I have several different filters that collect Shakespeare references across various sites – Google, Reddit, etc… The signal/noise ratio is about what you’d expect, but I do find some good stuff often enough to keep doing it. Most of it lately is memes. Typically bad ones (hint – if you think your meme is funny, take two seconds to check your spelling rather than rushing to post it for karma? It’ll be that much funnier when you can include in your audience all the people who don’t think you’re an idiot.)
But lately, it seems like two quotes in particular have taken over the world:
“You are a saucy boy” – Lord Capulet in Romeo and Juliet
and
“What, you egg!” – Murderer in Macbeth (stabbing optional)
No, seriously. Just looking at the front page of my Pocket queue today, here’s the links I found:
Using “egg” as an insult has always been one of those amusing things about Shakespeare that was a little off. But these days it’s become clear that saucy boy and egg have teamed up (usually with some stabbing at the end) and I’m just wondering where this came from? Was it a reference to a show I’m not watching? It’s getting pretty tiresome.
All I can find via “Know Your Meme” is that it originated with a Tumblr post that combined the two quotes. https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1675204-what-you-egg-he-stabs-him
But I am not quite sure why it has suddenly become a popular meme.
My best guess is that someone is attempting to say “your mom gay” and “no u” using shakespeare.
You are a saucy boy implies you are a troublemaker, hence insulting your mother’s ability to raise you properly.
You egg references what came first, the chicken or the egg. The egg came first, hence old english for “no, u”
Just a guess, but I’m pushing the “I believe” button on this.
You egg.
[He stabs him.]
They don’t mean anything. The two just sound strange & goofy to people that don’t read this type of literature at all so it caught on as coming off as nonsensical & funny.
lmaooo its just funny man and it sounds pretty dumb
you neek
It’s not really that deep, the egg thing is basically just the fact that ‘egg is used as an insult.
And the saucy boy quote is a mix between both of them using the egg quote as a response to saucy boy