“True hope is swift, and flies with swallow’s wings:
Kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings.”
(King Richard III, act 5, sc. 2)
Comments. True, we only have to look at the news and we see things that leave us astonished, even though most of us are inured to the limitless possibility of wickedness by men and institutions. And those men are particularly wicked who hide their disgusting wickedness in the shadow of institutions, so as to escape the justice and the vengeance of those they hurt or the family of those whom they kill.
But what would be the world without hope? The Romans used to define the Goddes of Hope, “Spes Ultima Dea” (Hope, the last Goddess) – on the ground that hope is man’s last resource. In Rome the Goddess had two temples, one on the “Forum Olitorium”, built during the First Punic War by Consul Aulus Attilius Calatinus and the other on the Esquiline.
The Goddess was usually represented as holding a cornucopia and flowers.
Therefore to all my friends and the friends of the “Your Daily Shakespeare” website and to the readers of the book “Your Daily Shakespeare” best wishes for a Prosperous New Year from the webrunner.
Tips for Use. Encouraging remark in a morale-boosting speech or on any occasion where a positive outlook is appropriate.
In the play. Richmond props up his troops’ morale at his camp in Tamworth, prior to battling the forces of Richard III at Bosworth.
Site for Image. http://www.summagallicana.it/lessico/c/cornucopia.htm