One of the greatest storytellers, Shakespeare often referenced books, stories, and reading in his plays in various different contexts. From insults and praise to monologues and metaphors; the basic concept of reading a book, and the notion of the book itself, were woven into Shakespeare’s most notable ‘bookish’ phrases, used across his tragedies, comedies and historical plays. Below, I have a complied a list of some of best book and reading related phrases, found in Shakespeare’s plays.
1) ‘I can see he’s not in your good books,’ said the messenger. ‘No, and if he were I would burn my library.’ – Much Ado About Nothing
Translation: I have a great degree of hate for this person.
2) ‘Knowing I lov’d my books, he furnish’d me From mine own library with volumes that I prize above my dukedom.’ – The Tempest
Translation: He knew how much I loved my books, he has given me books from my own library that I do treasure even more than my dukedom.
3) I have unclasp’d to thee the book even of my secret soul. – Twelfth Night
Translation: You know all the secrets that I have kept in my soul.
4) ‘O heaven! that one might read the book of fate, and see the revolution of the times.’ – Henry IV
Translation: If only we had the chance to read the book of our destiny, so we could see how time will change everything.
5) ‘In nature’s infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read.’ – Antony and Cleopatra
Translation: I can only understand a few of nature’s secrets, which are infinite.
6) ‘Within the book and volume of thy brain.’ – Hamlet
Translation: Hamlet decides he will wipe his memory clean to get rid of trivial facts and memories, so only the commandment of his fathers ghost remains.
7) ‘Bell, book and candle shall not drive me back, When gold and silver becks me to come on.’ – King John
Translation: ‘Bell, Book and Candle’ refers to a Roman Catholic Excommunication Ceremony. It concludes with a bishop ringing a bell and closing a book, before extinguishing a candle.
8) ‘This rough magic I here abjure and when I have required some heavenly music, which even now I do, to work mine end upon their senses that this airy charm is for, I’ll break my staff, bury it certain fathoms in the earth, and deeper than did ever plummet sound, I’ll drown my book.’ – Prospero, talking about his use of magic in The Tempest
Translation: I surrender my magic, after I have summoned music to cast my spell, which is what I am doing now. I will break my staff down and bury it underground, and threw my spell book deep into the sea, deeper than the depths to which an anchor has been sunk.
9) ‘To reason against reading’ – Love Labours Lost.
Translation: To argue against the notion of reading (this is something us readers would never do!)
10) ‘To be a well-favoured man is the gift of fortune; but to write and read comes by nature.’ – Much Ado About Nothing
Translation: Appearances are a lucky draw but it is a natural gift to read and write well.
11) ‘Write till your ink be dry, and with your tears Moist it again, and frame some feeling line
That may discover such integrity.’ – The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Translation: Write till you’re ink drys, and moisten it with your tears, so you can come up with a emotional line, revealing your sincerity.
12) ‘Let there be gall enough in thy ink, though thou write with a goose-pen, no matter.’ – Twelfth Night
Translation: You may use a ordinary pen to write, but you could still fill your pen with poisoned ink.
the girl and the city of books 
Leave a comment