This week, we finally managed to install our new (not new ) item of furniture - a mid-18th Century grandfather clock. It's not bright and shiny like more modern ones, but a dark oak with a warm patina which the beeswax polish is drawing out. In order to set it up, we had to do a certain amount of research - how to hang the pendulum, where the weight went on the endless chain - and it got me thinking... where and when did certain divisions of time come from? The time periods which I have written either had household clocks or didn't, I have not written novels from the time of their invention. Clocks have been around for a long time, and the obsession with measuring time in an ordered fashion dates back to at least the ancient Sumerians. It was they who established a circular reading of time and, I imagine, the sixty seconds/minutes came about as much because it was an easy way to divide a circle as anything else. But it wasn't until much later that the precision of seconds ...
The pen is mightier than the sword, so it’s said. One man who proves this statement to be true was William Shakespeare. He remains to this day one of the most quoted writers in the world and his insults have become legendary. There are scores of books of them, and countless internet generators for them.
But his insults, some of which work better than others in the modern world, are not the only things he used as weapons. As the song says, there are countless things we say because he strung them together and tucked them into our cultural knowledge. Phrases like “wild goose chase” and “love is blind” are so ingrained in our minds we use them without stopping to think where they came from and only a little bit more about who came up with them.
Along with this power, comes the supreme act of propaganda. Here, we see the truth in that statement, for we see the pen is truly mightier than the sword. Shakespeare rewrote – or, is some cases, just wrote – history. There are lines from his plays which has shaped how people view historical figures. Lines like “my kingdom for a horse” or “once more unto the breach, dear friends” have helped to adapt how people view Richard III and Henry V for the last 500 years. But the important thing to remember is that he was a crowd-pleaser. The more he pleased the crowd, the better his chances of money and fame. His Histories, therefore, should only be viewed as a source of entertainment, not historical accuracies.
And then there comes another consideration. Shakespeare supposedly gave the English language approximately 3,000 words. But did he really create all those lines he is credited with? Is it not just as likely he used the expressions of others to create an immersive and connectable play? After all, in today’s film industry, we can see screenwriters adapting books to make them more accessible to their audience. Is it not likely he did the same?
Whether or not this is the case, though, is almost immaterial. The fact remains that he either created these phrases and words, or preserved them for future generations. He is simultaneously hated and revered by the British population who almost all have to study his works in some way, shape, or form at some time. For my own part, I confess to being in awe of his adaptability and shrewd management of his audiences. Maybe one day I’ll work out how to sell my own work so succinctly.
But, for now, just try to remember: “one can desire too much of a good thing”!
Yes, indeed. A very wacky, brilliant body of work and we can only speculate about the creator. I very closely study S-speare to be a better writer and steal "hooks" for my own writing - as he cribbed from others. I do the same with ancient literature and relgious literature...
ReplyDeleteYes, this notion of "nothing is truly original" is a very interesting point. Someone pointed out to me recently that the line between inspiration and plagiarism is a very fine and wibbly one!
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