Buzz
These phrases might sound modern, but they’ve been in use for over 400 years. Did you know that many of today’s common idioms stem from the literary and cultural treasures of the 16th and 17th centuries? These enduring expressions are as revolutionary as contemporary innovations—yet they predate them by centuries.
1. The Face That Sparked a Thousand Ships
This phrase is widely known as a reference to Helen of Troy, whose beauty led to the Trojan War. It was also famously used by the 1970s soft rock band Bread in their nostalgic ballad “If.
However, many may be startled to discover that this phrase has infernal origins. It was introduced by the 16th-century English dramatist Christopher Marlowe, a peer of Shakespeare, in Doctor Faustus (circa 1592), a tale of a sorcerer who trades his soul to the devil for arcane knowledge. The protagonist, Doctor Faustus, utters this phrase to depict an illusion of Helen of Troy, conjured by Satan to amuse him.
2. To Claim Your Pound of Flesh
This expression stems from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, where Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, enforces a contract clause permitting him to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, the titular merchant, upon loan default. Shylock’s vengeful demand is intertwined with the play’s portrayal of anti-Semitism, sparking continued academic discourse on whether the work is, as the late critic Harold Bloom contended, “deeply anti-Semitic.”
3. To Assume the Role of Devil’s Advocate
This idiom, which means to argue an unpopular stance for the sake of debate, remains widely used today. Interestingly, it originated from a formal position in 16th-century Catholic canon law. During sainthood deliberations, the Church appointed a lawyer as advocatus diabolus, tasked with opposing canonization by highlighting the candidate’s moral shortcomings.
4. Misfortunes Arrive in Threes (Or Often in Multiples)
Modern audiences of Shakespeare’s Hamlet will find a familiar sentiment in this tragic tale. Claudius, the Danish king who killed his brother to seize power, remarks as Ophelia, Hamlet’s beloved, descends into madness after her father’s death: “When sorrows come, they come not single spies / But in battalions.
Though it’s unclear if Shakespeare invented this phrase or simply borrowed it, it fits seamlessly into a play riddled with murder, insanity, and the hero’s deep existential turmoil.
5. Promises as Fragile as Pie Crust
“Easy to make, easy to break.” This vivid metaphor might evoke the melodious voice of Julie Andrews in your mind. However, long before it became sage advice from Mary Poppins (1964), it appeared in a 17th-century English political satire. An issue of Heraclitus Ridens . . . where many a true word is spoken in opposition to all libellers against the government (1681), often credited to the poet Thomas Flatman, includes the line, “He makes no more of breaking Acts of Parliaments, than if they were like Promises and Pie-crust made to be broken.”
6. Stay True to Yourself
This timeless advice, amusingly, is delivered by one of the most comical figures in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Polonius, the father of Ophelia, Hamlet’s love interest. As his son, Laertes, leaves Denmark for France, Polonius offers a lengthy list of counsel, concluding with the famous line, “This above all: to thine own self be true.
In its original setting, spoken by a verbose character known for misreading situations, this advice seems less insightful and more like pompous, absurd grandstanding. Ironically, Polonius’s words are now frequently quoted as genuine and profound guidance.
