From the Pen of The Bard

Did you love reading the plays and sonnets of Shakespeare when you were in school? I did. I wish I’d understood them as well when I was in high school as I do now. Ah, youth. We think we know so much and only when we’re older do we realize just how much we had yet to learn.

I’ve studied the life and times of Shakespeare a great deal in the past few years. In fact, he’s mentioned in my latest novel, Grave Decisions, book two of my Charlotte Graves Mystery series.

If you’d like to know more about that book, go to my website and sign up for my newsletter which will come out later this week. It tells a lot about what to expect in book two. And there’s a surprise within.

From the Pen of The Bard @DDuPreeWilliams #writing #Shakespeare Share on X

SHAKESPEARE MEETS GRAVE DECISIONS

But, since Shakespeare is so prominent an idea in book two, I thought I’d find a few things to share with you, written by the Bard. Did you know that Bard refers to anyone who recites or writes poetry? The definition I found online said they often did this while playing an instrument such as a harp or a lyre. Who knew? I certainly didn’t.

When each of our four boys was in the sixth grade in Florida, they had to write a formal paper about Shakespeare. They studied his works for quite a while. I’m sharing with you some of the fairly well-known phrases attributed to Shakespeare. BTW, they all made an A+ on that project. I’m one proud Mama to this day.

STILL IN USAGE TODAY!

All that glitters is not gold, from The Merchant of Venice. My Mama used to say this all the time, particularly when she warned us about things Satan would dangle in front of us. Good job, Mama!

In a pickle, from The Tempest.  I imagine if we’d been caught in such a storm we’d find we were in a pickle, too. I had no idea this came from that play. Maybe Charlotte Graves, my main character, had been reading this particular play when she coined Pickled Bricks. Ha!

Love is blind, from The Merchant of Venice. I bet Charlotte really thought this after Sissy Jo eloped with Linden in Grave Consequences.

And one last one that is almost unbelievable. Knock, knock, who’s there? From Macbeth. Who knew every knock-knock joke ever written was first thought up by none other than Shakespeare? Did y’all even notice that when you read Macbeth? I certainly didn’t.

Whatever you’re reading, I hope it’s enjoyable and entertaining. Like my cousin, Jo, I mostly read my Bible these days. But I do love reading my friends’ books, fiction and non-fiction, and I always make time for those.

Here are some Bible verses about writing: Jeremiah 30:2, Luke 1:3, Job 19:23, Hebrews 8:10, Proverbs 7:3. I love that last one. What better place to write God’s Word than on the tablet of our hearts?

Blessings, y’all!

 

https://www.DebraDuPreeWilliams.com     find the signup for my newsletter and this blog.

This is my 2nd cousin, 8 times removed. He’s the grandson of Nicholas Lanier, the Elder who is my 10 times Great-grandfather. Both were musicians in royal courts.  The portrait of Nicholas pictured here was painted by Anthony Van Dyck, the Flemish painter. My son, Adam, looks soooo much like this Nicholas, it’s amazing! The Laniers were musicians and instrument makers, artists, and writers. A rich heritage. You’ll meet one or two of them in book two, Grave Decisions. It’s amazing that this music still exists and is recorded. I had NO clue until I went looking! This is the music Shakespeare would have heard in his day. I hope you find it interesting, at least. Stop it when you so wish! It’s the entire album, I think. Mercy!

 

https://youtu.be/ddVurPZaPLU