Branagh is a miracle. His ability to modernize the language of Shakespeare in inflection and intonation, to take a version of English hundreds of years old and make it immediately relevant...inspiring.
It's funny how Shakespeare wrote for the masses and his plays were 'pop culture' at the time but now they are considered 'highbrow' or 'culture', period.
Love the story of the college teacher that had a student submit a paper that claimed that Shakespeare was overrated because "his work is full of cliche's. " !
Reginald Scot's _Discoverie of Witchcraft_ does not use the phase "Play fast and loose". Chapter 19 of Book 13 does contains the sentence "A notable seat of fast or loose", which is clearly the inspiration for "play fast and loose", but not the phrase itself. It still leaves Shakespeare as the earliest report of the fully developed phrase.
Branagh is merely saying that Shakespeare used these phrases, not that he was necessarily the first to use them. Tongue tied and fast and loose had already been recorded before Shakespeare, to name but two.
Branagh looks like one of our lot. Seriously he looks like my uncle . But since I'm from an Irish background it's not so surprising. As my grandad used to say we've all got the same old faces.
I love the point. It's too bad Bernard Levin said it first Mr. Branagh is happy to not attribute the source (just sayin, since we're talking about quoting people): 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 farther 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 was 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.
@drwhatson, As a substitute teacher, I often find myself covering high school lit courses without any lesson plan left by the regular teacher. In those circumstances, I occasionally demonstrate the earthiness of Elizabethan culture by having the kids break out Romeo and Juliet and letting them in on all the off-color jokes. They especially love finding out the innuendo behind Tybalt's name.
@drwhatson, Doesn't surprise me. Generally, I found Shaw's essay to be a bit too ideological but it was very interesting nonetheless. He made great observations that had never occurred to me before. Still, I see Shakespeare as a perfect mirror for his time and place.
@EyeLean5280 Both masters of the eternally evolving English language. Shaw had some influence on my becoming vegetarian I think after I read Hesketh Pearson's biography of Shaw many years ago.
I only speak right on quotes Mark Anthony in Julius Cesar. Communications have been sending my a Human reaction. My reaction is action. Happy New Year 2020 May Stick Man (\ ! /) be his T.V.B. { the very best } in a Hobbit Home for a made Hobbit. Brian that is Brian not a Zodiac Python Squeeze player. BAK
At the time of Shakespeare, actors were considered low-lifes. He raised acting to the level of low class entertainment and even built the Globe Theatre to for the setting of his plays. Acting became more acceptable until it reached it's zenith in the middle 20th century. Now it's fallen to the bottom again... Learn to read folks.
Quoting Shakespeare is " quoting Shakespeare " now ! But as a matter of fact , much of what is attributed to him as " new " metaphors and expression " ect, is derived from Latin , like ect, and goes back much further than the Romans or ancient Greeks . It's all thin air , such lines weren't new in Shakespeare's day . The audience had heard it before and they were simply in accord with contemporary language of the day . Besides anything else , Shakespeare never wrote a single original play of his own .
That seems to be ignoring the fact that he straight up made words and phrases. Shows some examples of words he came up with that were already well known in Shakespeare's day that came from the Romans or Ancient Greeks.
@@LordVader1094 you caught me on the hop . Will dig out some examples for you soon as can . There are so many . Another ponder in the meantime is , how could an audience hearing all these new words and phrases for the first time know what hell he was babbling about ? It's clear , I think , that the audience was well familiar with it all .
