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USA Today
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Happy birthday Shakespeare! Our favorite sayings, and some that missed the mark
Happy birthday Shakespeare! Our favorite sayings, and some that missed the mark Show Caption Hide Caption Why the Ides of March is so significant in history You've likely heard the phrase 'beware the Ides of March,' but what exactly is an Ides, and why the warning? unbranded - Lifestyle There have been a lot of writers since the 16th century. But there's only one Bard. William Shakespeare, who was born one of eight children 461 years ago on April 23, 1564, lived just 52 years. But in those years, Shakespeare would produce a bounty of plays, sonnets and poems that have been studied, modernized, adapted, saturized and lionized for decades. And his words − the countless words, coined phrases and twists of the tongue − continue to shape literature and language. You might even be surprised by how much of Shakespeare still saturates everyday vernacular (To name a few: wild goose chase, heart of gold, break the ice, the world is your oyster, for goodness sake.) On the occasion of his birth, here are some of Shakespeare's most enduring turns of phrase. And, because not all that glitters (or glisters) is gold, we are including some that missed the mark. 'Hamlet': A father's wisdom, a friend's final farewell Some of Shakespeare's best-known and most-performed plays also account for a lot of his most well-worn expressions. In "Hamlet," Polonius advises his son Laertes with gems like "Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice," "Neither a borrower nor a lender be, for loan oft loses both itself and friend," and perhaps the best advice any parent can give their child, "This above all, to thine own self be true." Polonius also reminds us that "brevity is the soul of wit," and that "though this be madness, yet there is method in't." But Polonius isn't the only character with memorable lines. Marcellus was the first but certainly not the last to observe that "something is rotten in the state of Denmark," and Gertrude, that faithless queen mother, observes, "The lady protests too much, methinks." Hamlet, gaslighting his love Ophelia and feigning madness, waxes existentialist, famously wondering, "To be, or not to be, that is the question." He tells his best friend, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in our philosophy." He mulls his old jester's remains: "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: A fellow of infinite jest." And, spoiler alert for a 420-some-year-old drama: Almost everyone is dead by the end, and, as Hamlet's dying words indicate, "The rest is silence." Except it isn't: Loyal Horatio is left, and he says goodbye to his ill-fated friend, "Goodnight, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" 'Julius Caesar': Should have stayed home on March 15 Shakespeare's characters often ignore advice they should heed, and the Roman emperor Caesar probably should have listened to the soothsayer who tells him, "Beware the Ides of March." Cassius tells Brutus, who has to decide whether he loves his liege or his land more, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves." Casca is puzzled by another's words and says, "It was Greek to me," in case you wondered why any indecipherable words are described that way. The tragedy includes some of Shakespeare's most vivid imagery, with Brutus suggesting, "Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods," Caesar reminding his men that "Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once," and Antony exclaiming, "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war." Antony, talking of Brutus' treachery in taking part in Caesar's assassination, calls it "the most unkindest cut of all." 'Romeo and Juliet': Teenage codependency and more death Ah, the original "star-crossed lovers"! That's how the prologue introduces us to literature's most codependent couple, and a play full of love, death, family dysfunction and ... did we mention death? But, soft: "Romeo and Juliet" also gave us some of Shakespeare's most memorable love lines: "What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." Run, girl, is what we in the audience want to say to the young maiden. But like any lovestruck teen, she ignores the voices of adult reason: "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?" she wonders. Later, on learning her love is part of a rival family, she observes, "That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet." Speaking of sweetness, Juliet also spoke this famous line: "Parting is such sweet sorrow." But it's hard not to love Mercutio, the manic, wise-cracking, pun-dispensing BFF to Romeo. He even manages to crack jokes as he dies from a stab wound and is the only character to place the blame squarely where it belongs: "A plague o' both your houses!" he tells the Capulets and the Montagues. Some of the best from some of the rest Shakespeare gifted modern English with a host of other memorable lines, even if not all of his plays were as well known as the three big tragedies. In "MacBeth," he gives some of the best