Shakespeare could be a real Debbie Downer: “Life,” he wrote, “is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Ouch! Way to have a go at life, Willy. He’s no more generous when he turns his attention to beauty: “Beauty is but a vain and doubtful good; a shining gloss that fadeth suddenly; a flower that dies when first it ‘gins to bud, a brittle glass that’s broken presently”.