Thursday, October 24, 2013

Shakespearean Philosophy?

There are those people, I am told, who read those tomes of the words of the greats and try to derive the philosophy whereby to lead their lives. And then there are those people who know what they are going to do with their lives and hunt , if at all, through the tomes of the greats to support their philosophy. In the normal course, on any issue, I am in the minority (of one, more often than not) but this once I think I am right in the middle of the multitudinous hordes that follow the latter option.

Some are born great; some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them

Old Billy boy hit the nail on the head there - or so I prefer to think. If you are not born great (and having made history as the heaviest newborn in the hospital's existence does not count because we are talking 'great' here not 'gross') that second option is just too much trouble. Achieve greatness, forsooth! If one had to labor all his life to achieve it, it would be too late to learn what to do with the damn thing once it is achieved. So I, like the vast majority of my fellow-humans, wait to have greatness thrust upon me.

Let me have about me men that are fat; Sleek-headed men as of sleep of nights; yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look; he thinks too much; such men are dangerous

If THAT is what Caesar wanted to have, it must be a good thing to be. So, I went about acquiring a sleek head (and what can be sleeker than a bald head, pray?) and ate and drank my way to fatness. (Upon what meat doth this our Suresh feed that he is grown so great, was the cry among my friends - though in this case 'great' really did mean 'gross'). Also, since I lacked the equipment to think with anyway, I could never be dangerous. Alas - Caesar is long dead and the world descended to such depravity that thin and geek are actually the in things now.

The story of my life - I am always a step out of phase with Fashion. The tale of the bell-bottomed trousers that I bought after long dilly-dallying and just as it comprehensively went out of fashion is another of my life's tragedies. I still preserve it in the vain hope that Fashion will turn full-circle but, alas, that fickle goddess has not deemed fit to smile on them again. Now, of course, I will need to take them apart and have the bottoms stitched as the waist portion if I am to hope to get into them.

The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones

Ah! And, in my case, the good would probably be burned with my bones and not even be available for a future archaeologist to dig out and keep reverently in a museum. Shakespeare, therefore, tells me that you can only be remembered for the evil that you do (since it is always spicier gossip to call someone - even long dead - bad names and BORING to be praising someone). I have had no real hankering to be remembered by posterity (What is the point in cute young girls talking in shivery whispers about me when I am long dead? It is NOW that I want the attention) and, so, I decided that it was best to let the world go its way while I went mine.

All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand

Now THAT was not a quote I lived by though most people attributed it to be the guiding description of my being. Of course, the 'little hand' was first 'little boy' and then became 'gross man' over the course of years. Now, just because I sweat a little (all right, a lot, you bunch of literal b*******!), you cannot be defaming me by attributing the sort of body odor that even Axe cannot cure.

Above all else to thine own self be true

Now that, I have decided, will be a great guiding philosophy. It allows me full leeway to decide what "mine own self" is at any point in time so that I can be true to it without feeling any pangs of guilt.

NOW, I know why old Will Shakespeare is considered THE literary great!

48 comments:

  1. OMG, what a way to start a day...Suresh you have just made the rest of my day insignificant compared to this Shakespearean Comedy that you have unleashed upon your readers (or was it a Shakespearean Tragegy, or just a tragi-comedy at its best). Loved the post so much so that I choked on the orange that I was eating and ended up having it go up my nasal cavity. Wow, that still stings and my eyes are watering.

    But I digress, lovely post, had a nice laugh about you and your tryst with greatness. Loved how you tried using Shakespeare to (un)successfully prove your greatness. One portion which I particularly loved are and I quote - "have the bottoms stitched as the waist portion if I am to hope to get into them" and most of all loved the fact that you had the last word - "Above all else to thine own self be true".

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    1. That was effusive praise, Jairam! Thanks for making my day.

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    2. Is this a prologue to your intended autobiography?

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    3. This probably IS my autobiography :)

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  2. Now I don't know if I tell should tell you or not, but I really did not know half f these quotes. And btw I too preserved my bell bottomed jeans... :(

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    1. Let us all hope that they become the fashion again! The streets can sure use all the sweeping they can get :)

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  3. Ha Ha...love this, Suresh! I spent years teaching Shakespeare. He does have a lot to say, and I love how you blended his wisdom with contemporary thought to make this a fun piece to read.
    :D
    Penny

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    1. Thanks Penny! And you would know that it really was Shakespeare I was quoting :) (By the way, that twist on "Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed that he has grown so great" I owe to PG Wodehouse, who used this in this meaning quite often in his books :) )

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  4. I have not read much Shakespeare. They so aptly describe your greatness Suresh :) in factthey can be renamed as Shakesureshspearean ones :)

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    1. I hope it IS greatness and NOT grossness, Jaish :)

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  5. You may consider my question a "bootless inquisition" like Miranda's in 'The Tempest', but pray tell me, are you too like me a William Shakespeare fan? Say not no, or thou shalt break my heart into a thousand pieces.
    As for the 'great' v/s 'gross' thought process, another quote from the same play comes to mind - "Who, though they are of monstrous shape, yet note, their manners are more gentle, kind, than that of our human generation". :) (I do hope you see that as a compliment)
    And yes, to thine own self be true, Suresh, and as night follows day, you shall not be false to any man. Thus speak your writings. For as he said in Midsummer - "The lunatic, the lover, the poet are of imagination all compact." To 'airy nothing' you give shape,"local habitation and a name". And that's a compliment too. :)
    MY FAVOURITE POST. I am sure Will is happy. :)
    (I could go on and on. What a great start to today!)

