Everyday Shakespeare

Lines for Life

By: Ben Crystal, David Crystal

Narrated by: Ben Crystal, David Crystal, Hillary Crystal

Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Shakespeare had an ear and hand that was able to capture our everyday thoughts and emotions, pin them to a page, and express them so well that still today they can make us feel stunned to be seen.

'Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.'

'Make not your thoughts your prisons.'

'Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.'

'And I have heard it said, unbidden guests are often welcomest when they're gone.'

With a quote for every day of the year, this beautiful book gathers the finest lines from the lesser-known corners of Shakespeare's plays and poems. While you may not be familiar with these 400-year-old phrases, you will be surprised by the immediate, easy resonance they have with modern day-to-day life and, hopefully, inspired to learn a few quotes, say them out loud, and drop them into conversation.

This audio edition is read by David, Ben and Hilary Crystal. Each quote is provided in standard British English, and then again in original pronunciation (OP), as it would have been spoken when it was first performed in the 1600s. The original pronunciation provides insight into the rhyming structure of some lines that are lost in modern pronunciation, as well as highlighting the similarities OP has to other varieties of English, notably the american 'ar' sound.

The Crystals also draw attention to points of daily life, literary, linguistic, and theatrical interest through their entertaining commentary. They offer notes of context for anyone who wants to know who originally said the words, in which play, and why.

Shakespeare's words are a mirror for us to peer into, to see if any part of ourselves, familiar or strange, is visible. Each day as you read his lines, you'll get glimpses of loves you've known, jealousies you've felt, relationships you've had, and situations you've encountered that bring a smile - or a wince - of familiarity.

Everyday Shakespeare shares the simple lines that encapsulate the wondrous complexity of life, and the enduring appeal of the Bard.

©2023 Ben Crystal and David Crystal (P)2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critic reviews

An absolutely joyous, gasp-out-loud achievement. - Stephen Fry

A cathedral of consciousness - Shakespeare's uncanny insight into human nature finds us, unearthed here. - LionHeart, artist, poet, and BBC Radio London presenter

Shakespeare was not of an age, but for all time. - Ben Jonson