Free Essay

Shakespeare: an Observation of Life

In:

Submitted By lyoung123
Words 1521
Pages 7
Shakespeare: An Observation of Life
What is it about Shakespeare’s characters and stories that make us all able to relate in some way or another 400 years after they are written? Maybe it’s his take on inner conflict, or is it how he never portrays a hero as perfect, or a villain as all evil? There is a certain universal truth about the human condition in every story. Whether it is the tragic outcome of unchecked greed and ambition, an unrelenting desire for revenge, or the pursuit of love, his representation of human nature is just as real and as relevant today, as it has been through the centuries. Most of Shakespeare’s characters are complex personalities led into tragedy by their shortcomings (Johnson). Even Shakespeare’s heroes are never just heroes; Shakespeare tends to build his stories through “false heroes” such as Othello, Anthony and Brutus, and “good villains” or “villains with a conscious” like Macbeth (Johnson). It is this type of inner conflict that makes Shakespeare’s stories so insightful and relatable.
People love to identify with the hero. They like to think of themselves as heroes in their own lives and the success of a hero in a story makes them feel better about their chances of success in their own lives. While a hero may be the object of any story, a hero is only as great as the obstacle he can overcome (Pattison). The obstacle can be almost anything, it could be a tornado ripping through a city or a killer great white shark, but it is the human villain that develops and changes as the story unfolds, that is the most relatable, and therefore the most interesting obstacle to overcome. Maybe this is because, unlike other obstacles, villains share commonalities with the average person, but they are perverted by some sort of extremism (Johnson), thus making them easy to hate but is still somehow relatable. Shakespeare does a remarkable job creating relatable villains. Shakespeare’s villains are not horrible people with no sense of humanity, instead they are complex, misguided characters, often more complex and deeper than his heroes. Shakespeare’s villains are arguably the reason why Shakespeare’s plays so relatable and timeless.
While most people might tend to classify characters into good and evil, but, just like most of us, Shakespeare’s characters are rarely divided so neatly into good and evil. Macbeth is a great example of one of Shakespeare’s characters that embodies both good and evil (Pattison). He was once a respected man, but gave into the temptation of great power after being egged on by the person he respected the most, his wife Lady Macbeth (Jamieson). Shakespeare plays on a universal fear of humanity: the fear of giving into temptation. By making Macbeth, who is essentially good man, waver before succumbing to temptation, Shakespeare demonstrates that we’re all capable of great wickedness in life, and consequently, are all potential villains.
The fact that Shakespeare plays on such a universal fear is what make Shakespeare’s story of Macbeth so adaptable. A countless number of adaptations have been made worldwide, and cover a very wide variety of cultures. Akira Kurosawa's Japanese adaptation Throne of Blood is one of the more well-known adaptations. Generally speaking, adaptations often have to alter the core story significantly in order to translate well for other audiences. However, Shakespeare’s Macbeth just happen to perfectly reflect the view that pride and personal ambition are negative qualities which is a core value in Japanese society, which probably made it easier for Kurosawa to film an adaptation for a Japanese audience with little alteration to the main story (Rosenbaum). For Macbeth, his ambition led to the betrayal and murder of Duncan, Banquo, Macduff's wife and children. Washizu, Macbeth's Japanese counterpart, made the same mistakes that Shakespeare's character did. When the spirit in the forest, the representation of the three witches, gave her prophecy to him and Miki, Washizu immediately began the same downward spiral that Macbeth made (Kurosawa). Washizu seemed much less willing at the start than Macbeth did (Shakespeare, pg. 841-951.). The evil brought on by the ambition led to a psychotic break for both Lady Macbeth as well as her Japanese counterpart, Lady Asaji (Jamieson).
As I had mentioned earlier, Shakespeare liked to blur the lines of good and evil. He did just that with his play The Taming of The Shrew. This time he initially portrayed the heroes as villains, and the villains as heroes. One of the more interesting things about this play, and likely the reason why there are so many adaptions made, is that no one seems to agree on who the real hero is, and who the real villain is. The truth is that almost every character in The Taming of The Shrew was the villain at one time or another; Petruccio was abusive to Katherine, Katherine was verbally abusive to nearly everyone, Bianca manipulated Lucentio to get what she wanted, Lucentio manipulated Petruccio, etc…( Shakespeare) As lighthearted as this play is it still manages to make a couple of points that relate to life. Firstly, things are not always as they seem, and secondly, that all of us have been the villain to someone at some point in our lives.
The lack of a defined villain has caused numerous adaptions, each of which portray a different character as the villain. The BBC adaptation “Shakespeare-Told: The Taming of the Shrew” focuses primarily on the relationship of Petruccio and Katherine (Richards). In this case Katherine was portrayed as the villain. They emphasized her verbal abuse, and downplayed Petruccio’s abusive actions towards Katherine, and, instead, portraying him more as an eccentric drunk than anything else. Making Katherine the primary villain helped develop Katherine’s character depth which in-turn caused the audience to become more emotionally connected with the whole story. Even with all of the alterations made, the adaptation still managed to make one of the key points: things are not as they seem. Another well-known Taming of the Shrew adaptations is the modern day film adaptation 10 Things I Hate About You (Junger). The movie takes place in a modern-day high school that both Bianca and Kat attend. Their overprotective father will not let Bianca date until Kat does. Overall the movie follows Shakespeare’s play fairly well, but as with most “Shrew” adaptations, a few simple changes focus the villain status on only one character. In this case the villain is Bianca. In Shakespeare’s play, Petruccio was a slightly abusive eccentric man that used food deprivation among other things to break down Katherine whereas Pat, his 10 things I Hate About you counterpart, is a charming, polite, guy with an undeserved bad reputation that won over Kat, Katherine’s counterpart, by treating her with nothing but respect. Although Kat was initially portrayed, in both the play and the film 10 Thing I hate about You, as a villain, The film goes on to develop her character further by explaining why she was acting like such a “heinous bitch” (Junger) which, in the end, makes her actions seem far more justifiable. While these alterations were most likely made to update the play’s portrayal of gender roles to fit today’s views, these modifications also made Bianca the villain by default. While the film did make the original point: things aren’t always as they seem. By making Bianca stand out as the villain; the film stressed a more cautionary point that was not clearly made in the original play: Be careful of what you wish for. So what is it about Shakespeare’s characters and stories that are so universal? What makes us able to relate in some way or another some 400 years after they are written? Regardless of the type of story, Shakespeare was always a keen observer of the human condition. His character portrayals displayed insight into human fears, shortcomings, and eccentricities (Johnson). The fact is that even when Shakespeare’s stories were not particularly profound (like The Taming of The Shrew), he always managed to engage the mind, heart, and other parts of the human psyche all at once.

