My Weight Today - 176 pounds
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Why Study Shakespeare? I have learned through adult reading and re-reading the writings of Shakespeare and reading blogs that attempt to explain the basics of the magnificence of his works, that 'there are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in my philosophy.'
Many of the common expressions now thought to be clichés were Shakespeare's creations. Chances are you use Shakespeare's expressions all the time even though you may not know it is the Bard you are quoting. You may think that fact is "neither here nor there", but that's "the short and the long of it."
Bernard Levin said it best in the following quote about Shakespeare's impact on our language:
"If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare.
"If you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise - why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare.
"If you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare.
"Even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I were dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut, tut! for goodness' sake! what the dickens! but me no buts - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare."
So, Why Study Shakespeare?
I can remember how much I despised reading and discussing Julius Caesar back in High School (in 1954 or '55) and how I thought that Shakespeare must have been a real snob to use all those high-toned words and roundabout expressions (metaphors). Being a snob in those days, in rural Indiana, was, to we down-home Hoosiers, the epitome of arrogance.
It wasn't until much later in my life that I discovered the merits of using the exactly correct word and most effective metaphor when laboring over a serious composition.
And there are some of Shakespeare's works, especially the poems, that I still do not understand.
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TRIVIA
The original Winnie the Pooh was a real live bear found outside of Winnipeg, Canada, hence the name Winnie.
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HISTORICAL EVENT
Married in a grand ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral in the presence of 2,650 guests, the couple's romance was for the moment the envy of the world. Their first child, Prince William, was born in 1982, and their second, Prince Harry, in 1984.
Diana and Charles announced a separation in 1992. Queen Elizabeth II urged the couple to divorce and the prince and princess reached a final agreement. In exchange for a generous settlement, and the right to retain her apartments at Kensington Palace and her title of "princess," Diana agreed to relinquish the title of "Her Royal Highness" and any future claims to the British throne.
On August 31, 1997, Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris.
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WORD FOR TODAY
bodkin
noun
1. A small, sharply pointed instrument for making holes in fabric or leather.
2. A blunt needle for pulling tape or ribbon through a series of loops or a hem.
3. A long hairpin, usually with an ornamental head.
4. (Printing) An awl or pick for extracting letters from set type.
5. A dagger or stiletto.
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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
(born July 29, 1990)
Munro Chambers is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Wilder on The Latest Buzz and his new role as Elijah "Eli" Goldsworthy on Degrassi. His identical twin brother named Thomas Chambers is also an actor.
(born July 29, 1987)
Génesis Rodríguez is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the Telemundo TV series Prisionera, Dame Chocolate, and Doña Bárbara. She also played Becky Ferrer on Days of our Lives. She has also starred in the films Man on a Ledge, Casa de Mi Padre, What to Expect When You're Expecting, and The Last Stand.
(born July 29, 1972)
Wil Wheaton is an American actor, blogger and writer, known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me, Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers, and for his recurring role as a fictionalized version of himself on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
(born July 29, 1936)
Elizabeth Dole is an American politician who served as Secretary of Transportation under Ronald Reagan and Secretary of Labor under George H.W. Bush before becoming head of the American Red Cross. She then served as North Carolina's first female Senator from 2003 to 2009. She is a member of the Republican Party and former chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
She is married to former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, 1976 Republican vice-presidential nominee, and 1996 Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole.
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People who speak in metaphors should shampoo my crotch.
--Jack Nicholson
NASA TV
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