Yes, the phrase “flesh and blood” is found in the King James Version of the Bible: Matthew 16:17 and Ephesians 6:12. The King James Version, however, was published in 1611, years after Q1 and Q2 versions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet were published. (Typically, scholars date the composition of the play between 1596-1601.)
Ghost: But this eternal blazon must not be
To ears of flesh and blood (1.5).
The KJV also post-dates Julius Caesar: “and men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive” (3.1). E. K. Chambers, English literary critic and Shakespearean scholar, as well as most modern commentators, have agreed that the first performance of the Roman tragedy was at the Globe Theatre in 1599, 12 years prior to the KJV translation.
Granted, the phrase “Flesh and Blood” is ancient, with the first reference found in print around 1000 CE. It’s an Old English translation of the Bible, (the Anglo-Saxon Gospels, Matthew XVI 170.) That’s the language of Beowulf and the same time period that a manuscript of the epic poem was produced.
Is there any empirical evidence that Shakespeare had access to this Old English translation, was capable of reading Old English and then lifted the phrase from this bible? Is it not possible that two different writers over a span of time could come up with the same phrase independent from one another?
By the way, Bill Bryson credits Shakespeare with coining the phrase in The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way (2001) page 65.
"pomp and circumstance" was likely coined by Shakespeare. You'll find it used for the first time in his play, Othello (3.3). Composer Edward Elger (1857-1934) used Shakespeare's phrase as the title of his military march, Pomp and Circumstance, the musical piece you often hear at high school and college graduation ceremonies.
Shakespeare uses the phrase "flesh and blood" in 11 of his plays, including Hamlet, Henry VI, Part 2 and Much Ado About Nothing. This use seems to indicate it was in common use in the late 1500s. Shakespeare may have coined the phrase.
Comments by falstaff5
falstaff5 commented on the word flesh and blood
Yes, the phrase “flesh and blood” is found in the King James Version of the Bible: Matthew 16:17 and Ephesians 6:12. The King James Version, however, was published in 1611, years after Q1 and Q2 versions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet were published. (Typically, scholars date the composition of the play between 1596-1601.)
Ghost: But this eternal blazon must not be
To ears of flesh and blood (1.5).
The KJV also post-dates Julius Caesar: “and men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive” (3.1). E. K. Chambers, English literary critic and Shakespearean scholar, as well as most modern commentators, have agreed that the first performance of the Roman tragedy was at the Globe Theatre in 1599, 12 years prior to the KJV translation.
Granted, the phrase “Flesh and Blood” is ancient, with the first reference found in print around 1000 CE. It’s an Old English translation of the Bible, (the Anglo-Saxon Gospels, Matthew XVI 170.) That’s the language of Beowulf and the same time period that a manuscript of the epic poem was produced.
Is there any empirical evidence that Shakespeare had access to this Old English translation, was capable of reading Old English and then lifted the phrase from this bible? Is it not possible that two different writers over a span of time could come up with the same phrase independent from one another?
By the way, Bill Bryson credits Shakespeare with coining the phrase in The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way (2001) page 65.
December 2, 2021
falstaff5 commented on the word flesh and blood
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Shakespeare coined the phrase "flesh and blood."
November 30, 2021
falstaff5 commented on the word pomp and circumstance
"pomp and circumstance" was likely coined by Shakespeare. You'll find it used for the first time in his play, Othello (3.3). Composer Edward Elger (1857-1934) used Shakespeare's phrase as the title of his military march, Pomp and Circumstance, the musical piece you often hear at high school and college graduation ceremonies.
November 27, 2021
falstaff5 commented on the word flesh and blood
Shakespeare uses the phrase "flesh and blood" in 11 of his plays, including Hamlet, Henry VI, Part 2 and Much Ado About Nothing. This use seems to indicate it was in common use in the late 1500s. Shakespeare may have coined the phrase.
November 27, 2021