Shakespeare Quotes to Start Your Day
It is impossible to overestimate William Shakespeare’s formidable impact on people and cultures throughout the world. Shakespeare’s plays, sonnets, and poems have stolen the hearts of even the least likely audiences and readers in every corner of the globe. One obvious reason is his sheer command of the language. He contributed over three thousand words to the English language, in part because he was the first to write down many of these words. But he also coined new words in every piece he wrote. And Shakespeare’s prolific writing also contributed to his monumental reach: he managed to write thirty-eight plays, and possibly contribute to others, as well as to complete one hundred and fifty-four sonnets and five poems. His immense crowd of characters span the gap from beings barely above vegetable and mineral level (Caliban in The Tempest or Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) to philosophical princes and history-shattering queens.
In the end, however, it is not the sheer magnitude of his work or characters or his virtuoso use of technique or language that defines his true genius. The truly miraculous core of Shakespeare’s work is his stunning expression of the full range of the human mind and heart. And certainly Shakespeare’s wisdom, cynicism, humor, and word play are a match for any writer around the globe. The astounding fact is that Shakespeare could write his way convincingly into just about any character that he could imagine. And in this respect, Shakespeare stands with only a handful of other great literary geniuses anywhere in the world and in any historical time period. Because of his particular kind of genius, Shakespeare’s works allow the reader to continually mine the riches of the heart and to see its landscape perpetually painted in rich, true colors.
This 365 day course presents a medley of Shakespeare's observations on life, politics, and nature. The quotes include excerpts from impassioned soliloquies, proverbial wisdom, and even selected prayers and curses. Each day you will receive a brief quote, a short description of the scene, and a contemporary rephrasing of the quote. As the weeks pass, readers will discover Shakespeare's astonishing grasp of the intricacies of the human soul and of nature's miraculous beauty.
