“What need’st thou run so many miles about,
When thou mayst tell thy tale the nearest way?” (King Richard III act 4 sc. 4)
Tip for Use. Apply to a wordy fellow or as a reference supporting the value of concision and straight-talk in reporting. In the instance a minor modification in the pronouns and the possessive will not alter the sense or the rhythm of the quote, What need’st you run so many miles about, when you mayst tell your tale the nearest way?
By the way, do you know why barbarians were called “barbarians”? Because to a Roman who did not know their respective languages, the sound was like “ba, ba, ba, ba…” Not yet like a boring speaker but close enough.
In the play. Richard asks Stanley for news on the military situation. Richmond (the future Henry VII) is at hand and Stanley comes up with a sibylline answer. Here there are good reasons for an ambiguous reply. Stanley’s son has joined the rebellion against Richard. In the book “Your Daily Shakespeare” there are several suggested pointed answers for this and similar situations.
Original site of image: http://blogs.nature.com/ericwubbo/2011/08/17/teaching-to-the-test-and-the-terrible-toastmasters—or-when-subgoals-strike-back