The Latin language has been around since the time of the ancient Romans.  As the Roman Empire grew and Romans began to invade and conquer foreign lands, Latin spread throughout much of Europe and other countries surrounding the Mediterranean.  After the fall of the Roman Empire, Latin continued to be spoken and written but it began to change in these new regions.

During Medieval times, Latin remained the official written language of the Catholic Church and England, but early forms of other languages replaced it as the primary spoken language. Latin was kept somewhat alive in universities and in the Catholic Church. (Masses were held in Latin up until the mid-twentieth century). However, Latin as a popular language was overshadowed by the new Romance languages, which were rooted in Latin. These include Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

Some people today still know Latin -- it is taught in schools around the world and still has many uses in law and medicine.

During Shakespeare's time Latin was very important. Students had to be able to read classical Greek and Latin texts as part of their education. Latin and references to it can be found in many of his plays and poems.

The famous Latin line "Et tu, Brute?" is from Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.  

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Text: Nidia Medina