Happy birthday to our favourite Bard

We’re celebrating the birthday of renowned poet, playwright and original hipster, William Shakespeare, who turns 450 today. 

Stratford-upon-Avon’s most famous son is responsible for hundreds of expressions that we use every day, long before the likes of ‘selfie’ and ‘twerk’ were around (although he would have probably invented those too). In fact, the Oxford English Dictionary has introduced nearly 3,000 new words into our language, taken from the Bard’s plays and sonnets. 

People are fascinated by Shakespeare’s works and the impact he’s had on our language. As a mobile phone operator, it got us thinking. We’ve all probably read at least one of his plays when we were at school, but what would his most famous lines look like if mobile phones were around at the time?

Here’s our pick to get you started. 

“Romeo, Romeo where for art thou Romeo? Oh, he’s checked in on Facebook in the back garden.”  Romeo and Juliet

“To be, or not to be: that is the question. So let me google it and find the answer.” Hamlet

“Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Let me Instagram it for my friends #seeingthings #fatalvision #watchoutduncan.” Macbeth

“The course of true love never did run smooth. Like, I’ve been swiping right on Tinder all afternoon – when am I gonna get a match?” A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

What are your ‘alternative’ modern day Shakespearean lines? Tweet @O2 using the hashtag #Shakespeares450th and we’ll retweet our favourites.

Happy birthday Will!