Works Cited
10 Things I Hate about You. Dir. Gil Junger. Perf. Heath Ledger and Juila Stiles. Universal Studios/Walt Disney Studios, 1999. DVD.
Jamieson, Lee. "Lady Macbeth Character Analysis." Web log post. About.com Shakespeare. About.com. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
Johnson, Elizabeth D. "Top 10 Greatest Shakespeare Villains." Top 10 Lists. TopTenz.net, 7 Sept. 2008. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
Pattison, Darcy. "Villains Don't Always Wear Black." Web log post. Fiction Notes by Writing Teachers. Fiction Notes. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
Rosenbaum, Jonathan. "Throne of Blood." Rotten Tomatoes. Chicagoreader.com, 1 July 2008. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
Shakespeare, William. "Macbeth." Ed. T.J. B. Spencer. Four Tragedies. London: Penguin, 1994. 841-951. Print.
Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. Ed. G. R. Hibbard and Margaret Jane. Kidnie. London: Penguin, 2006. Print.
ShakespeaRe-Told: The Taming of the Shrew. Dir. David Richards. Perf. Shirley Henderson and David Mitchell. BBC, 2005. DVD.
Throne of Blood. Dir. Akira Kurosawa. Perf. Toshirô Mifune and Minoru Chiaki. Audio Brandon, 1957. DVD.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Hamlet Closet Scene

...Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and it reveals significant characteristics of major characters. Shakespeare specifically incorporates spying into certain scenes known as observation scenes or ‘closet scenes’. An observation scene dramatically enhances the climatic moments of the play and develops the complex reasoning behind many major characters such as Hamlet. The most important observation scene in the play is Act III scene IV as Hamlet discusses his true feelings to Gertrude while Polonius overhears the conversation. It probes the sexuality of Hamlet and Gertrude and is the turning-point in which Hamlet demonstrates a change in character. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays hostility towards his uncle Claudius due to the marriage between him and Gertrude. This is especially evident in the closet scene as Hamlet berates his mother with many sexual and incestuous references. In order to explain the relationship between Hamlet and his mother, Sigmund Freud’s theory the Oedipus Complex identifies this situation as a male’s unconscious sexual desire for his mother (Losh). Freud believes that these sexual desires are repressed unconsciously which in turns creates a lasting effect in a boy’s life (Losh). An example in this scene is when Hamlet says: “But to live / In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, / Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love / Over the nasty sty!” (Shakespeare, 3.4.99-102). Hamlet is furious with his mother’s sexual relationship with Claudius and his sexual...

Words: 1524 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Romeo N Jules

...Sonnets You Have Studied In: English and Literature Explore the Different Attitudes to Love Are Presented by the Characters in Romeo and Juliet and the Speakers in the Sonnets You Have Studied Explore the different attitudes to love are presented by the characters in Romeo and Juliet and the speakers in the sonnets you have studied. Love is presented through the use of characters, themes, linguistic, structural and contextual references. That pieces are ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare, ‘Sonnet 116’ by William Shakespeare again, ‘Sonnet 43’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, ‘Sonnet 130’ by Shakespeare and also ‘Sonnet 18’ again by Shakespeare. They were all written in the time that was considered the Elizabethan Era. A religious theme is set in both Romeo and Juliet and sonnet 43 to convey the attitudes to love. In Romeo and Juliet the theme of religion is used to express their love between each other and suggesting it is similar to religion can impose that it is a life-long commitment and will always be there even if they lose faith. At that time their attitude towards religion was very strong and it was their integral, which links to the love between Romeo and Juliet that now they have found it fully they will be part of each other’s’ lives for eternity. In Act 2, scene 2 Romeo states that Juliet’s eyes were “Two of the fairest stars in all of heaven” this is conveying that Juliet is angelic. Angels are referred to as innocent, Godly, pure and a good person;...

Words: 743 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Eeeee

...Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and it reveals significant characteristics of major characters. Shakespeare specifically incorporates spying into certain scenes known as observation scenes or ‘closet scenes’. An observation scene dramatically enhances the climatic moments of the play and develops the complex reasoning behind many major characters such as Hamlet. The most important observation scene in the play is Act III scene IV as Hamlet discusses his true feelings to Gertrude while Polonius overhears the conversation. It probes the sexuality of Hamlet and Gertrude and is the turning-point in which Hamlet demonstrates a change in character. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays hostility towards his uncle Claudius due to the marriage between him and Gertrude. This is especially evident in the closet scene as Hamlet berates his mother with many sexual and incestuous references. In order to explain the relationship between Hamlet and his mother, Sigmund Freud’s theory the Oedipus Complex identifies this situation as a male’s unconscious sexual desire for his mother (Losh). Freud believes that these sexual desires are repressed unconsciously which in turns creates a lasting effect in a boy’s life (Losh). An example in this scene is when Hamlet says: “But to live / In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, / Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love / Over the nasty sty!” (Shakespeare, 3.4.99-102). Hamlet is furious with his mother’s sexual relationship with Claudius and his sexual...

