Welp. The holidays are officially over and I am back! It was a busy December, but I am not complaining. I defended my thesis, graduated, and then did tons of Christmas celebration with the family. I even made Wassail Punch! Good stuff all around.
To get us back in the swing of things, here comes another list of cultural creations that are Shakespeare-inspired that maybe you didn't know were Shakespeare-inspired. Fun times, yes?
Let's do another batch of three, okie dokie?
The Fault in Our Stars
Maybe this one is obvious, or maybe not so much. I don't know. But I'm including it here. This is a very popular book that was just released as a major motion picture! This novel is about childhood cancer, finding love, and living life, even among the darkest and briefest of circumstances. The title is inspired by a line from Julius Caesar.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 2,
It's a beautiful book, and I love the way the quote is turned around. Cassius is trying to convince Brutus that we rule and govern ourselves - the stars do not. But with something like childhood cancer, things are not so clear. And so Green is turning that control outward, to say that even with a flawed destiny and a short life, therein you can create a little infinity.
Brave New World
This is a novel written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley. Set in London of AD 2540 (632 A.F.—"After Ford"—in the book), the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation, and classical conditioning that combine profoundly to change society. It's a very interesting read. The title comes from Shakespeare's The Tempest and is uttered in excitement by Miranda, daughter of Prospero, who has known nothing of the world except the island upon which she and her father live.
O wonder!
How many godly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't.
Act V, Scene 1.
It's also a very well-known phrase, and there are many variations of it floating around everywhere. I'd claim the movie, "In a World" riffs off the idea in their use of the line, "It's a broad new world." I'm certain there are many great examples of its use in colloquial references. Can you think of any others?
Better Days by Citizen KingEveryone knows this song!
I've seen better days!
I've been star of many plays,
I've seen better days,
And the bottom drops out.
Well, whether they knew it or not (I'm going to say they totes knew - look at the 'play' reference in the lyrics!), the term "seen better days" was first recorded use was in the play, Sir Thomas More (Act 4, Scene 4) in 1590. The work is anonymous, but has been at least in part attributed to Shakespeare. He also used the phrase (We have seen better days) in his other works, including Timon of Athens (Act 4, Scene 2) and As You Like It (Act 2, Scene 7).
Okay, so that was informative and moderately fun, right? Cool!
Have a lovely Monday, and I hope you enjoyed this edition of That's Shakespeare?! Who Knew!
No comments:
Post a Comment