It’s the big 450 for William Shakespeare this week. And whilst engaging in a rousing chorus of “for he’s a jolly good Bard” for the birthday boy, it’s worth considering what a lasting impact he had on our modern language. For example, whilst Macbeth may not be considered a bundle of laughs it did give birth to a million “knock knock, who’s there?” jokes. And while it is “neither here nor there” (Othello) “Mum’s the word” (Henry VI, Part 11) about the fact that the first “wild goose chase” appeared in Romeo and Juliet. In fact, more than 50 of our most common everyday phrases come from Shakespeare’s plays.
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