Now Is The Winter Of Our Discontent---Nice, France. and Turkey
Without Prejudice
Shakespeare's most famous quote is often misconstrued and misquoted. One might think that Shakespeare's character Richard was bemoaning the season of Winter. How ever, Shakespeare meant to convey the emotion of sun coming out after rain. The euphoria we feel when Spring arrives at last after a long cold winter.
His " Winter of his Discontent " were the years spent under a bad rule, Henry 1V, and the appointment of Richards, brother Edward 1V, to be the new King, after years of civil War and bitter fighting.
And the "Sun " ( Sun not Son, deliberately mis-spelt ) were the years imagined ahead under a Sun Of York, a good King.
The quote by the simple placing of a comma, changes the whole quote.
Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York was coined by Shakespeare and put into print in Richard III, 1594. The 'sun of York' wasn't of course a comment on Yorkshire weather but on King Richard. In this play Shakespeare presents an account of Richard's character that, until the late 20th century, largely formed the popular opinion of him as a malevolent, deformed schemer. Historians now view that representation as a dramatic plot device - necessary for the villainous role that Shakespeare had allocated him. It isn't consistent with what is now known of Richard III, who in many ways showed himself to be an enlightened and forward-looking monarch. The discovery of Richard's skeleton under a car park in Leicester has provided precise evidence of the extent of his deformity. While being somewhat curved Richard's spinal deformity has now been shown to have been exaggerated and deliberately faked in some portraits.
" Now is the Winter" , is a phrase we might use when we are cold, frost nipping at our fingertips and toes, bemoaning and whining at something way beyond our control,
Mother Nature.
But with the placing of a comma after discontent, it is indicated there is more to come. It's not a full stop. And for good reason.
" Made glorious Summer by this Sun Of York."
The winters end signifies not just a Season but a few years of bitter cold living that is now so much less in the memory, as the glorious Summer, ( a much loved Season) , or few years, has at last arrived.
Made glorious Summer by this Sun, ( not Son ) of York.
It's clever.
What's not clever is the state of France at the moment nor Turkey.
At Nice a truck runs into families, men, women, children. 80 innocent human beings killed and a hundred or so injured critically.
Little kids bodies are televised, covered for the sensitive. And the respect for their families. Besides one child's body is a doll, another a teddy. The toys showing exactly what has been lost,
Their lives,
a beloved child,
cost enough,
but the cost , the loss is also, our lost innocence.
The much worn toy, painting the awful footage with at least a touch of humanity.
Of hope.
Of love .
In Turkey people swarm over tanks. Not caring that it can crush them if they fall. They are unseeing, focused not on personal danger, but something else.
Their right to protest.
It has been a strange Winter, Winter 2016, only half way through, but with Brexit, a female Prime Minister in my homeland the U.K. Another attack on
French citizens, innocent people going about their own lives, their own business. Turkey seeming to implode, explode and the people are told to take the streets.
It's crazy.
But after the Winter, Spring comes again with its promise of new life. Lambs, will once again gambol in the sweet meadows of new grass, daffodils will dance and nod in their bright yellow splendour. Jasmine and Boronia will burst into life trailing their scent into the air as we scurry by. Reminding us of times past, warm memories, loves lost. The " if onlys ' of life.
Hope " Springing " eternal in the Human Breast.
We have to reflect and learn the lessons and move on.
France thought they were doing that after the last French, Paris attack. Put on a stoic face, took to the streets in defiance and bravery and moved forward. Now it's happened again and The World is outraged.
We have to take action, with every breath, with every movement, every encounter with other humans. We are all in this together. Our very humanness bonding us to Law and Order, sharing our outrage at the loss of life.
They say the driver of the truck that mowed people down was a drunk, a drug addict, bored, disaffected. How can we possibly defend ourselves against such people ?
