Identify the quotation, "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" Near the end of Richard III, Richard cries out this line (5.4) twice as he is battling his enemies. He now not only considers himself foolish, but all of humanity as well. Identify, "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,/ Creeps in the petty pace from day to day/ To the last syllable of recorded time / And all are yesterday's have lighted fools/ The way to dusty death." Macbeth is despairing near the end of the tragedy, after he learns of his wife's death. This speech describes the seven stages of man, from infancy to old age. Identify the quotation, "All the world's a stage,/ And all the men and women merely players." Jacques state these lines in a famous soliloquy in As You Like It. Dick’s statement is clearly satire, expressing cynicism about lawyers in ways that people understood even then.Identify the quotation, "Cowards die many times before their deaths / The valiant never taste of death but once." Julius Caesar makes this comment to his wife, Calphurnia, explaining why he must go to the Senate-ironically, on the day of his murder. Shakespeare was not trying to incite violence against lawyers, but he certainly wasn’t suggesting that they are the protectors or upholders of society, either. Mercutio, for example, talks about lawyers grasping for money in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, while the Fool in ‘King Lear’ makes a pointed statement about lawyers not saying or doing anything unless you pay them first. While Shakespeare mentions the legal profession more than any other, this is by no means the only play in which Shakespeare makes a joke at their expense. It does seem that even in Shakespeare’s time there was a fair degree of scepticism about lawyers. While some of those may have been lawyers, most were lords and ladies and members and other members of the gentry. Many were quite common folk who stood throughout the performances, known as groundlings, while others were wealthier and could afford to pay for a seat. However, the audiences were comprised of a much wider representation of society as a whole, only a small percentage of which was made up of lawyers. ![]() If the predominant population of Shakespeare’s audiences were made up of lawyers, judges and clerks, this theory may have more credence. I would be willing to put money on that theory having been dreamed up by a lawyer in the first place. The misunderstanding and misuse of this quotation arise from the interpretation that Shakespeare is saying that it’s the lawyers and upstanding citizens who would stand in the way of such a rebellion working because of their integrity and commitment to enforcing the law. He doesn’t clarify what the issue was, but the audience certainly understands his sentiments regarding lawyers. He agreed to something legally once, and somehow gave up his freedom or rights by doing so. As far as he’s concerned, if there were going to be some kind of ideal society, it wouldn’t have any lawyers in it.Ĭade concurs with Dick: lawyers using parchment to create documents is a waste of good lambs’ skins, and the beeswax used as a seal stings more than the bee does. Jack does have ideas about a more egalitarian society, which form the context for Dick the Butcher’s punch line. This is the context in which this quotation must be read.ĭick the Butcher is part of a group of rebels led by Jack Cade, who is extolling his qualifications to be king because of his noble connections, while the others are having a bit of a laugh at him because, realistically, he’s anything but noble. ![]() ![]() When you read the scene as a whole, the jaded weariness of Dick and his mates is clearly evident as a contributing factor to their rebellion. It is important to understand that the intent of the line was to be funny - a sardonic response from the sort of character who is likely to have suffered at the hands of a lawyer or witnessed them acting less than judiciously- rather than a serious suggestion or a statement of intent. It is with these people for whom Dick the Butcher is likely to identify and sympathise. It’s often quoted by people who are disillusioned with the legal system, or feel that certain members of the legal profession have less integrity than they should do. It was spoken by Dick the Butcher, a character nobody remembers except for this line, who was hanging about with his fellow rebels in a field at Blackheath. This line comes from Henry VI, Part 2, written in 1598.
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