To mark the eve of the Bard of Avon’s birthday, April 23*, 1564, today’s Scrabble post–the last of the semester–features Shakespeare characters whose names are also playable common nouns.
- Ariel: a gazelle found in Africa (Ariel, The Tempest, 1611-12)
- Dogberry: the fruit of a dogwood tree (Dogberry, Much Ado about Nothing, 1598-1599)
- Hamlet: a village (the title character of Hamlet, 1600-1601)
- Lear: learning (the title character of King Lear, 1605-1606)
- Puck: a disk used in ice hockey and other games (Puck, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 1595-1596)
- Romeo: a seductive lover, a male lover (one of the title characters in Romeo and Juliet, 1594-1595)
- Shylock: to lend money with a high interest rate (Shylock, The Merchant of Venice, 1596-1597)
*The exact date of William Shakespeare’s birth is unknown, but church records show that he was baptized on April 26, and three days was the customary time to wait before baptizing a newborn. Shakespeare’s date of death is known, however. Coincidentally, he died at fifty-two on April 23, 1616, three years after his retirement.
Next Up
Although today’s class is your last for English 1103, I will post class notes tomorrow that include an end-of-semester checklist. Be sure to review that list for important details.
Coming Soon
You will complete your final assignment for the course, your individual oral presentation, during the exam period, which begins at 3:30 p.m. in the Hayworth Fellowship Hall on Monday, April 27. I look forward to seeing you then!
Jane Lucas 