Mangled Thoughts

Having discovered STC’s original poem behind Kublai Khan, one has furthered the studious stuff. I’m on a winner, expect Chair at Cambridge soon, minimum, with speaking tours and cruises on QEII paid by giving lectures on my startling findings. I’m at the beginning of a long journey aboard a gravy train.

Ilibcc has posted immediately the latest on what this election campaign amounts to, a degeneration into promises by all the parties to sack everyone until they all are bankrupted and squatting in the streets.

In view of the Billy Shakespeare moment, Bartlett on taxes,and in view of the above, it is propitious to relate my next discovery.

King Henry IV:

Having uncovered from within a top secret librarium top secret memos by Billy and sundry letters, receipts for booze and good food, a new pair of pantaloons, a riding crop, a new horse and such necessary requisites, a short note confirmed my suspicion: King Henry IV contains a rather obvious commentary on this year’s elections and the thugs called politicians.A sample text shall serve, sufficiently explicit to confirm all.

Ac.I,Sc.II, 1-20

Falstaff is a composite figure: Crean, Rudd, Beazely, Bob Brown, Nettles, Bartlett.

Prince Henry is Latham, clearly the familial, Hal, plays upon the sexual perversions the aforenamed enjoy with their `Prince’.

:1-12
Fal. Now, Hal, what time of day is it, lad?
P Thou art so fat-witted with drinking of old sack,
and unbuttoning thee after supper, and sleeping
upon benches after noon ….

A night of perverse sexual indulgence. Filth, horrible, disgusting but, all too true.

:13-15

Fal Indeed, you come near me now Hal, for we that take purses go by the moon and the seven stars, and not “by Phoebus, he that wand’ring Knight so fair”

Shakespeare is characterising the aforesaid politicians as, the worst of criminals. As befits crims, they engage in highway robbery and murder not in public gaze, but when concealed.

Pheobus is code for John Howard, the Coalition is damned socialisto and usurious enough and that is what Shakespeare has to say. The above assorted scumbags, however, are so wicked, to feel good they have to compare themselves against another gang of criminals. It is an ironic touch by Shakespeare, they are all obnoxious but Pheobus is slightly better than the other scumbags.

16-19

Fal and I prithee sweet wag, when thou art king, as
God save thy grace -Majesty I should say, for
grace thou wilt have none-
P What, none?

Billy makes the point, thieving fat god almighty tyrannical govt has to appeal to god or some higher morality to excuse their vices and pretend they are nothing but hardened gangsters engaged in extortion blackmail and property theft on a massive scale.

Even so, Shakespeare observes, `Majesty……What, none’, they do realise that is all that they are, no better than thugs and savages thrown into prison. What is the distinction, Shakespeare implies rhetorically , ie. none at all. Even the scumbags themselves realise that is all that, at bottom they are.

The above only confirms, Shakespeare is an accurate and shrewd observer of character, even those pretending to be moral, politicians but are nothing but usurious, extorting, blackmailing, common as muck gangsters.Shakespeare wrote of the gradual rise of totalitarians in OZ, the thrust of the play, with the election as the turning point of the descent in to totalitarianism, in the 16th century !