William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was not only a prolific writer, he is said to have introduced thousands of words and phrases into the English language. However, it is commonly suggested Shakespeare might not have invented certain words and phrases. Rather, his works are the first time the words were actually written down.

The argument by many scholars is that words and phrases attributed to Shakespeare were probably spoken first. This does not discount the fact, however, that Shakespeare was a master of the English language, demonstrating great wit. Explore several examples of phrases and words attributed to Shakespeare.