Post #96 23 April 2016

Gentlefolk,

I want to do a post to commemorate the 452nd anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth and the 400th anniversary of his death.

Also, to mark the 10,000th view of my blog.  A 'red letter day' indeed.

I wonder where the English expression 'red letter day' originated?  Could it have come from China?  In China it is a tradition for parents and special family friends to give a hong bao (red envelope/letter containing cash) to children and young relatives on auspicious occasions such as Chinese New Year.

My blog

Yes, my blog hit 10,000 views today.

My first post was on 15 February 2014, almost 800 days ago.

Google Blogspot shows the main countries of origin of views as follows:

Australia - 25%
USA  - 21%
France  - 11%
Russia  -  7%
Germany  -  6%

Our son Andrew convinced me that writing a blog was the 21st Century version of a diary. He motivated me to switch from keeping written notes to this blog.

He was right - it is a good way of keeping a record of our lives in China, and sharing those experiences with others who might be interested in living and teaching here.

This is our last semester teaching in China.  It has been a wonderful experience, but it's time to go home.  Less than 12 weeks till we depart these shores.  At this stage I'm not sure if I will continue the blog - there is still a bit of mystery about life in China, while life in good old Canberra will be pretty predictable.

Anyway, let's see what the future brings.  In the meantime, happy reading.

William Shakespeare

Actor, writer, poet, social scientist, philosopher, Shakespeare was the complete package. A genius.

The greatest English playwright, and an accomplished poet, his popularity endures and grows.

William Shakespeare was born on 23 April 1564 and died on his 52nd birthday in 1616.

His background was not of privilege or money; most people at that time were illiterate, including his parents and his wife & kids, which makes his achievements all the more remarkable.

His father John Shakespeare was a glover in the small town of Stratford-upon-Avon, although looking at the size of his house (see picture below) he must have been relatively well-off .

It is thought that William attended the local school, probably until the age of  14 or 15.  Some historians think he then worked as a teacher; what we are sure of is that by the age of 28 he was an actor in London and had started writing plays.

When he was 18 William married Anne Hathaway.  They had two daughters and a son (the boy died aged 11).  Both girls married; but their offspring did not procreate so William's direct line ended.

William's family stayed in Stratford, while he spent most of his time in London about 160 km away. At age 49 William 'retired' to Stratford, where he died 3 years later.

William was prolific; he wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets and two long narrative poems.

His plays include almost 900,000 words, all hand-written of course. He is believed to have introduced more than 1,000 new words to the English language, such as: lonely, gloomy, fretful, obscene, swagger, drugged, etc.

Common expressions which originated with Shakespeare or which he made popular include:

Heart of gold; As luck would have it; Send him packing; Short shrift; Neither here nor there; Mum's the word; More fool you; With bated breath; Wild goose chase; The be-all and end-all; etc

Shakespeare's characters often displayed a philosophical bent, viz:

Quotes from his plays, such as "To be or not to be, that is the question" (Hamlet) are still frequently used today.

“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”  (As You Like It)

 “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”  (All's Well That Ends Well)

 “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”  (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

 “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” (Twelfth Night)

 “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” (Julius Caesar)

“I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed!” (William Shakespeare)

If Confucius had not espoused the Golden Rule (Treat others as you want them to treat you) 2000 years before him, I'm sure Shakespeare would have come up with it.

In fact, I think Shakespeare should be raised to "Sage" status; he would be good company for Confucius.

John and Mary Shakespeare's house in Stratford-upon-Avon, and likely where William Shakespeare was born on 23 April 1564 and grew up. His father had a small business making gloves - from the size of this house the family must have been well-off.

As an addition to Bard, I think 'The Sage Shakespeare' has a nice ring to it, don't you?

A portrait thought to have been painted around 1600.

What Shakespeare might have looked like today.

The "First Portfolio"of Shakespeare's plays was published in 1623, seven years after his death. Ben Jonson said of Shakespeare "He is not of an age, but for all time." How true.

Shakespeare was prolific: 38 plays, 154 sonnets, +++.

How Shakespeare would have written today ...

...


Keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Saturday, 23 April 2016