Shakespeare, Led Zeppelin, and Misquotes by Kaye Spencer #shakespeare #firestarpress #prairierosepubs

(1) William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare—poet, playwright, and actor with the Lord Chamberlain's Men—a man whose legacy of words has survived four centuries.

Today, April 23rd, marks the day of both his birth and his death—1564 to 1616.

However, there is more to this coincidence. The dates recorded at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon regarding Shakespeare's birth and death are:

Internment – April 25, 1616

Baptism – April 26, 1564

Shakespeare scholars generally agree since it was common to have an infant baptized on the first Sunday after his/her birth (infant mortality influenced this immediacy), Shakespeare was likely born on April 23rd. This was a Thursday, and it is reasonable that his mother would have been able to attend church for his baptism two days later. Shakespeare scholars also, mostly, agree that he died on the anniversary of his birth, since burials generally happened two days after a death and the 25th is his burial recorded date.

Coincidentally, or not, since April 23rd is also St. George's Day (Feast of St. George), it was (is) a  convenient English celebration to associate with William Shakespeare.

And, why not?

Regardless of the actual dates, Shakespeare's birth and death dates are, for the sake of tradition, the same.

So, to commemorate the Bard on this day, here are eight commonly misquoted lines from his works compared to the actual text. Please note for ease of reading, in some instances, I have deliberately disregarded the exact format in which Shakespeare wrote the words.

1- Hamlet – V, i, 69-171
Misquote: “Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him well.”
Actual Quote:
Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.

(4) Hamlet & Horatio

2-  Hamlet – I, iv, 16-18
Misquote: “To the manor born”
Actual Quote:
But to my mind, though I am native here and to the manner born, it is a custom more honour’d in the breach than the observance.

Manor and manner are homophones, which means they sound alike, but they have different meanings. According to dictionary definitions,

Manor is a 'large country house with lands; the principal house of a landed estate'.
Manner is a way in which things are done or happen; a person's outward bearing or way of behaving toward others

Hamlet speaks this line and his meaning of manner is to be so good at what you're doing that you appear to have been born with the skill, talent, or attribute. In this case, wild drunken carousing. :-)

3- Hamlet – III, ii, 239
Misquote: "Methinks the lady doth protest too much."
Actual quote:
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

(2) The Play within a Play

4- The First Part of King Henry the Fourth – V, iv, 123-124
Misquote: "Discretion is the better part of valour."
Actual Quote:
The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life.

5- The Life and Death of King John – IV, ii, 10-16
Misquote: "Don't gild the lily."
(Meaning: You're already wearing designer clothing, there's no need to gild the lily and add the emerald-studded accessories.)
Actual Quote:
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily...is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

6- Macbeth – V, vii, 74-76
Misquote: "Lead on, Macduff."
(The line is misquoted as meaning “Full steam ahead!" "Here we go!" when it is really about the start of a fight.
Actual Quote:
Before my body I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff, and damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold enough!'

(3) Macbeth & the Witches

7- Macbeth – IV, i, 10-11
Misquote: "Bubble, bubble, you're in trouble. Leave this island on the double." (Thank Disney for this cringe-worthy misquote in 'Much Ado about Scrooge' in "Duck Tales")
Actual Quote:
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

8- The Merchant of Venice – II, vii, 66-74
Misquote: "All that glitters is not gold" and "All that glitters is gold"
(these words predate Shakespeare to the 12th century.)
Actual Quote:
The lines from The Merchant of Venice: Morochus, a prince, and a suitor to Portia, reads these lines from a scroll—

All that glisters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms infold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgement old,
Your answer had not been inscroll'd:
Fare you well; your suit is cold.

SO... what does Led Zeppelin have to do with misquoting William Shakespeare?

Stairway to Heaven

Interestingly enough, the message in the song and Death's warning in The Merchant of Venice are  quite similar. Both warn of the dangers in pursuing the superficial and elusive material possessions in life at the expense of seeking enduring and meaningful soul-feeding life pursuits. In other words, leading a self-centered and self-serving life is not fulfilling at the end of the day.

Now, have a listen to Led Zeppelin's tale of a lady who's sure...

Coming Fall 2018 from Prairie Rose Publications and Fire Star Press
Vampire/Cowboy Contemporary Romance

Until next time,

Kaye Spencer

Writing through history one romance upon a time

Website/Blog- https://www.kayespencer.com
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References:
*Shakespeare, William, et al. The Yale Shakespeare. Barnes & Noble Books, 1993.
*Garrett, Anna. “5 Top Misquoted Shakespeare References.” OKWU Eagle, 30 Apr. 2015, eagle.okwu.edu/2015/04/30/top-misquoted-shakespeare-quotes/.
*“The 5 Most Misquoted Lines from Shakespeare.” Candis, www.candis.co.uk/all-Extra-Features/shakespeare/.
*“William Shakespeare.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 5 Aug. 2017, www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323.
*“Birth and Death of William Shakespeare Celebrated.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/birth-and-death-of-william-shakespeare-celebrated.

Images:
(1) Taylor, John. William Shakespeare. Print. Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. Distributed under a CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. 1719. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Shakespeare_MET_DP858189.jpg. 21 Apr 2018
(2) Delacroix, Eugène Ferdinand Victor. The Play-Within-A-Play. Print. Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. Distributed under a {{PD-1923}} license. 1839. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Play-Within-A-Play_MET_DP852127.jpg. 21 Apr 2018.
(3) Zuccarelli, Francesco. Macbeth and the Witches (Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 1).Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. 1770. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Macbeth_and_the_Witches_(Shakespeare,_Macbeth,_Act_1,_Scene_1)_MET_DP859553.jpg. 21 April 2018.
(4) Delacroix, Eugène Ferdinand Victor. Hamlet und Horatio auf dem Friedhof. Painting. Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. Distributed under a {{PD-1923}} license.1839. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eugène_Ferdinand_Victor_Delacroix_018.jpg. 21 Apr 2018.