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Today is April 23rd, an important day in British culture. Many people still celebrate Saint George’s Day today. Saint George is the patron saint of England, and he is associated with bravery, and the triumph of truth over corruption. The story of Saint George is that he rescued a village from a dragon who was demanding human sacrifices. The people of the village were ok with the human sacrifices until the dragon demanded a princess. Saint George decided to rescue the princess and kill the dragon, so also freeing the village.
The story of Saint George and the Dragon is a very old tale and many versions of it can be found throughout Europe and the Middle East. Not many English people remember the story or celebrate it. Nowadays, April 23rd is more often remembered for another very important figure from British history, as the birthday of William Shakespeare.
If you have studied English, you have probably heard of William Shakespeare, but did you know that he invented around 1,700 words which are still in use in the English language today? Indeed, native English speakers probably use ‘Shakespeare phrases’ – phrases which originally appeared in his plays or poetry – every day, though they do not always know it.
Shakespeare’s plays and poems continue to inspire us, 408 years after his death. Perhaps you have seen Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ – did you notice that the story is very similar to Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’? Or maybe you have heard of the novel ‘Moby Dick’ by Herman Melville, about a hunt for a giant whale, but did you know the story is inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’?
Wherever you are in the world, I hope that you can be inspired by Shakespeare’s work too.
If you would like to learn more about Shakespeare and his influence on British culture, please feel free to book a class with me.
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