lines to a group of witches: "fair is foul and foul is fair," "double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble" and "by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." Great lines are spread throughout "The Merchant of Venice," including Jessica's observation that "love is blind," and Morocco noting that "all that glisters (note: not a typo!) is not gold." But Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, utters the most poignant lines: "If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?" Iago, the duplicitous villain of "Othello," drops this famous phrase: "I will wear my heart upon my sleeve," and compares jealousy to a "green-eyed monster." That's not the only quick turn of phrase in Shakespeare's lesser-known works: He also gave us "salad days" ("Antony and Cleopatra"); "a motley fool" and "forever and a day" ("As You Like It"); "I have not slept one wink" and "Play judge and executioner all himself" ("Cymbeline"); "tell the truth and shame the devil" ("Henry IV Part I"); "eaten me out of house and home" and "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown" ("Henry IV Part II"); and "Now is the winter of our discontent" and "A horse! a horse! My kingdom for a horse!" ("Richard III"). Not even Shakespeare can always be Shakespearean But for all his brilliance, the Bard threw in a lot of lines that didn't quite catch on. Can you imagine calling someone a "sodden-witted lord" who "hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows" ("Troilus and Cressida")? Or saying to a hapless woman, "there's no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune" ("Henry IV Part I")? Have any of us ever insulted someone by calling them "You Banberry cheese! ("Merry Wives of Windsor")? Of course, in "Titus Andronicus," the title character says, "Villain, I have done thy mother." And while it doesn't exactly roll off the modern tongue, it might have been the first "Your mom" joke to be immortalized in verse. Do you want to share a slice of Americana with USA TODAY? Contact Phaedra Trethan by email at ptrethan@ on X (formerly Twitter) @wordsbyphaedra, on BlueSky @byphaedra, or on Threads @by_phaedra
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
When to watch tonight's total lunar eclipse? What time to see rare full blood moon
A very special and extraordinary blood moon will rise tonight amid a total lunar eclipse and a rare moment of totality. The worm moon celebrates the earthworms that spring to life as winter ends and the soil begins to warm ahead of planting season, according to the Farmer's Almanac. But there's more. On the night of March 13, a total lunar eclipse will occur during the March full moon, giving way to a spectacular view of the blood moon across North America and a grand moment of totality. This year's March blood moon during the total lunar eclipse then gives way to the Ides of March on the 15th, lead into St. Patrick's Day on the 17th, followed be the first day of spring on the 20th. Here's what, when, where and how to watch the March full moon and total lunar eclipse. The worm moon will be visible on Thursday evening, March 13 with peak illumination by 2:55 a.m. on Friday, March 14. 🌓 First quarter: March 6 🌕 Full moon: March 14 🌗 Last quarter: March 22 🌑 New moon: March 29 A lunar eclipse is an astronomical event that happens when the sun, Earth and moon all align so that the moon passes into the Earth's shadow, causing the moon to be darkened. Unlike solar eclipses, totality can last up to nearly two hours and are safe to view without any eye protection. The total lunar eclipse will occur on March 13-14, 2025. It will be the first on Earth since 2022. Lunar eclipses happen when Earth is between the sun and a full moon. During the event, the moon moves through Earth's umbra, the dark center of its shadow, according to Unlike a solar eclipse, it is safe to look at the entire lunar eclipse which can last for hours. The eclipse will last approximately six hours, occurring between 11:57 pm and 6 a.m., with the best view of totality happening between 2:26 a.m. and 3:31 a.m. For approximately 65 minutes during this total lunar eclipse, there will appear the blood moon. The blood moon is a trick of the light, when the typical whitish looking moon becomes red or ruddy brown. It happens when the moon is fully in Earth's shadow and a little bit of light from Earth's sunrises and sunsets falls on the surface of moon, making it appear red. The March moon is also called the worm moon, referencing the time and season when the soil begins to warm and the first signs of life return, such as earthworms, beetle larvae and grubs from their winter slumber. These invertebrates are also among the first food sources for birds and other animals coming out of hibernation in the spring. The Ides of March is Saturday, March 15, 2025. The Ides are one of three monthly occurrences, according to the Roman calendar, including the Kalends and the Nones. These days also marked specific moon phases. The Kelands always falls on the first day of the month and represented the new moon. The Nones occurs on the 5th or 7th depending on if it has 30 or 31 days and represented the first quarter moon. The Ides falls on the 13th or 15th and represented the full moon. The Ides of March represented the beginning of a new year with the appearance of the first full moon of the 'Roman calendar year' before January and February were eventually added, according to the Almanac. But the famous stigma of bad luck and doom behind March 15th lays with the assassination of Roman Emperor Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Also made famous in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar tragedy, a soothsayer warned Caesar — "Beware the ides of March" — the omen before his misfortune with betrayal and death. The first day of the spring equinox falls on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 5:01 a.m. Eastern. