A27
make the other characters in the play fall in love with
all the wrong people. This leads to some very
amusing situations. The most famous of these is
when Titania falls in love with Bottom, a young actor
who is wearing a donkey's head at the time. The play
ends happily: the magic has gone and all the right
couples are together.
History
1591 King Richard III
**Richard III** enjoys being evil. He even murders his
own brother and nephews, the two little princes, in
order to become king. But the play is not about
the desire for power. Richard cannot be happy, so
he wants to make others unhappy too, and to
destroy the peace of the country. An army of
rebels meets his army at Bosworth Field. Richard's
horse is killed under him and he dies calling for
another one: "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for
a horse!"
**Famous sayings**
Shakespeare was very clever with words. A lot of
lines from his plays are very famous. For example,
"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?"
which Juliet says when she is standing on her
balcony. Everyone knows this line, and where it
comes from. But there are lots of sayings in English
which people use all the time without realizing that
they come from Shakespeare.
*All that glitters is not gold* is a common saying.
It means that some things are simply not as good
as they seem to be at first. Shakespeare actually
wrote *All that glisters is not gold* (in the *Merchant
of Venice*).
*It stinks to high heaven.*
People say this if something smells horrible. The
expression began with Shakespeare, when Hamlet's
uncle admits to himself that he has done something
dreadful by killing his brother. He says *O my offence
is rank, it smells to heaven.*
*Why then, the world's mine oyster.*
From *The Merry Wives of Windsor*. These days,
when people say "the world's your oyster" they mean
that you can do or achieve anything you want to.
*There are more things in heaven and earth,*
*Horatio, than are dreamed of in your philosophy.*
From *Hamlet*. People often say "there are more things
in heaven and earth" to mean that we cannot think of
everything that might happen or that might exist.
This is what Hamlet was saying when he was telling
his friend Horatio that he really had seen the ghost of
his father.
*Is this a dagger which I see before me ...?*
From *Macbeth*. Another saying that people use
humorously. People sometimes hold an object up
and say, for example, "Is this a saucepan which I
see before me?" or "Is this a ticket which I see
before me?"
*Parting is such sweet sorrow.*
From *Romeo and Juliet*. People sometimes say this
when they are saying goodbye. They usually mean it
slightly humorously.
*To be, or not to be, that is the question.*
This is Hamlet, beginning his most famous speech,
and thinking about killing himself. People sometimes
use this quote with a different verb, usually
humorously. For example, if someone is trying to
decide whether to use their car or take a train for a
journey, they might say "To drive, or not to drive?"
*A pound of flesh.*
People often talk about "demanding a pound of flesh"
when they mean they want what is owed to them.
This comes from the *Merchant of Venice*. Antonio has
had to borrow money from Shylock. If he doesn't pay
the money back on time, then he has to give up a
pound of his flesh. Of course, he can't pay it back,
and so Shylock demands his pound of flesh.
*There's method in his/her madness* is a common
saying in English. People say it when talking about
strange behaviour which they realize has a proper
purpose. It comes from *Hamlet* again, where he says
*Though this be madness, yet there is method in't.*
*A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!*
From *Richard III*. During the Battle of Bosworth Field,
Richard loses his horse and is desperate for another
one, so offers his entire kingdom in exchange for it.
It's another Shakespeare line which people
sometimes use humorously, saying things like
"A drink, a drink! My kingdom for a drink!"
*You have to be cruel to be kind.*
It means that sometimes you have to do something
that someone else does not like, but which will
eventually be good for them. Originally, this came
from *Hamlet*, when he said: *I must be cruel only to
be kind.*