Yeah yeah yeah, Shakespeare invented a bunch of words.

No, wait, he’s just the first documented use of those words.

No, wait, he was the first to use certain words in certain parts of speech.

Here’s another variation to add to the discussion : words that meant something entirely different to Shakespeare when he used them.

My favorite example is “bedroom.”  Hey, did you know Shakespeare invented the word bedroom?

“No, actually.  What Shakespeare meant by bedroom wasn’t the room where you keep the bed.  What he meant was actual room *in* the bed, like elbow room.  Lysander says it to Hermia.”

“Oh, and by the way, did you know Shakespeare invented the word elbow?”

🙂

My birthday is next week, so it often falls that I get to see my family and celebrate my birthday on Shakespeare’s.  My mother doesn’t always understand everything that goes on in my life, but she knows two things for certain.  One is that I “do computers” – or at least, that’s what she’s told all of her friends since I was about ten years old.  The second is that I’m “into Shakespeare.”  

So, since it’s hard to just stumble across random but interesting computer things, she always tries to make it a point to find me something Shakespearey to add to my collection. Check out this year’s treasure!

Shakespeare insults have always been easy pickings, since there’s so many of them. That’s always the first thing to look for – are we talking about actual quotes from the plays, or something out of an “insult generator” that only sounds Shakespearean?

Here we’ve got a tiny (maybe 3″ high?) little edition of the former, with a single quote per page.  Perfect for keeping on one’s desk at work for random flipping through and hurling at one’s coworkers. I have insult mug and once made an insult generator app, but I did not yet have this little guy.

Thanks Mom!

I don’t know who Kate Tempest is, but I hope with a name like that this is not the only Shakespearean thing she’s done or will do. I’m  glad I found this, because on this of all days in particular, I take tremendous joy and comfort in the phrase “my Shakespeare”.  Enjoy: