It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!
The Summer Olympics are well underway, after an amazing start with the Opening Ceremonies. (Sorry, naysayers; the Queen and James Bond jumped out of a helicopter. Your argument is invalid.)
Yesterday, the world watched Michael Phelps make Olympic history yet again. Already the athlete with the most gold medals ever – currently 15 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze – his gold medal in the 4x200 freestyle relay yesterday surpassed the record for overall career medal count, held for nearly half a century by Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals – 9 of them gold – from 1956-1964. No matter your home nation or who you might be cheering for, I think we can all agree that Phelps’ achievement is:
adjective
- Great in importance, extent, or size.
- (as a work of art) Great in ambition and scope.
- Of or pertaining to a monument.
Synonyms: august - baronial - epic - gallant - glorious - grandiose - heroic (also heroical) - Homeric -imperial - imposing - magnific - magnificent - majestic - massive - grand - noble - proud - regal - royal -splendid - stately
First seen in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida (written 1601-1602). The full text of the play may be found here.
