Conversation: “Shakespeare is all clichés”

 

William ShakespeareTHE ENGLISH SPEAKING UNION

A CONVERSATION WITH

Emeritus Professor Roland Sussex OAM

SHAKESPEARE IS ALL CLICHÉS?
Our Esteemed Friend in English

Roly Sussex 1

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) had an extraordinary effect on the English language, not only by his unerring ear for the rhythm and cadences of the language, but also as a creator of new words and expressions.

Some phrases which we now regard as clichés began as original coinages with Shakespeare. Or maybe they were already in current use, and he simply picked them up and made them immortal? In many cases we simply can’t know. This paper discusses some of the 1,500 or so words which he is credited with introducing to English, and some of the phrases which are dated by the Oxford Dictionary from his works.

In Elizabethan England, as nowadays, people were confronted with a barrage of new terms on a regular basis. We will try to understand how some of Shakespeare’s neologisms worked.

Please ENJOY the Conversation with Professor Roly Sussex, our Friend in English

presented at ESU House on Sunday 26 June 2016.

Ann Garms OAM
President ESU QLD
Vice President AESU

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