National Shakespeare Night? The Queen says 'Ay!'

Every Shakespeare freak has probably sulked at least for once on Robert Burns' Night. No Shakespeare Night? No Shakespeare Day? But tarry, you might say, April 23 hardly fails to be a day on a national scale when the grave of the "Star of poets" in Stratford-upon-Avon is bathed in roses and daffodils as the Tudoresque crowd cheers to high heaven on Henley Street and every land scattered around the wide world is likely to have their April 23's marked red on the calendar.

Yet Shakespeare peeps are such greedy geeks! The 400 years have made it clear by now that we can never get enough of Shakespeare. And it is high time there was an official National Shakespeare Night. Though "national" leaves out the vast fandom outside the Sceptred Isle, including the writer of this article. So, to be fair and square, we needInternational Shakespeare Night. Day and Night.

Janet Ford, owner of the Tudor World - the Falstaff Experience - a fascinating Tudoresque museum unique in its kind in the land that run ghosts tours and above all, have their own Shakespeare, alive and kicking - has taken the dormant wish of many a step further.
"It dawned on us that Burns Night has been going on for 200 years, yet Shakespeare, who is an international treasure and the most famous playwright in the world, doesn't have a similar occasion."

This is by no means a pioneering attempt. There has been a quest for a National Shakespeare Day for a while, with a relevant Twitter page and all, yet the idea never got farther to knock on the governmental doors over the Thames hard enough. But the laudable Falstaff Experience have gone as far as to have Her Majesty seal their venture with royal wax and pass it over to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Maria Miller.

Janet Ford and aptly named Kingsley Edward Tudor Glover, Shakespeare persona grata, were happily posing with the Royal letter at the tradition-starting supper in the Tudor World Museum on Sunday.

The Queen's own enthusiasm and support, needless to say, has thrown many into rapture. Stratford-upon-Avon, as always the bosom of Bardic affairs, has stirred up many - Shakespeare's Globe is now up in support, especially since there have been similar celebrations at the Globe on Shakespeare's birthday quite for a while.

What we will be doing on a Shakespeare Night? Sonneteering, soliloquising, quoting, reciting, acting, playing, punning, bantering, supping pork, cherries and drinking sack. Who would not want a bank holiday to carouse like Falstaff, dress up like Queen Bess, curse like Lear or hazard one's codpiece in a jousting sport!

"Instead of a Burns Night's toast to the 'laddies and lassies' we'd toast the masters and mistresses and we could have a battle of the sexes with women delivering Shakespeare quotes about men and men delivering Shakespeare quotes about women... You have this moment when you realise, 'Surely not! How do we not have a day to celebrate this man?'" 

And most importantly, we will be twisting our tongues to talk like Shakespeare! So get thee to a Willery, whet thy thee's and thou's, fix thy -th's, lend thine ears and ope thine eyne - a National Will Day and Night is anon in line! If the avid Facebook quest Talk Like Shakespeare Day should thrive as much as to have Mr. Zed add Shakespearean English as a "language" on Facebook - bardoholics are in for a glorious year.

Needless to punctuate the educative appeal of an official Shakespeare Night and the much ado therewith. Soul of the age... Never as truly as in the 21st century, it seems.

Tips to Talk Like Shakespeare

 

Replace your it’s with ‘tis, your he with ‘a, your you with thou and ye; sign your email with Gramercy, not “Thank-you” and change your “Best wishes” to Fair befall you! or I commend you to your own content! Ask How do you? - which is as much as to say “How are you?”

PRONOUNS
Thou* (single person)                                You
Thou art mine.                                              You are mine. (Nominative case, agent of action)
Thee                                                                     You
I love thee.                                                        I love you. (Accusative case, object of the action)
Thee                                                                   You
I give thee my love.                                     I give you my love. (Dative case, recipient of the action)
Thy                                                                    Your
Thyself                                                             Yourself
Mine                                                                  Mine; my
Thine                                                                 Yours; your

Mine and thine mean “my” and “your” respectively and are used in the sense when the following noun starts with a vowel. E.g. mine eyne, thine eyne

Eyne* an archaic form of eyes

*To say that thou is singular, you is plural is not the whole story. There are important nuances in the usage of thou and you that can shed light on the Shakespeare contexts. Servants would use you to their masters as a sign of respect and masters would use thou in return.

