Shakespeare and Bomb Diggity
Here’s the story of Shakespeare and Bomb Diggity. Recently, one of my cast members in Lil Mermaid, which I was directing at the time exclaimed “Bomb diggity!” over something she thought was really neat. I asked her what “Bomb diggity” meant. She said, “Oh you know, it is way cool, Mrs. B. Like you!”
I don’t know if I’m way cool, but I think William Shakespeare’s work is “way cool”. Some times I forget about people I admire. Out of nowhere, something will remind me and I am struck all over again with that person’s bomb diggity-ness. Well, anyway did you know that he created phrases that we use all the time? I mean it; all the time. Here are some of Shakespeare’s phrases which we use that come directly from the old Shakes:
- Green eyed monster
- A fool’s paradise
- A sorry sight
- All of a sudden (That’s a new one to me!)
- As dead as a doornail
- Fancy free
- Fight fire with fire (Get out! I didn’t know this was his, did you?)
- Hot-blooded
- In a pickle
- Love is blind
- Night owl
Etc., etc…
Shakespeare and Bomb Diggity
In my book, Meanie Bea’ (I am really wanting you to read my book someday in the near future. Can you tell?), one of the main characters adores Shakespeare. She is only in eighth grade, but she has read all of his plays and can recite at whim many passages from them. Now, when I was about her age, the best I could do was memorize the poem “Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood” by Robert Frost. And that was required of me by my English teacher!
I wasn’t introduced to Shakespeare’s plays until high school and that was only “Romeo and Juliet”. I would have never used the phrase, “Bomb Diggity” that’s for sure! But some kids nowadays are hugely sophisticated in that respect. I teach an introduction to Shakespeare class to middle school students and I am certain that many of them know the material better than I do. They are just too nice to say so. You would think that if I am such a fan of Shakespeare, I would be like my students and able to expound upon his plots. Nah. I can’t even remember what I had for lunch yesterday. My brain doesn’t work that way.
Shakespeare and Bomb Diggity
But Michiko’s brain does and that is one of the reasons other students veer away from her. She is very unusual in a sort of I- am-in-my-own-world way that other students can’t understand. She is out spoken, impetuous, mercurial, passionate, intense and energetic. At first glance, you might think she was completely opposite of Beatrice. Well, she is. But she isn’t opposite of Beatrice’s alter ago, Meanie Bea’. I think that’s why she gravitates toward Beatrice–she sees herself in her.
We all know how a friendship like that can end up–not too good, right? A counselor friend of mine told me to make sure, “You find friends who up lift you and inspire you to be a better person.” Wow. That’s an awesome thought. I think Beatrice and Michiko do that for each other by the end of the book.
But like I said, you will just have to find out for yourself when you read it.
Next time (and I promise my posts won’t be so far apart), we’ll talk about parenting. Whoa….that’s a great subject! I bet we have a lot of things in common concerning parents. See you then.
If you are interested, I provide drama education lessons and units on teacherspayteachers.com. I have a series of Shakespeare card games which might interest you.
