Everyday Shakespeare: Lines for Life

Description

Shakespeare was not of an age, but for all time. - Ben Johnson Shakespeare had an ear and hand that was able to capture our everyday thoughts and emotions, pin them to a page, and express them so well that even today they can make us feel stunned to be seen. Featuring 366 of the finest (but not necessarily the most famous) quotes, this collection has been mined from the lesser-known corners of Shakespeare's plays and poems to reveal lines that you likely won't have encountered but which have an immediate, easy resonance with modern day-to-day life. Every page bears a gift of Shakespearean delight - around which lies a treasure trove of trivia, miscellaneous fact, and reflective elaboration. You will feel immediately able and inspired to learn the lines, say them out loud, and remember to drop them into conversation. For Example: 'Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.' 'Make not your thoughts your prisons.' 'Self-love ... is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting.' 'Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.' Each quote is accompanied by insightful observations and entertaining commentary from the authors which draw attention to points of literary, linguistic, or theatrical interest, as well as subtle context to clarify who said it and why. When Maya Angelou said 'I know that William Shakespeare was a black woman' she understood that above all, Shakespeare excelled at capturing the emotions and universal truths of the human condition. His words are a mirror for us to peer into, to see if any part of ourselves, familiar or strange, is visible. Every day as you read his lines, you might get glimpses of loves you've known, jealousies you've felt, relationships you've had, and situations you've encountered that bring a smile - or a wince - of familiarity. Everyday Shakespeare unveils those simple lines that encapsulate the wonderous complexity of life, and the enduring, appeal of the Bard.

Ben Crystal (Author) Ben is an actor, author, creative producer, patron of Shakespeare Week, special advisor to the new Shakespeare North Playhouse, and curator of theShakespeareEnsemble.com Ben and his father David Crystal have collaborated on several books: Shakespeare's Words (Penguin) The Shakespeare Miscellany (Penguin), and The Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary (OUP, shortlisted for the Educational Book of the Year Award 2016) Ben's solo writing includes Lockdown Shakespeare (Arden, forthcoming, 2022) Shakespeare on Toast (Icon, nominated for the Educational Book of the Year Award 2010) and the four titles of the Arden Springboard Shakespeare series: Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and King Lear. David Crystal (Author) David Crystal is known throughout the world as a writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster on language. His work on Shakespeare includes Pronouncing Shakespeare, Think on My Words: Exploring Shakespeare's Languages, and, with Ben Crystal, Shakespeare's Words, The Shakespeare Miscellany, and The Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary. He has written or edited over 100 books and published numerous articles for scholarly, professional, and general readerships on the history and development of English, including The Stories of English, How Language Works, Evolving English, Spell It Out: The Singular Story of English Spelling and Wordsmiths and Warriors: The English-Language Tourist's Guide to Britain, with Hilary Crystal.