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: lunar eclipse 2025: What time to watch Blood moon total lunar eclipse
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Should we 'Beware the Ides of March' when it comes to dodging storms?
"Beware the Ides of March." It's a phrase we hear every year as meteorological spring begins to take hold, but is there any real cause for concern? After all, some of America's greatest storms usually form during this infamous period. The phrase dates back to the times of Julius Caesar and is one of the most iconic sayings thanks to William Shakespeare's play. As legend has it, a person who could foresee the future warned Caesar that danger loomed and advised him to "beware the Ides of March." Under the ancient Roman calendar, the Ides referred to the full Moon of any month, which usually occurred between the 12th and 16th. Unlike future versions of the calendar, the Roman calendar is believed to have originally been based on the phases of the Moon and the seasons. Each year began in March and ended in December, totaling 304 days, according to experts from the University of Chicago. Julius Caesar was assassinated by Roman senators on March 15, 44 BCE, which is why the saying "beware the Ides of March" is still associated with that infamous date. When Is The Happiest Time Of Day? According to historical experts, Caesar had been working with astronomers to reform the calendar system to something more similar to what is used today: a Sun-based system, rather than one based on the lunar cycle. These reforms were implemented around 45 BCE, roughly a year before his death, and came to be known as the Julian calendar. The revamped system had 365 days, with a leap year added every four years, based on the understanding at the time that it took 365.25 days for the Earth to orbit the Sun. A person today might consider this advancement to be genius, but according to historians, this very innovation might have contributed to Caesar's death. The shift away from Roman traditions was just one of many reforms Caesar enacted that angered traditionalists and ultimately led to his assassination. According to historians, the Roman Senate honored Caesar's death by renaming the seventh month of the year from "Quintilis" to "Julius," which later became known as "July" with the rise of the English language. The calendar system was used for more than 1,600 years until Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar, which is still the system in use today. The Julian calendar's addition of an extra day in February every four years eventually caused the calendar to become too displaced from the seasons. To address this, a scientist by the name Aloysius Lilius devised a plan to use leap days only in years divisible by four, except for end-of-century dates, which must be divisible by a factor of 400. The restrictions on leap days largely addressed the problems with the Julius system and helped keep the calendar more aligned with the planet's orbit around the Sun. Demise Of Australia's Large Kangaroos Likely Not Caused By Climate Change, Study Suggests The Ides of March coincides with the time of year when the transition from winter to spring occurs across North America. March 15 has witnessed a number of significant weather events over the years, including the devastating "Storm of the Century" in 1993. This record-breaking storm system produced heavy snowfall, flooding and wind damage, leading to the deaths of over 300 people and causing approximately $5 billion in damage. The central pressure of the nor'easter was equivalent to that of a Category 3 hurricane, and it impacted more than 120 million residents across the eastern United States. In 1938, an Ides of March tornado outbreak struck the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys, killing dozens of people. Belleville, Illinois, outside of St. Louis, Missouri, appeared to be one of the hardest hit areas, with meteorologists estimating wind speeds of F4 strength. And in 1941, one of the worst blizzards to ever affect the Upper Midwest triggered hurricane-force wind gusts and claimed 71 lives, according to the National Weather Service."Winds gusted to 75 mph at Duluth, Minnesota, and reached 85 mph at Grand Forks, North Dakota. Snow drifts twelve feet high were reported in north-central Minnesota," the NWS article source: Should we 'Beware the Ides of March' when it comes to dodging storms?
