New Contest: Battle of the Bards

'Presenting: The Battle of the Bards'
Hey there Marauders. Padfoot and Prongs here hoping you are all having a wonderful literary filled weekend. As part of our resolution to try and bring some new and creative literary ideas into the world, we have created a new bi-weekly event to help quench your literary thirst.

As of Monday, Padfoot and Prongs will be hosting a nice little CONTEST we refer to fondly as 'The Battle of the Bards.' As you could guess from the title, these posts will be Shakespeare centered -- with the goal to figure out
WHAT IS THE BEST SHAKESPEARE PLAY OF ALL TIME!?
It is a question that many have asked yet few have answered, and it is time to settle this burning inquiry once and for all.
The aim, simple: vote and crown the crowds pick for favorite Shakespeare play of all time. The method: A virtual 'bracket' system where we will pit two plays against each other and see who comes out victorious!! How to win? Just like in basketball brackets, be the one who predicts the most amount of winning battles... and the title is yours!!!

Getting excited? You should be. Not only will this be a head to head battle to end all battles, there will also be PRIZES galore as well as the chance to learn heaps of interesting information about arguably the greatest writer that ever lived.

To help get you into the spirit here are some fun tidbits to get you better acquainted with ole Billy Shakespeare. Time to break out ye olde english folks and let ye fun begin!!

1. Shakespeare has a 'dramatic' effect on the brain!!

"Shakespeare uses a linguistic technique known as functional shift that involves, for example using a noun to serve as a verb. Researchers found that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence. This process causes a sudden peak in brain activity and forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to say." (Citing our sources)

"Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Can you feel your brain working harder? I sure can.

2. Shakespeare invented words you use in your daily life!!

1. Eyeball! First Used:

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act III, Scene ii, Oberon to Puck.

"Then crush this herb into Lysander's eye;
Whose liquor hath this virtuous property,
To take from thence all error with his might,
And make his eyeballs roll with wonted sight."

Weird right? Before ole Bill we had 'eye' and we had 'ball' but it wasn't until this linguistic genius came along that the two were brought together!

2. Alligator!!

First Used: Romeo and Juliet (First Folio), Act V, Scene I, Romeo Soliloquy.

"And in his needie shop a Tortoyrs hung,
An Allegater stuft, and other skins
Of ill shap'd fishes, and about his shelues,
A beggerly account of emptie boxes.

(find more here)

3. Ever wondered what 'The Big Lebowski' would sound like if written by Shakespeare? I know I have. Well wonder know more because one brave soul has done all the work for you! Check out this HILARIOUS version of 'Two Gentleman of Lebowski'.

There are plenty more of these awesome tid bits out there so take this opportunity to brush up for the Shakespeare Jeopardy categories. Make sure to check back tomorrow for sign up sheets as well as hear about how exatly the contest works/what prizes can be won!!