Words: 302 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Literature

...the Tempest by Shakespeare A critical analysis of the Tempest reveals numerous unscrupulous schemes that are often employed by human beings in a bid to gain power and influence. These schemes reflect the nature of people as they attempt to acquire dominance over others in various aspects of life. In the Tempest, these schemes are discernible from the many scenes where characters engage in underhand deals even against fellow characters in a bid to win influence. However, it is notable that the impact of these schemes is resolved quite amicably, although there remains a lingering discomfort that illustrates that this acquired utopia is rather temporal. It can be noted that some of the characters actually pay for their engagement in these illicit deals, although a more critical analysis reveals that this punishment may be deterrent enough as some of the characters do not seem to learn their lessons. Indeed, the Tempest creates the allusion of an island where goodness always overshadows the evil and in the end there seems to be a re-birth that signifies a resumption of normal life. (Pierce 374). It must be noted that this sense of utopia initially begins through a state of chaos when a party organized by Alonso suffers greatly from a vicious storm while at sea. This is notable when the play begins with the sound of lightning and thunder that causes “a tempestuous noise” (Shakespeare I, I, 1). Perhaps this malevolent beginning has been tactfully used by Shakespeare to illustrate...

Words: 1469 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

All the World’s a Stage

...a various sorts’ action according to their age position. In my research I will find out that person’s acting depend on their seven different age according to William Shakespeare but the same age categories’ person do different action based on their outside atmosphere. Person has a different age category but there action totally varied by their outside environment. Beside this also I will analysis couple of question like, why William Shakespeare compare this world’s a stage? And life a play? Actually behind all greatness, there is a small thought. Maybe Shakespeare was desperately related with drama, play and everything related in it and based on his life experience, Shakespeare compare the whole world as a big stage and also based on his life experience, compare our life a play. All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players “Man is mortal.” Everybody will must breathe his last breath (Quran. Sura ankabut, 2nd para). Each & Every natures born and one day they will die but within born and death there is a time where we live. This time is very much significant for everybody because it’s our lifespan. Many legend said lots of important word about our life. Luther, M. (1968). “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”. According to William Shakespeare, “all the world’s a stage and all the men and women are...

Words: 1768 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Sonnet 18 Analysis

...18 is part of the group of sonnets that is written to address men. In this particular one, Shakespeare compares the man’s beauty to that of nature, particularly a day in the summer. The first quatrain begins the extended metaphor by implying that the man being addressed has all the qualities of a summer’s day. This immediately associates the man with the sun and all of its qualities: he is strong, bright, and full of energy. However, by writing: “Though art more lovely and more temperate,” in line two, Shakespeare illustrates the fact that although the best thing nature has to offer, a summer’s day is far from perfect. The first shift happens in line three; the narrator stops talking about the man and begins pointing out the imperfections of summer. He employs vivid imagery to argue that summer’s beauty is hurt by “rough winds” and its “lease hath all too short a date,” (4). Shakespeare also adds that summer may sometimes be too hot, and other times its “gold complexion [is] dimm’d,” (5). This emphasizes the qualities of the man; he is not only more beautiful and serene than a summer’s day, but he is also untroubled by life’s obstacles, always stays perfect, and lasts longer than a day in summer. The last comparison is the first mention of immortality in the sonnet, but this image is expanded upon in later lines. Line seven continues to emphasize the theme of immortality. Shakespeare explains that “ever fair from fair...

Words: 603 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

As You Like It

...Interpretation ‘AS YOU LIKE IT’ (W.Shakespeare) Act II, Scene 7. William Shakespeare was an English poet, dramatist, considered by many to be the greatest dramatist of all time. ‘All the world’s a stage’ is the phrase that begins a monologue from W.Shakespeare’s ‘As you like it’, spoken by Jaques in Act II, Scene 7. This poem is a master-piece of Shakespeare’s keen observation and fine poetry. In this poem Shakespeare has masterfully described various stages of human life where people are actors playing their roles. At first man appears on this stage as an infant who is helpless and cannot walk, or speak, and is greatly limited in his ability to act with purpose. He must be carried if he goes from one place to another. It means that he is dependent on others. That it’s why he is crying in the nurse’s arms. Then he is seen as a school-boy with a shining morning face walking slowly and unwillingly to school. He doesn’t want to go to school because it makes him to feel unhappy, but on the other hand, it’s the happiest period of human life which is called childhood. You have very few responsibilities. For example, you don’t have to go to work, pay bills, or do the shopping, cooking, or cleaning. This means you have plenty of free time to do whatever you want. Soon a school-boy grows into a young man who is called in W.Shakespeare’s poem as a lover. Love inspires him, he becomes very romantic, but on the other hand, love obsesses him, because he writes a ballad made...

