing the past, so learn from it and move on.
Patroclus says "A good riddance" in Troilus And Cressida after this dialogue and exit, Thersites, “I will see you hang'd like clatpoles ere I come any more to your tents. I will keep where there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of fools.” (Exit)	‘Good riddance’ conveys exactly what it means, be it human or animal, when one is pleased that someone or something is leaving or stopping.
In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock says, “Shall I bend low and in a bondman's key With bated breath and whispering humbleness”, in the scene when he points out the irony of Antonio, the merchant, coming to him for a loan after treating him so poorly in the past.	‘Bated breath’ means to be so excited, anxious or nervous that you're actually holding your breath.
In Love's Labour's Lost, Aramdo says, “The naked truth of it is: I have no shirt; I go woolward for penance.”	‘Naked truth’ means just what one would think, the complete and utter truth.
Antonio says in Much Ado About Nothing (which incidentally is  a phrase in itself) "If he could right himself with quarreling, some of us would lie low.”	‘Lie low’, even today is like a perfect two-word PR advice for every celebrity embroiled in a scandal.

(the list is endless, just scratched the surface 😀)