The world is your oyster… but only if you have a sword to hand
When you put this phrase back into context, it’s not as simple as it might sound
I don’t even like oysters. And although I know it’s about the pearl inside, I’ve not often been convinced about what feels like a pretty trite statement.
I, and I’m sure many of you, have heard the expression, ‘The world is your oyster!’ uttered with much enthusiasm and encouragement by its protagonist. And what is the meaning exactly? That you can do anything as long as you put your mind to it! And other words and phrases to that effect.
if Love Island is your bag – why not give Shakespeare a go?
Imagine hearing that as a child and then getting to your 30s and feeling like the world didn’t get the oyster memo. What happened??I What happened is that we didn’t get the full version of this statement, which I only discovered recently (despite getting A’s across the board in English Literature at school – sorry Mumma). Apparently this phrase is from Shakespeare’s ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ - a comedy in which a financially disadvantaged man (Falstaff) attempts to seduce the wives of two wealthy merchants in order to change his fortune. I don’t recall reading or watching it but apparently it contains themes of love and marriage, jealousy and revenge, social class and wealth all explored with irony, sexual innuendo and sarcasm. Which basically sounds like any dating reality TV show on our screens today so if Love Island is your bag – why not give Shakespeare a go?
I digress. Apparently the actual line from this play reads: Why then the world's mine oyster, Which I with sword will open.
But just like when you’re trying to smash the patriarchy - ;) - you need a SWORD
So, not quite the ‘Go for it!’ energy we’ve been sold for goodness knows how many years. And this is why context is so important. ‘The world is your oyster’ can suggest that the world is full of open shells with pearls just sitting around waiting to be discovered. But just like when you’re trying to smash the patriarchy - ;) - you need a SWORD to crack open those babies. Nothing precious can be just picked off the street – if so, what would deem it valuable?
I delivered a talk recently about going after something you feel called to do. Sometimes the doors seem to swing open and other times they appear sealed shut. I’m someone who always just wants to do the right thing so I struggle with whether to leave a shut door closed, or keep coming up against it to force it open. I think that’s something we all have to take on a case by case basis. Only we know whether what we’re pursuing is really worth it. And we’ll have to read the signs along the way to check if we’re still going in the right direction. But if you were under any impression that oysters are easy and so the world; it’s not.
So, yes, go out into the world and be all you can be. But don’t forget to take your sword with you.
Tola x