1
00:00:06,188 --> 00:00:07,103
Using the word Shakespeare

2
00:00:07,103 --> 00:00:09,244
within any classroom in the 21st century

3
00:00:09,244 --> 00:00:11,122
has become almost as dangerous for teachers

4
00:00:11,122 --> 00:00:13,342
as putting balloons in a toaster.

5
00:00:13,342 --> 00:00:14,890
After uttering this simple word,

6
00:00:14,890 --> 00:00:17,310
the common teacher is met with a mass of groans,

7
00:00:17,310 --> 00:00:18,174
moans,

8
00:00:18,174 --> 00:00:19,210
devastated looks,

9
00:00:19,210 --> 00:00:21,939
and the occasional chair tossed in his or her direction.

10
00:00:21,939 --> 00:00:23,712
But Shakespearean works are not boring,

11
00:00:23,712 --> 00:00:24,352
confusing,

12
00:00:24,352 --> 00:00:27,691
long and painful plays written more than 400 years ago.

13
00:00:27,691 --> 00:00:29,539
They're adventures relating to the extremities

14
00:00:29,539 --> 00:00:30,688
of human nature:

15
00:00:30,688 --> 00:00:31,354
love,

16
00:00:31,354 --> 00:00:32,200
hate,

17
00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:32,936
jealousy,

18
00:00:32,936 --> 00:00:34,105
zealous ambition,

19
00:00:34,105 --> 00:00:35,580
fear,

20
00:00:35,580 --> 00:00:35,975
mistrust,

21
00:00:35,975 --> 00:00:36,940
deception,

22
00:00:36,940 --> 00:00:37,932
and murder.

23
00:00:37,932 --> 00:00:40,626
We owe much of our own language to his invention.

24
00:00:40,626 --> 00:00:42,065
He invented over 2,000 words

25
00:00:42,065 --> 00:00:43,268
for use in his plays,

26
00:00:43,268 --> 00:00:45,774
which still remain in the Oxford English Dictionary.

27
00:00:45,774 --> 00:00:47,634
Words like "countless"

28
00:00:47,634 --> 00:00:48,910
and "assassination"

29
00:00:48,910 --> 00:00:50,064
as well as phrases like

30
00:00:50,064 --> 00:00:51,318
"one fell swoop,"

31
00:00:51,318 --> 00:00:52,456
"foul play,"

32
00:00:52,456 --> 00:00:54,006
and even "to be in a pickle"

33
00:00:54,006 --> 00:00:56,382
all originated from William's brilliant brain.

34
00:00:56,382 --> 00:00:57,169
And there are many echoes

35
00:00:57,169 --> 00:00:59,294
of Shakespeare's romantic language too.

36
00:00:59,294 --> 00:01:00,712
If you read Romeo and Juliet,

37
00:01:00,712 --> 00:01:02,140
you'll come across sentences like,

38
00:01:02,140 --> 00:01:05,048
"She doth teach the torches to burn bright,"

39
00:01:05,048 --> 00:01:09,021
and, "So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows."

40
00:01:09,021 --> 00:01:10,398
Both are quite clever metaphors,

41
00:01:10,398 --> 00:01:12,646
suggesting that Juliet is both exceptionally beautiful

42
00:01:12,646 --> 00:01:15,069
and far moreso than anyone else.

43
00:01:15,069 --> 00:01:17,022
"For thou art as glorious to this night,

44
00:01:17,022 --> 00:01:18,273
being o'er my head,

45
00:01:18,273 --> 00:01:20,615
as is a winged messenger of heaven,"

46
00:01:20,615 --> 00:01:22,372
is a simile suggesting angelic qualities

47
00:01:22,372 --> 00:01:23,869
of the lady in question.

48
00:01:23,869 --> 00:01:26,477
This is not too different from today's comments like,

49
00:01:26,477 --> 00:01:27,600
"Hey, beautiful!"

50
00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,023
and, "You're the hottest girl in the room."

51
00:01:30,638 --> 00:01:31,838
Shakespeare also uses

52
00:01:31,838 --> 00:01:33,419
slightly more complex metaphors

53
00:01:33,419 --> 00:01:35,949
to describe the intentions of a mischievous man.

54
00:01:35,949 --> 00:01:37,042
For instance,

55
00:01:37,042 --> 00:01:40,572
"This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips,

56
00:01:40,572 --> 00:01:41,700
two blushing pilgrims,

57
00:01:41,700 --> 00:01:43,981
ready stand to smooth that rough touch

58
00:01:43,981 --> 00:01:45,453
with a tender kiss,"

59
00:01:45,453 --> 00:01:48,523
essentially means, "I wish to kiss you."

60
00:01:48,523 --> 00:01:50,208
Such male intentions were not limited

61
00:01:50,208 --> 00:01:52,340
to simple pecks on the cheek either.

62
00:01:52,340 --> 00:01:54,476
An intentional ambiguity was often used

63
00:01:54,476 --> 00:01:56,590
as a cheeky means to proposition marriage

64
00:01:56,590 --> 00:01:58,623
or a more intimate relationship.

65
00:01:58,623 --> 00:02:01,010
Therefore, instead of viewing Shakespearean works

66
00:02:01,010 --> 00:02:03,335
as out-dated, boring, and unhelpful,

67
00:02:03,335 --> 00:02:04,601
start reading today

68
00:02:04,601 --> 00:02:05,659
and discover the best ways

69
00:02:05,659 --> 00:02:06,944
to get the one you love

70
00:02:06,944 --> 00:02:08,324
to love you back.