Words: 491 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Hieu

... • Introduction: first reading of the sonnet • 1st part: information on Shakespeare’s sonnets collection (structure and themes) • 2nd part: crucial aspects of the chosen sonnet: themes and main elements • Conclusion: guided analysis of Sonnet 18 Texts: • Text to be read in class: Sonnet 18 • Works cited: Shakespeare’s Sonnets Collection. Objectives: • Students will learn the basic structure of an English Sonnet (i.e., the Elizabethan Form) • They will learn some figures of speech and how to paraphrase a sonnet • Thanks to the visual reinforcement they should more easily remember the sonnet, and its main themes. Shakespeare, Sonnet 18 – (Valentina Henriet) The aim of this lesson is to help students understand 1) what a sonnet is 2) some of the messages the Poet wanted to pass down. NB: in order to “break the ice” it could be a good idea to elicit from the students the meaning of “sonnet”. Slide 2 – Sonnet 18 The lesson begins with a first reading of Sonnet 18. This should enable students to have a general idea of what a sonnet is and particularly to focus on the subject of the lesson. Slide 3 – Contextualisation of...

Words: 2093 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Labor's Lost Play Analysis

...In practically any adaptation of an original work, there are bound to be certain discrepancies between the values presented by the original and those presented by the adaptation. Adapting a script of Shakespeare, however, almost inevitably involves a significant loss or change of much of the meaning in the work, as writing text as dense in implicit content as that of Shakespeare is a challenge beyond the abilities of virtually any playwright. As a musical adaptation of Love’s Labor’s Lost, Alex Timbers’s rendition has the potential for further loss of values, since the need to maintain a reasonable duration for the play conflicts with the added time required to accommodate the musical numbers, resulting in a more limited amount of meaningful...

Words: 888 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Women’s Role in King Lear

...The twentieth century saw a number of diverse and rich readings of the play emerge as a result of the turbulent social changes of the century. A. C. Bradley saw this play as an individual coming to terms with his personality; that Lear was a great man and therefore the play is almost unfathomable. A feminist reading of the play reveals a number of Lear's misogynist remarks and has fueled the debate over whether the play's chaos occurred because power was given over to women, with order restored only when men were returned to their leadership roles. King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered one of his greatest works. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman king. It has been widely adapted for stage and screen, with the part of Lear being played by many of the world's most accomplished actors. King Lear is one of the Shakespear’s achievement talked about a family with three daughters and the father. Father really loved his children however he loved the youngest one the most. In contrast, he got disappointed from the one whom he loved the most because she did not mention how much she loved him back. During his furiousity, he did a judgment about those three daughters. He considered the other two is better so he would love those much more and gave the heritages to those two. His decision was totally wrong because he did not get what he expected to get back. ...

Words: 2257 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

The Works of Virginia Woolf

...and relationships reveal much about the world from which they come. Through witty comedy and stark tragedy, Woolf examines such themes as family, culture, and the individual in this remarkable portrait of modern life. Its unique and lyrical style, which has garnered the novel praise since its first publication, adds an artistic dimension to this surprisingly current novel. Indeed,The Voyage Out is a beautiful and telling work about self and society that rings as true today as in 1915. 1919, Night and Day [pic] [pic] Originally published in 1919, Night and Day contrasts the daily lives of four major characters while examining the relationships between love, marriage, happiness, and success. Like Virginia Woolf's first novel The Voyage Out, Night and Day is a more traditional narrative than her later novels. Unlike her first novel, however, Night and Day relies much more on its characters' internal struggles to push the its plot forward. What results is a character study of a very quiet group of people who are actually in the throes of deep anxiety and indecision. 1922, Jacob’s Room [pic] Who is Jacob Flanders? In Virginia Woolf’s 1922 novel, Jacob’s Room, we follow the life of a promising...

