/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.22239259]

>the world's mine oyster
What does this mean?

[Anonymous No.22239272]

>>22239259
You have to find the tongue of the world and the pearl that's in the middle.

[Anonymousn No.22239281]

>>22239259
It's a reference to Oyster cards, the contactless cards used for payment on the London Underground and other public transport in the city.

[Anonymous No.22239302]

>>22239259
It's slimy and nasty and will make you ill.

[Anonymous No.22239308]

>>22239259
Suck it up, loser

[Anonymouṡ No.22241186]

>>22239259
I assume you bothered to read the thing in context. A guy has asked someone for a loan and been refused, and he says

"Why then the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open."

He means, "Just as you can open an oyster with a sword, so I can get ahead in the world just with strength and vigour."

It's a striking image which is why it's passed into the language even though the play isn't particularly well-known. Just think about an oyster. It has a round, hard, rough shell, not particularly preposessing, but if you open it up, you have inside it this soft delicacy you can eat. Likewise, the world can be a rough, unpleasant place, but if you find a way to "open it up" (making money is the usual route) there are lots of luxuries to enjoy. Plus the oyster recalls the world physically. Fresh oysters are all briny; the world is mostly ocean.

Shakespeare's easy. You don't have to think about it; you just have to know what the words mean.

[Anonymous No.22241188]

The world is an oyster
Sent to drain

[Anonymous No.22242441]

>>22239259
It's yours to pry open and slurp the life out of
t. oyster, clam, scallop shucker when a lad

[Anonymous No.22242446]

Shit's tasty and high in zinc