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Shakespeare
More common phrases come from Shakespeare than most people realize. The plots underlie a startling share of modern drama, from teen romances to prestige TV.
21 entries
A Rose by Any Other Name
What something is called doesn't change what it is.
Break the Ice
Ease initial social tension.
Et tu, Brute?
An expression of shock at being betrayed by a close friend.
Hamlet
The brooding Danish prince paralyzed by the question of how to avenge his father.
Heart of Gold
A genuinely kind nature, often despite outward appearances.
Lady Macbeth
The ambitious partner who pushes their reluctant other half into doing something terrible โ and is the first to crack from the guilt.
Love Is Blind
People in love overlook their partner's faults.
Method in the Madness
Apparent craziness that is actually a deliberate strategy.
Romeo and Juliet
The template for doomed young love.
Shylock & the Pound of Flesh
A creditor who insists on the exact, brutal terms of a contract โ and the phrase 'pound of flesh' for any debt extracted at unreasonable personal cost.
Star-Crossed
Doomed by fate โ usually said of lovers.
The Lady Doth Protest Too Much
Someone denying something so vigorously that the denial itself becomes evidence they're guilty.
To Be, or Not to Be
The opening line of Hamlet's soliloquy on whether life is worth living.
Vanish Into Thin Air
Disappear without a trace.
Wear My Heart on My Sleeve
Display emotions openly.
Wild-Goose Chase
A pursuit that goes nowhere.
All the World's a Stage
Life is a performance with assigned roles.
Iago
The trusted insider who quietly engineers another person's downfall for reasons that never quite hold up.
Macbeth
The Scottish lord whose ambition consumes him and his wife.
Out, Damned Spot
Guilt โ usually for something that can't be undone โ that won't go away no matter how hard you try to wash it off.
The Green-Eyed Monster
Jealousy, personified.