There is a possibly apocryphal story which says Shakespeare, with the help of Giuseppe Verdi and his opera based on Shakespeare’s Falstaff, was the inspiration for Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. In the opera, the character Bardolph, famous for his red nose due to his drinking habits, is wearing deer antlers towards the end of the opera. Falstaff says to him, “Bardolph with your nose so bright, you’ll guide me to the tavern tonight. But you’ll cost me more in wine than you’ll save in oil.”
Is this true? Well the opera exists, as does the line. And Robert May, the creator of Rudolph for Montgomery Ward, was a Shakespeare and a Verdi fan. You be the judge!
Courtesy of Rosie Krantz, Guildenstern, and Young Hamlet!
Performance Approaches to Shakespeare 