Welcome to April‘s Quote and Trivia Gems.
Each month, I reach into my treasure trove of quotes and pull out my favourite gems.
I love quotes.
They make me laugh, they make me cry and most often, they make me think.
April is the birth month of William Shakespeare – the Bard of Avon.
Poet, playwright and actor, Shakespeare is often referred to as Britain’s national poet. Having written 39 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 long narrative poems, not only was he prolific but to this day, his plays are performed more often than any other playwright. His three most famous plays, although this may be debated, are Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet.
Shakespeare’s themes are universal. They deal with life, love, death, revenge, grief, jealousy, murder, magic and mystery. They are universal and timeless. We see them represented in every art form.
Because they are so ubiquitous, they inspire the classic librettos of grand operas and topical TV scripts of daytime soap operas. What’s the expression … imitation is the greatest form of flattery! Even Shakespeare borrowed plots from classical Greek and Roman writings.
Trivia alert!
Shakespeare was both born and died on April 23rd! (Not the same year of course)
How’s that for a dramatic entrance and exit? He seemingly died under mysterious circumstances on his 52nd birthday after enjoying an evening of intense partying.
A 2012 study in the journal Annals of Epidemiology found that a much higher probability (about 14 per cent) of people over 60 will die on their birthdays. That study, which analyzed more than 2 million deaths, found that strokes and heart attacks rose 18.6 per cent and 21.5 per cent respectively, on birthdays.
Hmmm, to party or not to party … that is the question!
I hope you enjoy my pick of ‘gems” for April.
I’m a great fan of the theatre and have always found the plays of the Bard to be some of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading or seeing performed. Indeed, I’ve stood in the pit at the Globe Theatre in London on several occasions and lost myself in the myriad human emotions painted by his words. The plot’s twists and turns reflect the beauty, the irony and the drama of both every day and regal lives.
Shakespeare has so many wonderful quotes that have worked their way into our modern lexicon but the one that has always spoken to me is from Twelfth Night, Act II, Scene V .. and so this is the quote I leave you with this month.
“Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them”
If you curious to know even more about the Bard, click on Shakespeare:
William Shakespeare – Playwright | Mini Bio
“You can’t see it now, but the thing you didn’t get will someday be the best thing you never had. Let it go. Better is coming.” – Mandy Hale
