Shakespeare, not to be outdone

[GoodTaste]

Shakespeare, not to be outdone by whom? By Isaac Newton? But Newton was born decades later after Shakespeare died.

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Internet wits have been wisecracking about productivity in the age of COVID-19. Isaac Newton discovered gravity and invented calculus when he was isolated during the plague, they note; Shakespeare, not to be outdone, wrote several plays. Another popular quip circulating says that the only people in the world benefiting from this pandemic are academics, because they can finally write. We could all use some humour in our lives, but ‘jokes’ in this style are detrimental in academia, where the underlying message all too often is, “You are not doing enough.”

Source: Nature 27 MAY 2020This pandemic is not an extended sabbatical
Jokes about productivity hide the toxicity of academic ‘always on’ culture, says Daphne S. Ling.

 

[emsr2d2]

It's a strange choice. Their lives didn't cross over at all, but there were at least outbreaks of plague during both their lifetimes. Given that Shakespeare lived first, it would have been better (in my opinion) to say "Shakespeare wrote several plays [during outbreaks of plague in London]. Not to be outdone, Newton discovered gravity and invented calculus during a later outbreak.".

 

[GoodTaste]

Given that Shakespeare lived first, it would have been better (in my opinion) to say "Shakespeare wrote several plays [during outbreaks of plague in London]. Not to be outdone, Newton discovered gravity and invented calculus during a later outbreak.".

I guess that the author mistakenly remembered Newton was born before Shakespeare.