Re: Shakespeare

J J R (jrovira@juno.com)
Thu, 05 Nov 1998 16:33:50 -0500 (EST) 

<<Wait, I know exactly what old Willy was thinking when he wrote each an
=
every sonnet, every tragedy, every comedy, every historical play, every =
etc. The following is an in-depth and exhaustive analysis of everything =
Shakespeare ever wrote:

When Bill wrote _Romeo and Juliet_ his main idea an purpose was to . . .
=
AAAAAK!

(I've just forgotten all those things that were so factual and certain =
about the Bard's thought processes, inspiration, and reasons for writing,
=
living, singing, etc., etc., etc. -- Paul>>

Yeah, this is a pretty good example of someone not really knowing how to
read, and holding it against someone who does.

At No Point in my post did I claim to know what Shakespeare thought. 
Much less the exhaustive knowledge you seem to attribute to anyone who
makes an attempt to Think about what they read.

I don't know Why Shakespeare wrote, what his reasons for living were, his
thought processes, etc.  Don't really care to try to either-- the
information is, so far as I can tell, forever lost.

But I can make observations about his writing, and what it may have meant
to his audience.  **May have. **   I do know Jews were pretty universally
Screwed Over throughout Europe for some time.  I do know that the laws in
Shakespeare's day made it illegal for Christians to loan money to other
Christians at interest, so Jews were used as go-betweens, and then blamed
for the greed of their "benefactors."  I know that unwanted babies were
often left on church doorsteps in the middle of the night, often
neglected by priests but rescued by Jews, who were then called "baby
stealers."

So I know the Shylock character was indeed consistent with the biases of
Shakespeare's audience, and I know that the Shylock speech at the end 
went right against his society's biases.

Of course, if you think ignorance is a virtue, that's fine.  Just don't
hold it against those who Know better...

In short, Fuck Off

Jim  

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