"What's done is done" is an idiom in English, usually meaning something along the line of: the consequence of a situation is now out of your control, that is, "there's no changing the past, so learn from it and move on." The expression uses the word "done" in the sense of "finished" or "settled", a usage which dates back to the first half of the 15th century.

Etymology

One of the first-recorded uses of this phrase was by the character Lady Macbeth in Act 3, Scene 2 of the

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

play '' Macbeth'' (early 17th century), by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

playwright

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, who said: "Things without all remedy Should be without regard: what's done, is done" and "Give me your hand. What's done cannot be undone.To bed, to bed, to bed!" Shakespeare did not coin the phrase; it may actually be a derivative of the early 14th-century French

proverb A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbia ...

: , which is translated into English as "But when a thing is already done, it cannot be undone". Some scholars have suggested that Shakespeare may have learned some version of the expression from a classical source, such as

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...

, or more likely a Latin translation of his work.

References

{{Macbeth English-language idioms Macbeth

Etymology

See also

References