September 28th, 2022 → 9:50 am
“Thou whoreson zed,thou unnecessary letter!” — King Lear
Apparently the 26 character alphabet wasn’t always so. Over time certain letters have been added, others dropped. What I find particularly interesting is that we still see vestiges of these changes in contemporary language usage. The letter Z (or zed in British English), for example, wasn’t always a part of the Latin alphabet, which is why we see so few words that use it today! Shakespeare found z’s relative scarcity to be an insult – yet another rather unique Shakespearean putdown!
Filed under: Literature/Theatre/Art
September 23rd, 2022 → 5:43 am
“She is not yet so oldBut she may learn.” — Merchant of Venice
I hope this is true of me today, of me in the past, and certainly of me in the future. In the latest chapter of Seeking Forgiveness that is out on the BFBF website this week, the main character confronts her own racism, and is “extremely embarrassed by it.” At least she is trying to learn. Acknowledging failures and making the effort to change them can be half the battle.
September 9th, 2022 → 6:59 am
“All’s well that ends well; still the fine’s the crown.Whate’er the course, the end is the renown.” — All’s Well That Ends Well
(Note: “the fine” here means “the ending” or the crowning achievement)
This quote is generally interpreted to mean that whatever happened in the course of an event, if the ending is good, all is good. Some interpret it in a Machiavellian way to mean the ends justify the means. I do not interpret it that way, at least not in this context. In the context of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, as it draws to a close on this cool fall day, I interpret it to mean that while the queen may have had some ups and downs, some periods where she shone and others where she did not, considering the long arc of her seventy years on the throne, she had a solid reign. Rest in peace and God bless you Elizabeth R.
September 2nd, 2022 → 6:19 am
“The eye sees not itselfBut by reflection, by some other things.” — Julius Caesar
Another author interview with me was published today. I always find reading such pieces fascinating. I can remember giving the interview, of course, and answering some of the questions, but when I read what is actually written up I’m often thinking, was that me?
I believe the surprise is a combination of what the journalist chose to actually put in the published piece, and, selective memory of what I said only days before, but either way, reading about myself in published articles is always part fascinating, part frightening, and 100% enlightening.
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art & Self/My Life