Haley Kelley kicks off 3rd year of Shakespeare birthday celebrations with illustration challenge

For three years, student journalist and avid Shakespeare fan, Haley Kelley, has launched celebrations with CHS in honor of Shakespeare’s birthday and did not disappoint this year.

Shakespeare’s birthday is technically unknown though most high school students remember from their literature classes that April 23 is typically the day celebrated since his baptism occurred April 26 and babies were often baptized within days of their birth due to traditions and high infant mortality rates.

Inspired by this illustration from the Oxford Scholarly Editions Online, Haley thought it would be a fun challenge to take a picture of Shakespeare and see how many quotes could be found in theme with different elements of Shakespeare’s face/body.

The image that inspired this year’s birthday project

Haley spent several hours locating lines from plays that would coordinate with various facial features. She challenges other Shakespeare fans to see if they can take a blank image and do the same.

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown” from King Henry IV
“Wounded it is, but with the eyes of a lady.” As You Like It
“All that follow their noses are led by their eyes but blind men; and there’s not a nose among twenty but can smell him that’s stinking.” King Lear
“How bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes.” As you Like it Also: There’s no time for a man to recover his hair that grows bald by nature.” The Comedy of Errors
“There’s no time for a man to recover his hair that grows bald by nature.” The Comedy of Errors
“The brightness of her cheek would shame the stars as daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in Heaven would through the airy region stream so bright that birds would sing, and thinks were not night. See how she leans her cheek upon her hand. O’ that I were a glove upon that hand I might touch that cheek.” Romeo and Juliet
“O’ then, dear Saint, let lips do what hands do.” Romeo and Juliet
‘Ay, while you live draw your neck out o’ the collar.” Romeo and Juliet
“Marry, thou oughtst not to let thy horse wear a cloak when honester men than thou go in their hose and doublets.” King Henry the Sixth