Guess Who is 444 today??!?

You all got it, right?  Yep, good ol’ Billy Shakespeare! Born on this date in Stratford on Avon (oh to have such glorious place names around here!-just inspires romance don’t it??) He lived through such things as the black plague and the death of his 11 year-old son Hamnet and has been the most touted and acclaimed and quoted author since the completion of the cannon.  In honor of this day (and for lack of my own things to say) I present to you one of my favorite passages–from memory so I hope I still have it close

What A Piece Of Work Is Man

What a piece of work is man;

How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties;

In form and moving how express, and admirable;

In action? How like and angel!

In apprehension? How like a god.

The beauty of the world; The paragon of animals.

And yet, to me, What is this quintessence of dust?

Hamlet

I wish I had places to use words like quintessence here!  How about you?  What is your favorite bit of the bard? (bawdiness aside for my delicate ears of course   )