13 Everyday phrases that came from Shakespeare

 

According to Sarah Degnan Moje on Bright Hub,  Thirteen phrases from eleven of Shakespeare’s works have made it into our common vernacular since they were first written down. Some have retained their original meaning from the work in which they were first uttered and some have adapted and shifted over time. My personal favorite and the one that my students are often most impressed with, is that the idea of catching a cold, or having a cold, is something that was foreign before Shakespeare wrote of the concept. People got sick, sure, before he coined the phrase, but the common cold was not called a cold before Shakespeare named it thus!

For example, these thirteen phrases all originated with Shakespeare

Catch a Cold
It’s all Greek to me
Love is Blind
Wild Goose Chase
A Heart of Gold
Break the Ice
Laughing Stock
Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Dogs of War
Method to His Madness
Green Eyed Monster
In a Pickle
The World is Your oyster

These insights and more are contained within the downloadable power point. The lesson is brief enough to be taught in a single class period and simple enough for grades 6th and up to comprehend. Each slide names the play from which the phrase derives, the quote from the play and the meaning of the phrase now. Also included, both for fun and reference are still shots of the plays mentioned. 

To see the powerpoint she created for this click here.

Pauses in Macbeth

Here is another resource if you are teaching Macbeth.  They are from GCSE Macbeth.  To see them click here.  I also posted some other resources a couple weeks back that can be seen by clicking here.

Twelfth Night Resources by the Royal Shakespeare Company

I was looking for some resources for a colleague that wanted some for her English class.  I found this site that had some teachers resources.  According to their website, "Discover teaching ideas and lesson planning inspiration through our range of resources, activities and other supporting materials on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night."  To see the website by clicking here.

Macbeth Resources

The following resources are provided by Matt Lynch.  To see them click here.

Shakespeare Uncovered

PBS Learning Media has a set of videos geared to high school students.  Some of the videos examine "Parent Child Relationships", "Gender Roles", "Grief and Loss", "The Role of Women" and many more.  To see the website click here.

Shakespeare Insult Kit

My daughter texted me with a Shakespearean insult , "Thou art a saucy, tickle brained, nut-hook.  How dare thou bit thy finger at me".  I  had to look it up.  I found the Shakespearean Insult Kit that you might use with your class if it is their first time seeing Shakespeare.  To see the insult kit click here.  I found the image below at this site and used Background Burner to remove the background from the infographic.  If you want to see my blog  about Background Burner click here.

Causes of death in Shakespeare plays

Maybe I should not post this as I just saw this on Twitter and cannot independently corroborate this.  This could be fake news or an alternate fact but it looks fun.  

Shakespeare

Saw this posted on Pinterest.  To see the pin click here.

Shakespeare infographic from CBC

I noticed this on CBC Books.  Click here to see their site.  His birthday is coming up later this month on the 23rd.

Things We Say Today Which We Owe To Shakespeare

For you Shakespeare buffs.  This was from Elizabeth AdRy's tweet.

Shakespeare Uncovered

From PBS Learning Media, Shakespeare Uncovered is a thematic collection of 21 videos.  The topics for high school students include: Supernatural Events in Shakespeare, The Use of Soliloquy, Gender Roles in Shakespeare and Women, Identity  and Disguise in Shakespeare's Comedies, along with others.  The  site is free but after 3 resource views you must make a free PBS account.

According to the website, "This thematic collection -- which adheres to national learning standards -- contains video segments from the series, informational texts, discussion questions, and suggestions for extension activities to enhance your students’ reading, viewing, and appreciation of Shakespeare’s works."

To see the site, click here.

Shakespeare for the Iphone

If you would like all of Shakespeare's works  for free for the Iphone or Ipad then this app is for you.

From the Itunes website we have the following:

Shakespeare™ is a free app with the complete works of Shakespeare (41 plays, 154 sonnets and 6 poems, including doubtful works) and a searchable concordance to find the exact word or phrase you’re looking for (with “relaxed” searching to find words close to your search term).

Even though it’s free, Shakespeare for the iPad/iPhone/iPod is packed with these impressive features:

• CUSTOMIZE YOUR READING EXPERIENCE by choosing from a variety of color combinations, change the font family and size, and jump around to different scenes.

• QUALITY TEXTS are a top priority and our team spent over two years compiling and editing the best references available.

• DETAILED SCENE BREAKDOWNS give you an overview of the scenes within each play, their locations, and the characters present in each.

• THE SHAKESPEARE PASSPORT is your virtual ticket to events and exhibitions all over the world. Just show the passport on your device for great benefits at participating venues. More information at ShakespearePassport.com.

If you’re looking for line numbers, the integrated Shakespeare’s Words glossary, a gallery of Shakespeare portraits, random quote generator, Shakespeare facts, auto-and scrolling, check out Shakespeare Pro for these and other great features. If you’re a student, professor, actor, or just plain love the Bard, this must-have app ensures you have the complete works at your fingertips.

Works contained: All’s Well That Ends Well, Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, Coriolanus, Cymbeline, Double Falsehood, Edward III, Hamlet, Henry IV (Parts 1 & 2), Henry V, Henry VI (Parts 1-3), Henry VIII, Julius Caesar, King John, King Lear, Love’s Labours Lost, Macbeth, Measure for Measure, Merchant of Venice, Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Pericles, King Richard II, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, Sir Thomas More, Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Timon of Athens, Titus Andronicus, Troilus and Cressida, Twelfth Night, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Two Noble Kinsmen, The Winter’s Tale, Sonnets, Venus & Adonis, Rape of Lucrece, A Lover’s Complaint, Passionate Pilgrim, Phoenix & Turtle, To the Queen

You can see this app in the Itunes store by clicking here.