Shakespeare and words...

I listened to a wonderful edition of RadioLab last week, and it was all about language.

 (http://www.radiolab.org/2010/aug/09/)

   There was a segment on Shakespeare and how he changed English.  I was interested to hear him likened more to a great chef or a great chemist than to a great writer.  It was the way he used words, tossing them together and using the incredible combinations that came out:    

    madcap

    ladybird

    eyedrops

    eyesore

    eyeball

    He was the guy who used "un" like no one else ever had.  Here are a list of some of the words he created with the prefix un-:   

    unnerving 

    unaware

    uncomfortable

    unearthly

    unhand

    undress

    uneducated

    unmitigated

    ungoverned

    unpublished

    unwillingness

    unsolicited

    unswayed 

    unclogged

    unappeased

    unchanging

    unreal  (my personal favorite!)

    These words had never shown up in English before he wrote them into his plays and poetry.  Cool, huh?  

    There's more.  He also could toss words together to make unforgettable phrases, like:

    the truth will out

    what's done is done

    crack of dawn

    dead as a doornail

    a dish fit for the gods

    a dog will have his day

    faint-hearted

    fool's paradise

    forever and a day

    foregone conclusion

    the game is afoot

    the game is up

    greek to me

    in a pickle

    in my heart of hearts

    in my mind's eye

    kill with kindness

    knock, knock, who's there

    what the dickins 

     i could go on and on

    something wicked this way comes

    a sorry sight 

    in stitches

    I have long been a fan of Shakespeare, thanks to my really-cute, freshman-year-in-high-school English teacher at my high school in California...who had us reading and analyzing The Merchant of Venice and who told me about the Oregon Shakespearean Festival.  I vowed to go to Ashland one day and see for myself, which I did while in college at Oregon State.  I have been back many times and have loved it every time .

    Hearing this podcast made me love Mr. Shakespeare even more!

 

 

 

Comments

[Stephanie of CreatureBug]

I loved teaching Shakespeare (back in the day I taught high school British lit). Students were always amazed at how many words Shakespeare invented. He was a word genius, that's for sure!

Just recently discovered Radio Lab...I'm loving it!

Hope you are feeling better, and your lungs are staying strong. The drs. here at Doernbecher's said that they've seen so many cases of RSV this year. It's a nasty virus, that's for sure! Get well soon!

[Margaret]

I'm a word lover myself and I adore his phrases. I wish I were half as creative!