"What's done is done" is an

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a Literal and figurative language, figurative or non-literal meaning (linguistic), meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic speech, formulaic ...

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 A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

play ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' (early 17th century), by the English

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...

: , 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 ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

, or more likely a Latin translation of his work.

References

{{Macbeth English-language idioms Macbeth

Etymology

See also

References