The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 19.0060 Friday, 1 February 2008
From: David Evett <
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Date: Wednesday, 30 Jan 2008 15:21:38 -0500
Subject: 19.0054 Littered Under Mercury
Comment: Re: SHK 19.0054 Littered Under Mercury
Stephanie Kydd's argument concerning Autolycus that "The suggestive
sexual context (Trafficke, sheetes, Kite, Linnen, snapper-vp, trifles)
suggests that 'Mercurie' has nothing to do with the god or the
astrological sign and everything to do with 'Mercurie' as a treatment
for venereal disease" falls apart in the wash. The VD joke may operate
in the moment; but the traditional characteristics of Mercury the
god/planet and the related physical characteristics of the metal
reappear far too often and far too aptly in the demeanor and behavior of
the character to be summarily dismissed. Like Autolycus, Hermes/Mercury
was often a trickster, often a thief, a master of disguise and sleight
of hand. In an odd way, Autolycus, by preventing the clowns from
revealing the secret of Perdita's birth to Polixenes in Bohemia and thus
helping to draw the king to Sicily, has a hand in the restorations and
reconciliations of the ending, and, like Mercury, heals. His speeches,
for all their raffish wit, are full of sensible suggestions; like
Mercury, he is in his way quite wise, and like Mercury he is extremely
observant and hence knowledgeable. Like mercury the metal he is
slippery, hard to contain or control, and in his modest way dangerous.
These qualities seem to me to run much deeper into the play than a mere
topical jest.
Mercurially,
David Evett
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