Words: 1559 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Status Quo In Huck Finn

...Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, and Othello by William Shakespeare. These three...

Words: 1485 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Sezin

...Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Form: 14 lines, each with ten stressed and unstressed syllables known as iambic pentameter (rhythm of the heartbeat) Genre: Lyric poetry – Lyric poetry presents the deep feelings and emotions of the poet as opposed to poetry that tells a story or presents a witty observation. Rhyme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG Rhymes may be ear-rhymes or eye-rhymes: an ear-rhyme is one that rhymes in sound, e.g. “increase” and “decrease”; an eye-rhyme is one that rhymes by sight, e.g. “compare” and “are”. Structure: This rhyme sequence sets the usual structure of the sonnet as three quatrains (sets of four lines) concluding with 1 couplet (a pair of lines). It is usual for there to be a pause for thought in the sonnet’s message at the end of each quatrain, especially the 2nd, in order to add tension, with the sonnet resolving to its objective in the final couplet, just as a song normally resolves to its root chord at its close. To convey the sense of resolution and completeness at the end of the sonnet there are often key-words, or tie-words, present in the closing couplet that are also present in the earlier quatrains. This structuring provides a framework on which to build the words, phrases, themes, rhymes, syncopation, punctuation and rhythm of the sonnet making it, at its best, a self-contained work of art. Having established this structure though, the author can then go on to breach the framework to add tension and meaning: a quatrain will not necessarily comprise...

Words: 2143 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Strategic Analysis

...Strategic analysis of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Syndicate group 8 Contents 1. Introduction to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust 2. External analysis of the market in which the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust competes 2.1. Porter’s 5 forces analysis 3. Internal analysis of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust 3.1. Resource based view of the firm 3.2. VRIN model 3.3. Financial overview 4. SWOT analysis 5. Strategic positioning 6. Executing the strategy 6.1. First Proposal: Bringing Shakespeare characters to life 6.2. Second Proposal: Promoting the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in London 7. Reference list 8. Appendices 2 1. Introduction The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (hereafter “SBT”) is a privately funded organisation based in Stratford-Upon-Avon (hereafter “Stratford”) in order to: 1. Promote in every part of the world the appreciation and study of the plays and other works of William Shakespeare and the general advancement of Shakespearian knowledge. 2. Maintain and preserve the Shakespeare properties. 3. Provide and maintain a museum and a library of books, manuscripts, records of historic interest, pictures, photographs and objects of antiquity with particular reference to William Shakespeare, his life, works and times (source: www.shakespeare.org.uk). Although the SBT has multiple revenue streams, its primary business is to sell a quality, historic, Shakespeare related experience to visitors to the Shakespeare houses located in Stratford....

Words: 3257 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Should Shakespeare Be Taught to Minority Students?

...Renaissance Literature December 10, 2012 Should Shakespeare be taught to Minority Students? Shakespeare is a staple in the English curriculum in American schools. Beginning in seventh or eighth grade, students are fed a steady diet of his tragedies, comedies, histories, and sometimes even the sonnets. Before Michael, Madonna or Prince, he was the one-name artist everyone could relate to globally. This wasn’t always the case. The branding of the name is not accidental. Even more than “William Shakespeare play-wright to American school students” the word Shakespeare, has become a trademark representing the culture and values of a nation. I approached this project with the firm belief that teaching Shakespeare to non-white students was harmful to their development. Shakespeare being taught to non-white students is a problem because they are being told that their culture isn’t enough. Is this a message we want to send after the last 40 years of minority groups demanding, and receiving, inclusion into society? Aren’t there any other works that could be substituted for the works of Shakespeare’s? Plenty of good candidates are published every year but they aren’t taken seriously. Why not? One reason is of course the name brand recognition of Shakespeare. He has had 500 years to gain a position in the public eye. Another reason is the many contributions that he has made to the English language. Many of the tried and true turn of phrases used today come from his characters...

Words: 6287 - Pages: 26