You will use thou if you are angry with the person, want to insult the person, disdain the person or… - are very intimate with the person. Romeo and Juliet will use thou, so do the Macbeths until the Lady sees her husband’s hesitation to murder the king. There may be switches within a single conversation, depending on the topic, the situation, the mood and the moment. Benedick and Beatrice, Titania and Oberon switch between thou and you a lot, understandably. People of high social rank, however, will stick to formal you even in intimacy, like Antony and Cleopatra.

FREQUENT ADJECTIVES & ADVERBS

Meet                                                                                                       Suitable, proper
Passing                                                                                                    Exceeding; exceedingly, much
Happily                                                                                                   Maybe, perhaps
Nice                                      Precise, exact (for other meanings see www.shakespeareswords.com )
Hither                                                                                                   Towards here
Come hither.                                                                                          Come here.
Thither                                                                                                  Towards there
Even but now                                                                                      Just now
Wherefore                                                                                           Why
Wherefore art thou Romeo?                                                            Why are you Romeo?
Therefore                                                                                             That is why
Wherein                                                                                                Where, in which
Therein                                                                                                 In that, there
Whereof                                                                                               Of what
Whereof are you made?                                                                   What are you made of?
Prithee                                                                                                  Please
I pray thee/you                                                                                  Please
Anon                                                                                                     Soon
Nought                                                                                                  Nothing
Aught                                                                                                    Anything
  
 
FREQUENT VERBS
Repair                                                                                        Go (usually in a hurry)
Repair home.                                                                             Go home.
Hie                                                                                               Hasten, hurry up
Hie thee hither!                                                                        Come here, quickly!
Become                                                                                      Suit
Tears do not become a man.                                           Tears are not appropriate for/ do not suit a man.
Dally                                                                                          Linger; move, act slowly
Tarry                                                                                          Wait, stay, linger
I’ll tarry no longer with you.                                          I will stay no longer with you.
Wot                                                                                              Know
I wot not.                                                                                   I do not know.


RECURRENT WORDS, SET EXPRESSIONS & STATIC FORMS
 
Fie!                                                                                                        Shame! For shame!
Fie on you!                                                                                           Shame on you!
How fare you?                                                                                           How are you?
Commend me to my lady.                                        Say hello to the lady; Pass on my greetings to the lady.
Quoth                                                                                                         Said
Quoth I.                                                                                                       I said.
An                                                                                                                If
An it were true,…                                                                                     If it were true,…
Verily                                                                                                         In truth
In sooth/ forsooth                                                                                   In truth
Methinks                                                                                                  I think
Methinks you are in danger.                                                              I think you are in danger.
The colour becomes you not, methinks.           The colour does not suit you, I think.
Methought                                                                                             I thought
Bethink oneself                                                                                   Think over
I shall bethink myself.                          I wll think over (something already mentioned in the conversation and known to the speakers)
Marry, …                                                                                     By Mary, … (an interjection)

ELISION

Elizabethans contracted a lot more words than we do now. While we tend to contract auxiliaries like is, will, shall, are and the negation not - they would elide also a great many notional (meaty) words, like verbs etc. However, not is never contracted in Shakespeare. It became a practice only after 1640s.
CONTRACTING E OF PAST TENSE -ED

Digg’d                                                                                                       Digged (modern dug)
Begg’d                                                                                                       Begged
Arrive’d                                                                                                  Arrived
Fix’d                                                                                                          Fixed
Bless’d                                                                                                       Blessed


THE FIRST LETTER(S), USUALLY A VOWEL, OF VERBS

‘tend                                                                                                           Attend
‘gin                                                                                                             Begin
‘scape                                                                                                         Escape


