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Fun With Shakespeare
So last week I working on coming home, and packed up the sizable chunk that is my dorm library. And when I officially was home, my family immediately set to unpacking all 8 boxes and ruining five plus hours of cataloguing and organizing I did of my books into authors, genres, and random groupings. FIVE HOURS wasted. I can't find anything now. Took me 45 minutes just to find my Roman history textbook. :(
Anyway, so I had to baby-sit yesterday and grabbed a book from the top of my massive pile of books randomly. Turned out to be my copy of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus which I bought after seeing Anthony Hopkins in the Julie Taymor film version of the play, Titus. (YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE). Anywho, I never finished it due to being incredibly busy last summer, so I started reading it again. After three pages of reading I have noticed a disturbing trend.
"[The Tomb of Andronic appearing; the Tribunes and Senators aloft.
Enter, below, SATURNINUS and his Followers on one side, and
BASSIANUS and his Followers at the other, with drums and
colours.]
SATURNINUS.
Noble patricians, patrons of my right,
Defend the justice of my cause with arms;
And, countrymen, my loving followers,
Plead my successive title** with your swords:
I am his first born son that was the last
That wore the imperial diadem of
Then let my father's honours live in me,
Nor wrong mine age** with this indignity.
BASSIANUS.
Romans,—friends, followers, favourers of my right,—
If ever Bassianus, Caesar's son,
Were gracious** in the eyes of royal
Keep** then this passage to the Capitol;
And suffer not dishonour to approach
The imperial seat, to virtue consecrate,
To justice, continence**, and nobility:
But let desert in pure election shine;
And, Romans, fight for freedom in your choice.
[Enter MARCUS ANDRONICUS aloft, with the crown.]
MARCUS.
Princes,—that strive by factions and by friends
Ambitiously for rule and empery**,—
Know that the people of
A special party, have by common voice,
In election for the Roman empery
Chosen Andronicus, surnamed Pius
For many good and great deserts to
A nobler man, a braver warrior,
Lives not this day within the city walls.:
He by the senate is accited** home
From weary wars against the barbarous Goths;
That with his sons, a terror to our foes,
Hath yok'd** a nation strong, train'd up in arms.
Ten years are spent since first he undertook
This cause of
Our enemies' pride: five times he hath return'd
Bleeding to
In coffins from the field;
And now at last, laden with honour's spoils,
Returns the good Andronicus to
Renowned Titus, flourishing in arms.
Let us entreat,—by honour of his name
Whom worthily you would have now succeed,
And in the Capitol and senate's right,**
Whom you pretend** to honour and adore,—
That you withdraw you and abate your strength;
Dismiss your followers, and, as suitors should,
Plead your deserts in peace and humbleness.
SATURNINUS.
How fair** the tribune speaks to calm my thoughts!...."
[Act One, Scene One (Lines 1 -47 in the Signet Classics 2005 ed.
if you're interested although I copied/pasted the words from the Wikisource edition).
OK, so a fairly short passage from the beginning of the play, nothing too streneous yeah? Did you noticed the astericks next to certain words? Those designated the vocab readers may not be familar with, and I have included the definitions from my copy.
4 Sucessive Title - right to sucession 8 age - i.e. seniority 11 gracious - acceptable 12 Keep - gaurd 15 continenece - restraint 19 empery - dominion 27 accited - summoned 30 yoked - subjugated 41 Capitol and Senate's right - the right of the Capitol and the Senate 42 pretend - claim 46 fair - courteously
Certain words like accited should be included as they fallen out of major use, but what of the rest?
Successive Title, right to succession, presumably the Roman throne. Ok that makes sense. Age, seniority, that is logical but I guess certain readers wouldn't make the inference. Gracious, acceptable ahhh, OK. Keep means to guard. WTF?! Of course Keep means to guard, as in when your buddy gives you their backpack and asks you to keep it for a while before they return. Yoked, subjugated, well not technically but we get the picture. Pretend to claim! Fair to courteously! Are modern readers that stupid? Seriously?