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    1. Yes - I,love Shakespeare but do not have your felicity for remembering quotes, Sakshi! I do hope, though, that at the end of my days you will say, "His nature was gentle and the elements so mixed in him that nature can stand up and say to all the world 'This was a man' " :)

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  6. To be or not to be ... the perennial problem, nailed so well by the bard ... it bothered me so much, and I finally settled on another quote that I live my life by "Love me or hate me, both are in my favour, if you love me, I'll always be in your heart, If you hate me, I'll always be in your mind." He was truly great.

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    1. And even a quote especially helpful to fantasy authors, "There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy" - again from Hamlet :)

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  7. Suresh, I was glad to be done with Shakespeare after school :). Seriously, I am too dense to fathom classic writing. But you have humorously decoded his quotes. I think your correct vocation is a language teacher. The way you explain everything with humor is priceless. Absolutely marvelous post!

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    1. Thanks Rachna! Everyone who ever tried learning from me found unknown virtues in all their other teachers :)

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  8. Interpretations can be good, bad, and ugly... but this one is plain witty.
    It feels good that I decided to click and read this post.

    Arvind Passey
    www.passey.info

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  9. Brought smile to my face. Witty, powerful and nice :-)

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  10. Oh let me add Kant to your supporters list when he says "Up to now it has been assumed that all our cognition must conform to the objects; but ... let us once try whether we do not get farther with the problems of metaphysics by assuming that the objects must conform to our cognition"

    You have a terribly (or terrifically) valid point. I couldn't be too sure though because I am searching for coordinates right now to know where I am.

    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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    1. Hope you found them - the coordinates, I mean :)

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  11. If Suresh be the food of fun, laugh on :-)

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  12. I am more a fan of Wodehouse rather than the Bard and i see his reflection in you.Good that you found your mantra in his tomes.

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    1. PG is too high a mark to shoot at Indu :) Btw, that 'Upon what meat..." is a misquote from Shakespeare that PGW used with great effect :)

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  13. Super _/\_ ! You have elegantly shown that quotes, like statistics, can be used to prove anything..

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    1. That was the point - that we pick the quotes to prove our points :)

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  14. So you have finally decided to reveal yourself as the muse that Shakespeare chose to not speak of till his dying breath?
    That was an awesome post! I was never one among Old Billy's big fans despite my teachers' persistence, but, after this, maybe I will revisit some of his 'stuff'!

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    1. Thanks Rickie! The Bard did have his moments. A lot of them - far more than most authors :)

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  15. Great post Suresh. Would love to read it again but why then, can one desire too much of a good thing?

    Appropriately published before friday, a day when millions of people around the world (Globe theatre) ponder on the essential Shakespearean dilemma 'To beer or not to beer'.

    Btw may I point you to Wali Miyan Sheikhpeer http://tinyurl.com/walimiyan

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    1. Hahaha! That dilemma never pursues me :) I stop after the first two words and say YES :)

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  16. Well am too dumb to comprehend the great Shakespeare quotes but you made the job pretty painless with your witticism.

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    1. Oh! I hope you are not taking the meaning of my post for what Shakespeare intended to communicate :)

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  17. I have always remained confused of such great and gross quotes by those gone great gentlemen of English... now, you give me a new to look at them. Come, Shakespeare! Next time, I hit you :)

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    1. Hmm! So THAT's why Will died long ago? His heart must have failed in fear of this threat :)

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  18. Howlarious (if such a word can be used) !!!

    There can be no question of 'To laugh or not to laugh' :) super :)

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    1. That word seems widely in use :) Thanks Mahesh!

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  19. If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? (The rest of it is not appropriate, so I left it out) And you're tickling me pink. :)

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    1. And if you praise us, do we not blush :) Thanks Achyut!

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  20. You may not be the Bard, but you are a true wit, Suresh. This was so funny and clever. It is only a matter of time before greatness is thrust upon you!

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  21. Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile.

    Heavens bless you, Sir.

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    1. Thanks Uma! Good to know this was not merely a 'tale told by a fool, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing' :)

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  22. The well 'endowed' will inherit the earth! Brilliant, as always, Suresh--the Bard would have smiled and smiled as he read this and PGW, well he would have chuckled through!

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  23. Most excellent! Morning dose of bardiness.A good way to start a day bound to be full of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

    Exit hurriedly, pursued by a bear.

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    1. Hahaha! Thanks for that return bout of bardiness :)

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