OTHER RECURRENT ELIDED FORMS IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLISH
 
‘a                                                                                                                 He
‘mongst                                                                                                   Amongst
and’s                                                                                                         And his
to’t                                                                                                              To it
after’s                                                                                                       After his
In’s                                                                                                             In his
H’as                                                                                                           He has
‘Tis                                                                                                            It is, it’s
‘twas                                                                                                        It was
O’                                                                                                               On; of

The many elided forms evidence the pace of Elizabethan speech. Indeed, when Romeo & Juliet was being performed in original pronunciation in parallel with modern English at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2004, the one in OP ended 10 minutes earlier! (www.pronouncingshakespeare.com )  

GRAMMAR

ENDINGS OF 2ND (USED WITH THOU) AND 3RD PERSON SINGULAR 

-st/t                                                                                           2nd person singular

Thou beest/ be’st.                                                                      You are.
Thou wast/ wert.                                                                      You were.
Thou wilt/shalt.                                                                        You will/shall.
Thou knowest.                                                                           You know.
Thou thinkest.                                                                            You think.
Thou canst.                                                                                    You can.
Thou mayst.                                                                                  You may.
Thou shouldst.                                                                             You should.
Thou wouldst.                                                                             You would.
Thou hast.                                                                                       You have.
Thou hadst.                                                                                    You had.
Thou dost.                                                                                       You do.
Thou didst.                                                                                      You did.

-th                                                                                             3rd person singular
(S)he/it hath.                                                                                 (S)he/it has.
(S)he/it doth.                                                                                 (S)he/it does.
Becometh                                                                                            Becomes
Knitteth                                                                                                Knits
Music such as charmeth sleep.                                   Music that causes sleep.
The crown o’th’ earth doth melt.                            The crown of the earth does melt/ melts.


WORD ORDER

Do not use do in negatives and questions. Having said that, Shakespeare has both “Know you…?” and “Do you know?” - the auxiliary do was just making its way into language and was still informal. So, once again, Shakespeare was wisely benefitting from the rich array of alternative forms the changing English tongue had a-plenty on offer!
I know not.                                                                                           I do not know.
Know you?                                                                                            Do you know?
I love thee/you not                                                                                                   I do not love you.

Although the modern practice is common in Shakespeare, he often prefers the reverse order of pronoun and adjective to modify nouns. It was the standard order in Old English.
Good my lord.                                                                                    My good lord.
Sweet my coz.                                                                                     My sweet cousin.
‘Tis he (that)...                                                                                     It is the man who…
'Tis he, foul creature, that hath done thee wrong.             It is the one, that foul creature, who has    done wrong to you.

DISSING THE FINAL -D

devote*                                                                            TS.I.i.32    Or so devote to Aristotle's checks
initiate*                                                        Mac.III.iv.142    My strange and self-abuse / Is the initiate fear
frustrate                                                  AC.V.i.2    Being so frustrate…he mocks / The pauses that he makes
                                                               Tem.III.ii.11    the sea mocks / Our *frustrate (fruitless) search on land
adulterate                                                                        LC.175    bastards of his foul adulterate heart
incorporate                                                                   Oth.II.i.254    th'incorporate conclusion
derogate                                        KL.I.iv.277    And from her derogate body spring / A babe to honour her
felicitate*                                                            KL.I.i.75    I am alone felicitate / In your dear highness' love
regenerate                                      R2.I.iii.70    Whose youthful spirit in me regenerate / Doth…lift me up
remediate*                                               KL.IV.iv.17    Be aidant and remediate / In the good man's distress.


The asterisked words are Williamisms - first recorded usages in the OED (Professor David Crystal’s terminology). You can find the whole list of Williamisms here www.thinkonmywords.com .

DISSING THE FINAL -LY

Like                                        Mac.II.iv.29    Then 'tis most like / The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth?
Marvelous                                                        Ham.II.i.3    You shall do marvellous wisely, good Reynaldo
Scant                                                                   RJ.I.ii.98    And she shall scant show well that now seems best
Easy                                                                     Mac.II.iii.134    Which the false man does easy
Sore                                                                      TC.V.v.14    Sore hurt and bruised
fair                                                                        Ham.IV.i.36    Go seek him out. Speak fair.

