Tales Truth and Trivia: To Be Or Not To Bee

William Shakespeare --I may never have been a big Shakespeare fan but never doubted his impact on the English speaking world and the world of entertainment. It is everywhere you look and as a child I was often listening to my mum do a bit of Macbeth or Hamlet. My mum had fond memories of her performances in the youth stage shows in her home country, of England, as a teenager . She would often reminisce over photographs of herself in the fifties. Then went on as chief organizer and instructor of youth drama groups in her adopted town of Rockhampton, in the seventies.

We know what we are, but know not what we may be.

William Shakespeare also known as the Bard of Avon was a poet, playwright and actor. He lived between 1564 and 1616 and married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18 they had three children together. He would retire from London stages to his home at Stratford on Avon in 1613. Some of his famous works are Othello, Hamlet,King Lear, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth.

A few of the many phrases linked to Shakespeare

Wild Goose Chase -- Romeo and Juliet

Green Eyed Monster -- Othello

Pure as the Driven Snow -- Hamlet

Off With His Head -- Richard the Third

Forever and a Day -- As You Like It

Lie Low -- Much Ado About Nothing

Its Greek To Me -- Julius Caesar

You've Got To Be Cruel To Be Kind -- Hamlet

Love is Blind -- The Merchant of Venice

Break the Ice -- Taming of the Shrew

Heart of Gold -- Henry V

Kill With Kindness -- Taming of the Shrew

To Bee Or Not To Bee

Lord, what fools these mortals be!

Shakespeare Wadlow Portrait and possible hidden symbolism
Dragonfly and its possible symbolism on the Wadlow portrait.

More Shakespeare

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

The better part of valor is discretion

All that glistens is not gold.

Nothing will come of nothing.

The course of true love never did run smooth.

World of the Dragonfly

Shakespeare's influence on the music world can be found through the lyrics of many songwriters with his phrases used in verses of popular songs. Australian song writer Paul Kelly is one who has loved Shakespeare from his school years. two years ago on the 400 years anniversary of Shakespeare's death ,Kelly released a mini-album interpreting the playwright’s sonnets. Paul Kelly said, "He’s my favourite writer by a long streak. In high school we studied Macbeth and it grabbed my attention straight away. It’s a good play for teenagers: death, blood, sex and betrayal, a lot of it set at night. It’s a world of extremes.”

Paul Kelly Seven Sonnets and a Song

If music be the food of love play on.

You Got To Be Cruel to Be Kind

Nick Lowe

Are You Lonesome Tonight -- The worlds a stage and we all must play a part.

‘All the world ‘s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.’

Singer William Shakespeare -- On the other side of the world in the land down under a singer took the playwrights name for his stage name. John Stanley Cave was a son of a Sydney greengrocer and sang in suburban pubs and clubs for $30 a night until writer/producers Harry Vanda and George Young, discovered him. They wrote two songs for him in 1974 and at the age of 26 he had two number one hits on the Australian charts with My Little Angel and Can't Stop Myself from Loving You. Just one year later his career was shattered after he was convicted of carnal knowledge with a 15-year-old fan. He was an only child and both of his parents had died. Shakespeare's life went down the path of depression and alcoholism and in the '90s, he was destitute and living out of his Mini Minor. By 2000 he was living in the ticket booth of a sports oval opposite the St George Leagues Club in Kogarah. Then in 2010 while living in public housing the ex glam rocker of the seventies, passed on. Sad story and something I have an opinion on. I'm not condoning the carnal knowledge but this man probably regretted that fateful day, all his life and we were not there to know how the incident occurred. He was a musician surrounded by young girl fans and its been said this girl looked a lot older. No one is the same, and we all have different life experiences.

William Shakespeare

Cant Stop Myself From Loving You

Shakespeare,Bacon and Marlowe -- There are many tales and stories around Shakespeare and who really was the author of his works. Maybe Francis Bacon or Christopher Marlowe most likely Shakespeare himself. History may provide good material for drama, but it will need some mythology attached, if its to stay in the imagination of a modern audience. The question of who created the 37 plays and 154 poems credited to William Shakespeare has sparked extensive debates and will continue to do so . The modern conspiracy theory has its beginnings in the early twentieth century and a mention of them is made in the 1909 edition of The American Historical Review but it was the Kennedy Assassination in the 1960's, where they escalated. Some are layered with flaws while many have part truths but then there is the possibility, that time, may reveal a mystery.

Tales and conspiracy surrounding Shakespeare

Let it Bee