The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 17.0205 Thursday, 23 March 2006
[1] From: Larry Weiss <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Wednesday, 22 Mar 2006 12:12:24 -0500
Subj: Re: SHK 17.0198 "hindered me a million"
[2] From: Florence Amit <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Wednesday, 22 Mar 2006 14:11:18 -0800 (PST)
Subj: "hindered me a million"
[3] From: Hardy M. Cook <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2006
Subj: For the Record
[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: Larry Weiss <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Wednesday, 22 Mar 2006 12:12:24 -0500
Subject: 17.0198 "hindered me a million"
Comment: Re: SHK 17.0198 "hindered me a million"
Why do we need to take this literally? Both the temporal and monetary
interpretations are hyperbolic -- there is no way Antonio could have
hindered 500,000 transactions or deprived Shylock of 500,000 ducats
given the scarcity of ducats implied in the play. Shylock is saying
that Antonio is "a royal pain in the arse who has cost me a shitload of
money."
[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: Florence Amit <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Wednesday, 22 Mar 2006 14:11:18 -0800 (PST)
Subject: "hindered me a million"
Dear forum,
Excuse the word transfer that probably the automatic speller inserted
when I was not looking. I meant to say ...having achieved an
understanding. . . . And not the word archived.
I take this opportunity to examine the passage.
First there is the ironic but true "to bait a fish - withal" or more
correctly "with all". Shylock is telling us that Antonio is the lure by
which he may gain the attention of the acquisitive "fish" - (Christian
imagery) -the eminent person who presides over the court of Venice.
Then he returns to his words of confrontation that are needed to set up
the ploy. "It will feed my revenge"
However since revenge is neither what motivates Shylock nor what is
natural to him he grabs at a rationalization for this would be
"revenge". He talks about the injuries that he has suffered - which are
very little on account of Antonio and very much the result of the
inquisition's policy to pauperize the Jews. Indeed besides being put
into a Ghetto they were to be limited to selling used clothes. Despite
his distain ordinarily Antonio would hardly be noticed. The name of the
game was survival.
At the same time as I have shown you, Shakespeare includes Hebrew
transliterations for those who may benefit from them. It is his final
sanction for the true identity and purpose of the protagonist. Whenever
there is a contradiction of this kind I have learned to look for the
Hebrew. It will be there.
Never the less even before adversaries - Salario and Solanio, Shylock
cannot help being mentor and moralist when he says his famous words
"Hath Not a Jew eyes?" Etc. But then again he may not allow himself to
stray from his avowed purpose. He returns to his incitement. "Revenge"
he says will be learned from (the majority culture) the Christians. (It
is not the practice of a persecuted minority.)
Florence Amit
[3]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: Hardy M. Cook <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2006
Subject: For the Record
Dear SHAKSPEReans,
When SHAKSPER came back online after the server crash, I announced that
I was taking a new editorial stance: "I welcome the diversity of
members, but I want to regain the academic focus of the early days of
the list. The only way that I can see that this is possible is for me to
become active as moderator and only post messages that I believe are of
interest to the academic community. In posting messages only of interest
to the academic community, I am not proposing to restrict the membership
of SHAKSPER or to eliminate significant questions and comments from
actors, directors, or any member of SHAKSPER. The source of the post is
not the issue; the issue will be its relevance to the broad scope of
academic interests in Shakespeare studies." I quickly added that "I know
that there are some who feel that the list has had little genuine
academic content at all. I know that many will be deeply disappointed by
my decision and see it as elitist and divisive. I know that some will
feel that I will not be exclusive enough; and others that I am being too
draconian. I also know that I cannot please all of the people all of the
time."
For the past six weeks, I have been doing my best to follow the policy
stated above. And all that I can claim for sure that I have achieved in
this time is that I have not pleased all of the members all of the time.
For the record though, I do NOT believe that William Shakespeare of
Stratford-upon-Avon and author of the plays and poems attributed to him
had the knowledge of Hebrew that a couple of members of this list
believe he had. Neither do I believe that Shakespeare imbedded Hebrew
transliterations or elaborate secret codes into his writing. In this
regard, I believe my position is in agreement with the overwhelming
majority of the community of academic Shakespeare scholars.
Nevertheless, many find in Shakespeare's works what they are looking
for, scholars and non-scholars alike, and I will occasionally publish
those findings even though I deeply object to them.
Preemptively yours,
Hardy M. Cook, Editor
PS: I agree completely with Larry Weiss that there is absolutely no
reason to take the "hindered me a million" statement literally and that
the tendency to do so is the source of much misdirected energy expressed
here.
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