 
Indeed, there are merely 2000 or so words in Shakespeare that are a bit different from modern English and many of these frequently pop up in the plays and poems. It should not take you long to master all the Williamisms, all the False Friends and the 100 or so idioms (Thou already knowest most of them!). According to Professor David Crystal’s estimates, merely 5-10% of Shakespeare’s language is different from our modern English.

Stick these tips in mind, check out the links provided throughout and along the way pick up some passing awesome curses, idioms, swear words, flowery collocations and hilarious puns from reading and auditing the plays - use them as oft as thou canst and they will become part of your daily English in no time. Then canst thou make thy speech sound Shakespearean trippingly upon the tongue! 

Widowed wombs, loose-wived, dancing soul and such gossip else… In a Pandarian mood do we leave thee thus:

                                     PANDARUS
TC.III.i.43    Fair (2. fortune, happiness) be to you, my lord, and to all this fair (4. fine, pleasing, splendid, excellent)
TC.III.i.44    company; fair (5. appropriate, courteous ) desires, in all fair (7. virtuous, honourable, upright) measure,  fairly (5. entirely) guide
TC.III.i.45    them! – especially to you, fair (1. beautiful) queen: fair (2. good, elegant, fine) thoughts be 
TC.III.i.46    your fair (8. fortunate, favoured) pillow!   

5 Heart Disease Risk Factors That Are Within Your Control

How your everyday decisions can give you a longer life

Some risk factors for heart disease — such as advancing age, or a family history — are beyond your control. Others are completely up to you.

Managing these controllable risk factors can go a long way toward reducing your risk of developing heart disease.

“Even if you have the perfect genetic history, with no heart disease, it is still very important to live a heart-healthy lifestyle,” says cardiologist Haitham Ahmed, MD.

So, how to live this heart-healthy lifestyle? Here are five habits to adopt.

1.

Eat a diet that is low in saturated fats, cholesterol and sodium.

Take the time to read food labels, which will help you understand what foods you should avoid or eat in small quantities.

Saturated fat are found in prepared foods and animal products, including meats, milk, butter and eggs.

Limit your red meat intake, choose lean cuts of chicken and turkey, and eat more soy protein and fish, including salmon, tuna and sardines, which are high in cholesterol lowering omega-3 fatty acids, Dr. Ahmed says.

In prepared foods, avoid products made with trans fats and hydrogenated vegetable oils.

One great way to reduce your cholesterol is to increase your fiber intake with more fruits, vegetables, beans and whole-grain foods. Try to consume 25 grams to 35 grams of fiber each day.

Keep an eye on sodium too. Sodium is found in many foods like processed meats, eggs and bread. Make a conscious effort to consume only 2 grams or less — that’s one-half teaspoon — of sodium per day.

2. Do 30 minutes of daily exercise that increases your heart rate.

Make exercise a part of your daily routine. Find an activity that fits your lifestyle and take the time to do it.

The good news is that the 30 minutes does not have to be consecutive, Dr. Ahmed says. You can do three 10-minute spurts (or two 15-minute spurts) of activity that get your heart rate up. For example, you might do short and brisk walks two to three times a day.

3. If you smoke, stop.

Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease. Smokers have about a 70 percent higher death rate from coronary artery disease than do nonsmokers, Dr. Ahmed says.

Amazing fact: When you quit, your heart will begin to rejuvenate and repair itself.

Also, do your best to avoid secondhand smoke.

4.

Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol at normal levels.

If you do all three of the above, your blood pressure and cholesterol levels will probably be in a healthy range.

A good blood pressure is around 120/80 mm Hg, and an ideal cholesterol level depends on your other risk factors, Dr. Ahmed says.

To keep these numbers in check, be sure to have these indicators measured regularly and take the medications that your doctor prescribes.

