Shakespeare’s Relevance

Your students may think that Shakespeare’s works have little relevance for today. Show them that many of the phrases Shakespeare used in his plays are still in use today. Here are some you can use to illustrate this point:

seen better days

foregone conclusion

the long and the short of it

at one fell swoop

as dead as a doornail

fool’s paradise

tongue-tied

Have your students discuss the meanings of these phrases and how they may have used them. Then have the students find other Shakespearean phrases that are still used today.