A self-proclaimed hopeless romantic and literature lover, I was not surprised in the least when my family saw the Shakespearean Love mug and knew it would be the perfect present for me. It's not particularly "innovative" the way a movie adaptation would be; it's merely a mug with 21 of the more recognizable and romantic lines in Shakespeare's theatrical works. However, I find it creative and inspiring. The focus is not on Shakespeare's characters, plots, or settings, the way a film or picture would approach an adaptation. The mug, and the use of simply quotes, approaches Shakespeare first and foremost as an author. The quotes need no context or background: portraying love through language is not unique to Shakespeare and everyone has seen a passionate romance play out in front of them, be it in real life, a movie, or a book. Additionally, none of the quotes are identified by the plays they came from: the character saying it and its delivery's sincerity matters not; the owner receives a mug with 21 quotes and relates to them on a personal and individual level.
The Shakespearean Love mug removes itself from individual works of Shakespeare and the "baggage" that comes with them and instead only associates itself with Shakespeare himself. It is an appreciation of the vast forms of language and sentiment that love provokes and the ways in which Shakespeare chose to express them. It's an entirely different sort of Shakespeare appropriation: unapologetically unoriginal, and I appreciate it all the more for that.
http://www.philosophersguild.com/Shakepearean-Love-Mug.html
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