Shakespeare on Truth, Evidence, Probability and Libya

Posted on September 13, 2012 by jimmie

 'Tis 'Tis probable and palpable to thinking.”“ ‘Tis probable and palpable to thinking.”
(Othello, act 1, sc.2)

Comment.  With timing seemingly impossible in its accuracy, on the anniversary day of the September 11 tragedy, another tragedy occurs, germane in spirit, smaller in scope but equal in significance.
How is it  possible not to draw parallels, not only on the timing but on what goes on and went on behind the scenes?
The slain Ambassador Stevens, as per the secret cables published by WikiLeaks, held frequent meetings with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, whom he earlier described Continue reading →

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Shakespeare on Treason, Murder and September 11

Posted on September 12, 2012 by jimmie

treason and murder judas“Treason and murder ever kept together,
As two yoke-devils sworn to either’s purpose”
(King Henry V, act 2, sc. 2)

Comment.  Eleven years after the event, suspicions, instead of abating have increased. And rather than being forgotten under “the dust of antique time”, the circumstances of September 11 appear more and more sinister. Treason and murder did indeed keep together, but it is no longer clear whose was the treason and who was the murderer. Questions haunt the minds of people of unimpeachable character and stellar background in science Continue reading →

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Shakespeare on the Benefits of Wine, Laughter and a Sense of Humor

Posted on September 11, 2012 by jimmie

nor a man cannot make him laugh, but that's no wonder he drinks no wine“…nor a man cannot make him laugh; but that’s no marvel, he drinks no wine.”
(King Henry IV, part 1 act 4, sc. 3)

Tips for Use. Comment on anyone impervious to humor or chide a first-time or born-again teetotaler. Equally, a good start for an after-dinner speech, especially if the wine was good or figured prominently as an item of consumption. Wine, historically frowned upon in Protestant cultures, Continue reading →

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Shakespeare on the Blessings of Ignorance and Impact on Government

Posted on September 10, 2012 by jimmie

 He thinks too much such men are dangerous“Let me have men about me that are fat;
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o’ nights:
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.”
(Julius Caesar, act 1, sc. 2)

Comments and Tips for Use. Use the last two lines to cast a friendly and ironic remark on a colleague, ‘Yond (name of colleague) has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much, these men are dangerous.”
More in general, the problem outlined by Caesar extends through history, from his times onward – seemingly a paradox considering the advancements of science and that authorities officially promote learning. A paradox easily resolved, however, Continue reading →

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Shakespeare on Equivocation, Confusion and Meaning

Posted on September 9, 2012 by jimmie

“We must speak by the card or equivocation will undo us.”
(Hamlet, act 5, sc. 1)

Comments. Two historians separated in time by millennia said the same thing, A historian must describe things “as they happened” (wie es eigentlich gewesen), according to Ranke (author of the monumental History of the Popes). Much earlier on Herodotus said, “I narrate what was” (ton eonta). That is, the historian, (and, we could say, even more so the politician), should be urged to stick to facts.
However, maxims, like many other declarations, often owe their success to their ambiguity. Or, to link the idea to Hamlet’s comment, maxims or declarations are often Continue reading →

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Shakespeare on the State of the Union

Posted on September 8, 2012 by jimmie

something is rotten in rhe state of denmark“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
(Hamlet, act 1, sc. 4)

Tips for Use.   Apply to place, company, state, nation or organization where you firmly believe that rot outweighs soundness. Not long ago, he who writes here was plying the waters of the Willamette River at the helm, or rather the paddles of his ecological yacht (read flat-water kayak). On reaching a railway bridge a freight train promptly arrived. For many, watching a train Continue reading →

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Shakespeare on the Difference between Democrats and Republicans

Posted on September 7, 2012 by jimmie

you weigh equally, a feather will turn the scales“… you weigh equally; a feather will turn the scale.”
(Measure For Measure, act 4, sc. 2)

Tips for Use.   Perfectly applicable line to the alleged differences between Democrats and Republicans. With the techniques of George Bernay’s (his booklet “Propaganda” should be mandatory reading in any educational institution), every effort is made to maintain the belief that there is a difference between the two subject parties. There isn’t. There is only one absolute party, the Bank’s Party.
In an instructive book by William Domhoff, written in the ‘70s, we read, “Policy formation is the province of a bipartisan power elite of corporate rich and their career hirelings who work Continue reading →

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Shakespeare on Memories, Nostalgia and Regret

Posted on September 6, 2012 by jimmie

 when to the session of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance“When to the session of sweet silent thought,
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste….”
(Sonnet 30)

Tips for Use.   Unsurpassed words to express that curious mixture of rising memories, nostalgia, melancholy, regret and remorse  when we meditate on the past, especially our past.  Particularly the memory of those times when we thought that the present could be anything but eternal. You can use the first two lines to introduce Continue reading →

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Shakespeare on Salad Days and Inexperience

Posted on September 5, 2012 by jimmie

My salad days when I was green in judgment“Those were my salad days,
When I was green in judgement.”
(Antony and Cleopatra, act 1, sc. 5)

Tips for Use.   Unless you are really old you can often attribute your errors to inexperience and get away with it. Though for many the salad days extend far longer than when the days were salad. A good answer during a job interview to justify some not very justifiable aspects of your background (as they may apply). Lettuce, the paramount ingredient of a salad was considered an anti-aphrodisiac while retaining Continue reading →

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Shakespeare’s Insult on Appearance, both Physical and Metaphorical

Posted on September 4, 2012 by jimmie

not honour'd with A human shape“…not honour’d with
A human shape.”
(Tempest act 1, sc. 2)

Tips for Use.  Good insult or characterization of someone whom you despise intensely, either physically but, more likely, metaphorically. Or apply self-effacingly to yourself when you show up in dirty attire or similar at a formal event, due to unforeseen circumstances. This and other hundreds of Shakespearean insults are found in the comprehensive book “Your Daily Shakespeare” – click on related menu items for details.
As a philological aside, “insult” or “to insult” is a direct derivation from the Latin “insultare”, that is “to assail, to leap upon.” Cicero already used the term in the sense of “to insult” – in this derivation from “in” and “salire”, “insalire”, to leap upon –  meaning “to verbally abuse, to affront, to assail with disrespect.” Dr. Johnson, usually quite peppy Continue reading →

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