Born in 1564, the Bard of Avon, as he was known, was one of the greatest playwrights and poets of all time. Now, before you say, “Yawn…” keep in mind that there’s a lot more to William Shakespeare than what you learned in High School Lit class. For example, many of today’s common phrases actually originated with his plays—talk about transcending trendiness!—and some scholars even attribute the origin of the “Knock, Knock” joke to a scene from Macbeth.
Way back then, going to the theatre to see one of his masterpieces was anything but boring. They weren’t the quiet, polite affairs they are now, but were filled with revelry, food, beverage and a whole lot of socializing. Hmmm…to us, that sounds like a great big party! If you know someone who’s celebrating a birthday or other special occasion today, why not do it up Shakespeare-style? It’s easy to stage a theatre-themed event that will have your guests saying “Bravo!” by showing some favorite movies, playing charades and serving gourmet popcorn treats. Don’t forget to send the special person an ecard, too—that’s even better than a sonnet! (Sorry, Will.)
And what about William Shakespeare’s timeless question, “To be or not to be?” Well, we say, “be happy.” After all, that’s what celebrating special occasions is all about!
