May 2nd, 2017 → 5:28 am
“To climb steep hills
Requires slow pace at first.” – Henry VIII
I wasn’t familiar with this pithy aphorism before reading it in Shakespeare the other day. (Warning, I’m currently re-reading Henry VIII, so I’ll likely be quoting it a lot in the next few weeks.) It is true, though: to get something big done, pace yourself.
April 28th, 2017 → 5:08 am
“…the devil is a niggard.” – Henry VIII
If you type “niggard” into Google, it auto-corrects into “niggardly,” neither word of which has anything to do with blackamoores (the primary term for Blacks in Tudor England). It means, simply, a stingy person.
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art
April 24th, 2017 → 6:07 am
“Who is it that can tell me who I am?” – King Lear
No one, but since I’m not one for unfounded conspiracy theories, I’ll just assume Shakespeare was Shakespeare and celebrate the joy of his birth (which was sometime this week). Happy birthday Shakespeare and thanks for the beautiful literature!
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art & Other
April 16th, 2017 → 5:34 am
“God be praised, that to believing souls
Gives light in darkness, comfort in despair!” – Henry VI, Part II
Happy spring holiday everyone, be it Easter, Passover, Ramanavami, or any of the others I’m forgetting to name.
April 12th, 2017 → 5:30 am
“Those that do teach young babes
Do it with gentle means and easy tasks.” – Othello
A Dutch friend of mine forwarded me this article on Dutch schoolchildren. Apparently they rank #1 in well-being, while American children rank #26 (out of 29 rich industrialized countries studied). I’m not surprised, nor am I surprised by the general recommendation to ease up on young kids. What I was surprised about was the lack of regular homework Dutch children are assigned until their early teens. Their early teens! My son would die of joy – too bad we’re not Dutch.
March 31st, 2017 → 5:49 am
“A kind [hug] he hath. A woman would run through fire and water for such a kind [hug].” – The Merry Wives of Windsor
My son gives the best hugs in all of St. Louis. I’m certain of it.
Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life
March 23rd, 2017 → 5:38 am
“Adversity’s sweet milk, philosophy.” – Romeo and Juliet
There was an author in the 1990s that I just loved, Alain de Botton. Somehow, I lost track of his work and simply assumed he’d stopped writing. I discovered this week that in fact, he is still writing, on religion, on love, on aesthetics, and somehow I had just missed it. I look forward to ordering some of his latest books; I only hope they are as good as The Consolations of Philosophy and How Proust Can Change Your Life.
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art
March 14th, 2017 → 9:22 am
“Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine,
And thrice again, to make up nine.
Peace! The charm’s wound up.” – Macbeth
There aren’t many quotes in Shakespeare involving numbers, certainly none involving Pi. But in my investigations I did learn that three and nine were considered magic numbers in Shakespeare’s day, where superstitions were common. Here the famous three witches of Macbeth are using 3 and 9 in their spell casting. Happy 3.14159… day!
March 5th, 2017 → 5:37 am
“…the whining school-boy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.” – As You Like It
Shakespeare is apparently more popular in the rest of the world, than he is in the UK, a recent study finds. Apparently that is because the way Shakespeare is taught in the UK (and many other English speaking nations) kills it for most people. How sad! Though I do kind of understand. I didn’t love Shakespeare when I was first exposed to his works in middle school. My love only came much later. At the same time, I have always assumed that early exposure planted the seed; that I might not have grown to love Shakespeare now, had I not been force-fed him earlier. Who knows. Either way, I am glad the bug finally bit, and I feel kinda bad for others who never grew to appreciate the taste of the fruit.
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art
March 1st, 2017 → 1:23 pm
“Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long.” – Henry VI, Part I
I found this antique pocket edition of Henry V the other day. Is it not adorable? It’s a bit tattered and worn, but I like it even more for the use. It means someone read it, and possibly even regularly thumbed through it, and didn’t just keep it around for looks. Finding it made my day. Plus, who doesn’t like Henry V, once he’s done being Hal?
Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art