Shakespeare on Brexit

[Brownie]

England, bound in with the triumphant sea,
Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege
Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with shame,
With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds.
That England that was wont to conquer others
Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.

John of Gaunt, Richard ll

[Hope]

I like it, Brownie.

[Brownie]

Yes it's lovely.
I didn't think of it, borrowed it from someone else (who borrowed it from Shakespeare).
Very apt.

[Steve H]

I suggested that as Shakespeare's thoughts on the subject, on Facebook.  I'm 'Stephen Horsfall' on FB.  It wasn't me you nicked it from, was it?  A bit unlikely, unless I know you elsewhere, and we're FB friends.

[Steve H]

Actually, I've just done a search on FB: it turns out that dozens of people have quoted that regarding Brexit.

[Brownie]

I suggested that as Shakespeare's thoughts on the subject, on Facebook.  I'm 'Stephen Horsfall' on FB.  It wasn't me you nicked it from, was it?  A bit unlikely, unless I know you elsewhere, and we're FB friends.

I did nick it from you Steve!  I said I would borrow it.  It's a good one.

[Hope]

In the other hand, no man is an island: John Donne.

[Brownie]

John Donne can speak for himself!

[Hope]

John Donne can speak for himself!

Since Donne (1572-1632) was alive at about the same time as Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), I thought it would be worth having another 16th century author's POV.

[Brownie]

Oh yes, I know that,  It was the sentiment, "No man is an island", rather like, "People who need people are the luckiest...", that bugged me.  I am not seriously bugged though, I just know that people are quite often happy on their own.

How about 'A valediction: forbidding mourning'  in relation to our grieving about Brexit?

[Steve H]

I did nick it from you Steve!  I said I would borrow it.  It's a good one.

Well well!  I was right after all.

[Bubbles]

I like this one


The Brexit Beast - After the Jabberwocky: Lewis Carroll.

Murray Lachlan Young 30/06/016

 

'Twas Britain, and the slithy Gove
Did gyre and gimble with the May:
All mimsy was the Bozzagrove,
And Corbyn raithes laid graves.

'Beware the Brexit-beast, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Farrage bird, and shun
The frumious Junkersnatch!'

He took his Merkel sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought
And found the referendum tree,
And stood a while in thought.

And, as in uffish mood he stood,
The Brexit beast, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the UKIP woods
And burbled as it came!

Forty eight! Fifty two! And through and through
His Merkel blade went Snicker-snack!
And in his head he thought it dead
Thus went galumphing back.

'And hast thou slain the Brexit beast?
Look to the polls, my sqeamish son!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas Britain and the slithy Gove
Did gyre and gimble with the May:
All mimsy was the Bozzagrove,
And the Corbyn raithes laid graves.

Pinched from here

http://www.murraylachlanyoung.co.uk

[Hope]

Oh yes, I know that,  It was the sentiment, "No man is an island", rather like, "People who need people are the luckiest...", that bugged me.  I am not seriously bugged though, I just know that people are quite often happy on their own.

But that isn't what Donne was on about, Brownie.  He was saying that no-one is totally independent - however much we try to live in isolation, we can't.

[Brownie]

I have read it Hope.  I did it at school and others of his.  It's too complicated a subject to talk about on this thread really.

[Aruntraveller]

Hope when you posted the Donne quote you said 'On the other hand' implying it was an opposite take to the Shakespeare quote where as I see them as being very similar and complementary.