In Honor of William Shakespeare's 450th Birthday (NaPoMo 23/30)

William Shakespeare's influence on English culture is still strongly felt today,
in plays we see, words we use daily, and even in witty insults we might fling 

SHAKESPEARE IS ALIVE IN OUR NATION'S CAPITOL

The Shakespeare Theatre Company performs 6 plays per season at the Harman Center for the Arts

The Folger Theater houses the Folger Shakespeare Library and hosts several performances each year.

The Synetic Theater presents its well-regarded Silent Shakespeare Series

WE STILL USE THESE 50 SHAKESPEAREAN PHRASES TODAY

- "For goodness sake" - Henry VIII

- "Neither here not there" - Othello

- "Mum's the word" - Henry VI, Part II

- "Eaten out of house and home" - Henry IV, Part II

- "Rant" - Hamlet

- "Knock knock! Who's there?" - Macbeth

- "All's well that ends well" - All's Well That Ends Well

- "With bated breath" - The Merchant of Venice

- "A wild goose chase" - Romeo and Juliet

- "Assassination" - Macbeth

- "Too much of a good thing" - As You Like It

- "A heart of gold" - Henry V

- "Such stuff as dreams are made on" - The Tempest

- "Fashionable" - Troilus and Cressida

- "What the dickens" - The Merry Wives of Windsor

- "Puking" - As You Like It

- "Lie low" - Much Ado About Nothing

- "Dead as a doornail" - Henry VI, Part II

- "Not slept one wink" - Cymbeline

- "Foregone conclusion" - Othello

- "The world's mine oyster" - The Merry Wives of Windsor

- "Obscene" - Love's Labour's Lost

- "Bedazzled" - The Taming of the Shrew

- "In stitches" - Twelfth Night

- "Addiction" - Othello

- "Naked truth" - Love's Labour's Lost

- "Faint-hearted" - Henry VI, Part I

- "Send him packing" - Henry IV

- "Vanish into thin air" - Othello

- "Swagger" - Henry V

- "Own flesh and blood" - Hamlet

- "Truth will out" - The Merchant of Venice

- "Zany" - Love's Labour's Lost

- "Give the devil his due" - Henry IV, Part I

- "There's method in my madness" - Hamlet

- "Salad days" - Antony and Cleopatra

- "Wear your heart on your sleeve" - Othello

- "Spotless reputation" - Richard II

- "Full circle" - King Lear

- "There's the rub" - Hamlet

- "All of a sudden" - The Taming of the Shrew

- "Come what, come may" - Macbeth

A GRAND TAXONOMY OF SHAKESPEAREAN INSULTS

A tribute to Shakespeare's dagger-like wit, featuring 100 of his greatest zingers. This odyssey of verbal swordplay includes classics like, "I was seeking for a fool when I found you", and "More of your conversation would infect my brain."

18x24 Poster for $27 available HERE

Happy birthday to the Bard of Avon, and Happy National Poetry Month to us all! 

Willy Shakes, b. ~23 April 1564, d. 23 April 1616 at age 52

Words matter!