Exploring Shakespeare's Creative Thievery and Alliteration in Writing

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Exploring Shakespeare's ability to creatively borrow ideas, focusing on how he transformed translated texts into poetic masterpieces in Antony and Cleopatra, showcasing his skill in adapting existing material.

What do Katy Perry, Charles Dickens, and the Bible all have in common? They’re responsible for some of the most famous lines in history. And in this episode, you’ll find out why.

Mark, an author and mad scientist of language, reveals the secret sauce to memorable writing: rhetorical devices. Chiasmus. Anaphora. Antithesis. Synecdoche.

Writing today (i.e. texting and Tweeting) is concise and hyper-minimal — which is fine, if you’re writing the instruction manual for a new dishwasher. But the most memorable works of writing lean into the beauty of words. It’s not about using overly purple prose. It’s about using rhetorical formulas to create unforgettable lines, to shape ideas that stick in your reader’s brain.

If you want to write something that sticks in your reader’s brain — a book, a poem, a speech — then this episode is for you.

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