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Amazon deals that'll save you up to 80%: I found near-record-low prices on Apple and more
Is there any month more eagerly, impatiently awaited than March? Sure, it contains the scary Ides, the heart-stopping Madness and festive ol' St. Patrick's Day, but most of all, it heralds winter's end. Fun fact, though: While the equinox on March 21 marks the astrological beginning of spring, March 1 is the meteorological beginning of spring. Which, I guess, means that if you prefer meteors to asteroids, Happy Spring! And which, in turn, leads me to the most groan-inducing segue ever... Top Amazon deals Apple AirTags, 4-Pack for $68 (was $99): Near-all-time low price Lane Linen 100% Organic Cotton Sheet Set, Queen for $28 (was $45): Rare sale Eddie Bauer Reversible Blanket for $14 (was $40): Nearly 70% off Orolay Down Jacket for $83 (was $150): Oprah-approved DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum for $99 (was $159): Near lowest price in a year You might want to spring for some of the best Amazon deals this weekend! Now that you'll soon be able to leave the house without a hat, get those tresses in shape with this handy straightener/curler, now a hair-raising $110 off. All your avian friends are heading back north — welcome them home, and give yourself a show, with this camera-equipped bird feeder, now 50%-plus off. And how psyched are we to be making our first 2025 plug for sunscreen — this EltaMD tinted sunscreen, which is $14 off. Those are just for starters — the merest sprouts, the most nascent buds of the blooming, blossoming bouquet of deals to be had this weekend. Say goodbye to the brrr and welcome the wheeee! In this guide: All-time low prices | Rare Amazon deals | Best home deals | Best tech deals | Best fashion deals | Best beauty and wellness deals If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Amazon deals that'll save you up to 80%: I found record-low prices on Apple and more
Is there any month more eagerly, impatiently awaited than March? Sure, it contains the scary Ides, the heart-stopping Madness and festive ol' St. Patrick's Day, but most of all, it heralds winter's end. Fun fact, though: While the equinox on March 21 marks the astrological beginning of spring, March 1 is the meteorological beginning of spring. Which, I guess, means that if you prefer meteors to asteroids, Happy Spring! And which, in turn, leads me to the most groan-inducing segue ever... Top Amazon deals Apple AirTags, 4-Pack for $64 (was $99): New all-time low price Lane Linen 100% Organic Cotton Sheet Set, Queen for $28 (was $45): Rare sale Eddie Bauer Reversible Blanket for $14 (was $40): Nearly 70% off Orolay Down Jacket for $83 (was $150): Oprah-approved DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum for $93 (was $159): Lowest price in a year You might want to spring for some of the best Amazon deals this weekend! Now that you'll soon be able to leave the house without a hat, get those tresses in shape with this handy straightener/curler, now a hair-raising $110 off. All your avian friends are heading back north — welcome them home, and give yourself a show, with this camera-equipped bird feeder, now 50%-plus off. And how psyched are we to be making our first 2025 plug for sunscreen — this EltaMD tinted sunscreen, which is $14 off. Those are just for starters — the merest sprouts, the most nascent buds of the blooming, blossoming bouquet of deals to be had this weekend. Say goodbye to the brrr and welcome the wheeee! In this guide: All-time low prices | Rare Amazon deals | Best home deals | Best tech deals | Best fashion deals | Best beauty and wellness deals If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
