Analyse the particular features of Shakespeare’s use of the English
language.
The English language has been in constant
transition throughout its history, but the most significant transformation in
modern English can be credited to William Shakespeare. With Shakespeare’s
invention of commonly used expressions, his creation of new words, and his use
of iambic pentameter, he was able to affect the language in a way that no
person since has. Shakespeare’s influence on modern English is not
only visible in everyday speech, but also in the fact that his work has
survived over four hundred years and it continues to be performed and read
worldwide.
Shakespeare’s ability to
mold the English language into eloquently written poetry gave him the ability to
affect the language as he did. Hundreds of clichés that are used daily by
English speakers were invented in Shakespeare’s writings. Few people are aware,
but expressions such as “dead as a doornail” (Henry IV, Part II) or “something
wicked this way comes” (Macbeth) can both be accredited to Shakespeare. In The
Story of English, Bernard Levin writes that “if [the reader] cannot understand
my argument, and [declares] ‘It's Greek to me’, you are quoting Shakespeare”
(McCrum, Cran, MacNeil 99). Levin is simply reminding the reader that much of
common English speech can be traced back to idioms used in Shakespeare’s
writing. 