5. Keep your stress levels in check.

To keep your ticker healthy, it’s important to assess your stress level every so often, Dr. Ahmed says. Don’t ignore it when you’re feeling stressed for more than a day.

There are many ways to reduce stress. You can listen to music, take a walk with a friend or family member or meditate. Whatever you do, find what works for you.

Laughter also eases blood flow and reduces stress, so try bringing some levity and humor into your daily life.

Another way to keep stress in check for the long-term is to have a good network of friends with whom you can talk.

Finally, be sure to separate your family time from work time. This can do wonders.

3 Types of Chest Pain That Won’t Kill You

Not all chest pains are symptoms of a heart attack

Some types of chest pain should send you to the emergency room immediately.

If you experience pain, pressure or discomfort in the center of your chest or in your arms, back, jaw, neck or stomach — along with shortness of breath, a cold sweat, nausea, fatigue or lightheartedness — for at least five minutes, call 9-1-1.

These symptoms may signal a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. Immediate treatment is essential to save heart muscle.

But when chest aches and pains are fleeting, it’s often something different.

Symptoms that suggest another problem

As Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Curtis Rim-merman, MD, writes in his book “The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Heart Attacks, the following symptoms are unlikely to signal a heart attack:

• Momentary chest discomfort, often characterized as a lightning bolt or electrical shock. Heart discomfort or pain is unrelenting, typically for several minutes. Momentary chest discomfort is more likely to result from musculature injury or inflammation, or nerve pain (e.g., a cracked rib, a pulled muscle in the chest wall or shingles involving the chest.)
• Pinpoint chest discomfort that worsens with positional changes in breathing. Heart pain is usually diffuse, or radiating. Pinpoint discomfort that changes with breathing is more likely to involve the lungs (e.g., pleurisy, an inflammation of the lung membranes; pneumonia; or asthma).
• Chest discomfort that gets better with exercise. Heart-related pain typically worsens with exercise. Sharp chest pain that improves with movement is more likely to have other causes (e.g., acid re-flux.) 

Heart attack symptoms vary widely

Dr. Rim-merman emphasizes that the symptoms of heart attack or angina can vary greatly from person to person. Some people experience no symptoms at all. Others experience crushing chest pain. Still others may feel only arm discomfort.

“Regardless of the site of the discomfort, people typically can’t find a position that relieves the pain,” writes Dr. Rim-merman. “Nor do they find relief by ingesting liquids, popping antacids, or taking deep breaths.”

Heart attack discomfort is unrelenting, typically lasting five minutes or more (up to half an hour or, rarely, two hours). That’s when it’s important to call 9-1-1  to get emergency treatment.

If chest discomfort is fleeting but severe, make an appointment to see your primary care doctor.

But when in doubt, Dr. Rim-merman advises, “Err on the side of caution, and visit a doctor or emergency room.”

What foods should you not eat if you have COPD?

People suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, should avoid dairy products, cured meats with nitrates, cruciferous vegetables, carbonated beverages, fried foods and sulfites, according to Lung Institute.These types of foods leads to complications for many patients.

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• Dairy products contain casomophin, which boosts the production of mucus. People who find the elevation of mucus to be a source of discomfort should limit or eliminate dairy from their diet. Milk, cheese, ice cream and yogurt are the most common culprits. Hot dogs, ham, bacon and cold cuts have also been shown to increase the symptoms of COPD, and nitrates cause other health issues as well, notes Lung Institute.
  
  Cruciferous vegetables include Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy and radishes. While these foods provide a wealth of fiber, they also lead to the production of gas, which causes bloating. The result is more pressure on the lungs, causing additional difficulty with breathing. Fried foods also cause bloating and gas. Fried fish and chicken, onion rings, french fries and jalapeño poppers are common foods to avoid, reports Lung Institute.
  Shrimp, beer, wine and potatoes commonly contain sulfites to boost appearance and increase shelf life. Sulfites cause narrowing of the bronchial tubes, so COPD sufferers should avoid them, states Lung Institute.
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