When September 11 happened my fiancé at the time, an Irishman, said that you cannot predict where terrorism will strike and reminded me of the years of the I.R.A.'s
Shakespeare's most famous quote is often misconstrued and misquoted. One might think that Shakespeare's character Richard was bemoaning the season of Winter. How ever, Shakespeare meant to convey the emotion of sun coming out after rain. The euphoria we feel when Spring arrives at last after a long cold winter.
His " Winter of his Discontent " were the years spent under a bad rule, Henry 1V, and the appointment of Richards, brother Edward 1V, to be the new King, after years of civil War and bitter fighting.
And the "Sun " ( Sun not Son, deliberately mis-spelt ) were the years imagined ahead under a Sun Of York, a good King.
The quote by the simple placing of a comma, changes the whole quote.
Meaning
The time of unhappiness is past.
Origin
Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York was coined by Shakespeare and put into print in Richard III, 1594. The 'sun of York' wasn't of course a comment on Yorkshire weather but on King Richard. In this play Shakespeare presents an account of Richard's character that, until the late 20th century, largely formed the popular opinion of him as a malevolent, deformed schemer. Historians now view that representation as a dramatic plot device - necessary for the villainous role that Shakespeare had allocated him. It isn't consistent with what is now known of Richard III, who in many ways showed himself to be an enlightened and forward-looking monarch. The discovery of Richard's skeleton under a car park in Leicester has provided precise evidence of the extent of his deformity. While being somewhat curved Richard's spinal deformity has now been shown to have been exaggerated and deliberately faked in some portraits." Now is the Winter" , is a phrase we might use when we are cold, frost nipping at our fingertips and toes, bemoaning and whining at something way beyond our control,
Mother Nature.
But with the placing of a comma after discontent, it is indicated there is more to come. It's not a full stop. And for good reason.
" Made glorious Summer by this Sun Of York."
The winters end signifies not just a Season but a few years of bitter cold living that is now so much less in the memory, as the glorious Summer, ( a much loved Season) , or few years, has at last arrived.
Made glorious Summer by this Sun, ( not Son ) of York.
It's clever.
What's not clever is the state of France at the moment nor Turkey.
At Nice a truck runs into families, men, women, children. 80 innocent human beings killed and a hundred or so injured critically.
Little kids bodies are televised, covered for the sensitive. And the respect for their families. Besides one child's body is a doll, another a teddy. The toys showing exactly what has been lost,
Their lives,
a beloved child,
cost enough,
but the cost , the loss is also, our lost innocence.
The much worn toy, painting the awful footage with at least a touch of humanity.
Of hope.
Of love .
In Turkey people swarm over tanks. Not caring that it can crush them if they fall. They are unseeing, focused not on personal danger, but something else.
Their right to protest.
It has been a strange Winter, Winter 2016, only half way through, but with Brexit, a female Prime Minister in my homeland the U.K. Another attack on
French citizens, innocent people going about their own lives, their own business. Turkey seeming to implode, explode and the people are told to take the streets.
It's crazy.
But after the Winter, Spring comes again with its promise of new life. Lambs, will once again gambol in the sweet meadows of new grass, daffodils will dance and nod in their bright yellow splendour. Jasmine and Boronia will burst into life trailing their scent into the air as we scurry by. Reminding us of times past, warm memories, loves lost. The " if onlys ' of life.
Hope " Springing " eternal in the Human Breast.
We have to reflect and learn the lessons and move on.
France thought they were doing that after the last French, Paris attack. Put on a stoic face, took to the streets in defiance and bravery and moved forward. Now it's happened again and The World is outraged.
We have to take action, with every breath, with every movement, every encounter with other humans. We are all in this together. Our very humanness bonding us to Law and Order, sharing our outrage at the loss of life.
They say the driver of the truck that mowed people down was a drunk, a drug addict, bored, disaffected. How can we possibly defend ourselves against such people ?
When September 11 happened my fiancé at the time, an Irishman, said that you cannot predict where terrorism will strike and reminded me of the years of the I.R.A.'s
