What is a plague on both your houses? It is an idiom which means that if you are in a situation where there are two parties at odds, then you are not siding with anyone. So where did the idiom come from? Let’s discuss a plague on both your houses meaning more deeply here.
Where Do These Words Come From?
The idiom originally came from Romeo and Juliet. These words appear as the last words of a character who is dying as a result of the feud that occurred between their two families.
Of course you already know that the story has a situation where there are two families who have different social status and the children of the two families fall in love with each other. The story has a tragic ending because there is a death. But in the end, the death of the two made the two families finally reconcile.
Not only that, Romeo’s friend Mercutio also died in the town square after having an accident while playing with Juliet’s cousin. It was in his last moments that he also said a plague on both your houses.
Although Mercutio is Romeo’s close friend, he does not side with anyone in the feud between the two families. It was because he was fed up with the grudge he had been carrying.
This Idiom was Also Used in London’s Elizabethan Period
These words were apparently also uttered as a curse in Elizabethan England. There, the curse signifies that we wish bad luck to others who are very severe. It’s also a way of expressing dislike to others in a less obvious way.
The Elizabethan era actually became an era of revival after centuries of darkness that occurred in Europe. In this era, there was a revival in the fields of art, music, science, and poetry. At that time, the queen became a powerful figure in Europe.
Unfortunately, at the same time there was an epidemic that killed many people there. The authorities are trying to contain the outbreak as best they can.
Although there is no vaccine or medicine to treat it, they are taking steps to prevent public places from being closed and people being ordered to stay at home more. Meanwhile, people who have more money can escape outside London and go to places that have not been infected by the plague.
William Shakespeare and A Plague are also Related
Shakespeare a plague on both your houses is our next discussion. Shakespeare’s story also tells of a plague where in 1564, three months after his birth, a plague began to appear in Warwickshire. His parents closed the house and did not allow people to visit their family.
A few years later, Shakespeare became an actor in London. Unfortunately, at that time the plague hit London again in 1693. All the theaters there were closed and that caused him to have to move to Stratford.
The plague had allowed Shakespeare to write several stories about plagues. But when he returned to London, there was another second wave of plague. It made him write about the idiom.
Now you know whata plague on both your houses means, right? In that word there is the word “house” and when talking about home, of course, now everyone needs it. Because a house is an important need, it’s a good idea to immediately look for a house for rent or sale of house service to make it easier for you later.
