Quote:
“Ten thousand evils worse than ever yet I did
Would I perform, if I might have my will:
If one good deed in all my life I did,
I do repent it from my very soul”

In Current Language:
Titus Andronicus is the grisliest, bloodiest and most gruesome among Shakespeare’s plays. Uttering these words is Aaron, top arch-villain among the other archvillains of the play. These lines, with which the play is concluded, almost need no translation – still here it is:
“I would perform ten thousand evils worse than all my previous ones, if I had my will. If through my life I did just one good deed, I repent of having done it, from the core of my soul.” Continue reading →

Play: Richard III, act 3, sc. 7

Actual Quote:
“… my lord, this prince is not an Edward!
He is not lolling on a lewd day-bed,
But on his knees at meditation;
Not dallying with a brace of courtezans,
But meditating with two deep divines;
Not sleeping, to engross his idle body,
But praying, to enrich his watchful soul…”

In Current Language:
For a better treatment, an explanation of the quote-context should precede the quote itself. Still, I will keep to the traditional format of this segment of the program.
Uttering these words in the play is Buckingham, partner in crimes of Richard III. The idea is to convince the mayor of London and his associates that Richard is a worthier ruler than the legitimate Edward, whom Richard will have assassinated later. Continue reading →

                                                       Actual Quote:
 “You taught me language and my profit on it
Is, I know how to curse.”

In Current Language:
The quote is clear without a translation. Still, here is one for consistency. You schooled me and the only thing that remained in me of your language training is that I know how to curse.

What Happens in the Actual Play:
Saying these words is Caliban, in the play portrayed as a monster of mind and soul, being the son of the evil witch Sycorax . Prospero, Caliban’s master, had attempted to reform Caliban by various healing measures, including the teaching of English. Continue reading →

Actual Quote:     “There is no vice so simple but assumes
Some mark of virtue on his outward parts”

In Current Language:
Almost every vice may be made to present an outward appearance of goodness.

Suggestions For Use:
When your political adversary tries to cover up or apply a good spin to something particularly bad.
What Happens in the Actual Play:
Among her suitors, the fair Portia will marry him who will solve a riddle. Before attempting to do so, Bassanio meditates on some important truths, including the truth contained in the quote for this episode of the ‘Limeys’ [a London-base Internet-Radio program where these quotes and comments are broadcast.] Bassanio will be eventually the one who solves the riddle and marries Portia.
Comment
The quote well describes the “modus operandi” of various government organizations and/or individuals. At least on the basis of what most of us have occasion to see or deduce through simple personal logic, rather than coarse belief in the information provided by the controlled media. Continue reading →