Why listen
Dozens of phrases you use daily came from Shakespeare, and this episode explains how.
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In this episode
- The surprising number of everyday phrases that trace back to Shakespeare
- How a linguist and an actor approach the same texts differently
- What a daily reading practice with Shakespeare actually looks like
- Why original pronunciation changes how the plays sound and feel
About this episode
If you’ve ever said “it’s Greek to me” or “the world is my oyster", met “star-crossed lovers” or been dragged into a “wild goose chase”, if you’ve ever waited with “bated breath” or wanted to “melt into thin air”, then you were living in the words of Shakespeare.In many ways, we all live in the world that he created.
Today's guests are a father and son duo who have collectively authored dozens of books on Shakespeare. Their new book Everyday Shakespeare:Lines For Life is a daily selection of Shakespearean phrases from different plays.
David Crystal is a writer and linguist. He has written or edited over 100 books, currently serves as Honorary Professor of Linguistics at Bangor University, and is an expert in the original pronunciation of Shakespeare’s writings. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1995 by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
His son Ben Crystal is an author, actor, and producer, best known for performing, of course, the works of Shakespeare.
Click here to buy the book Everyday Shakespeare: Lines for Life by Ben and David Crystal.
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