Monday, August 23, 2004

The bard is credited with the creation of an estimated 1,700 words including "bedazzle", "punk", "lustrous" and "vulnerable".

Participants [in a poll of 200 Shakespearean actors]were asked to name a word in Shakespeare's work which they considered to be the most important addition to the English language. The most popular choices included "sea-change", from The Tempest and "assassination", which is first used in Macbeth and which was nominated by Sir Antony [Sher].

Sir Ian [McKellen] said: "Perhaps the word 'Shakespeare' itself is the most important."

'Scofield's Lear voted the greatest Shakespeare performance' The Daily Telegraph, 22 August 2004.