Sunday, October 16, 2011

Day #369 The Scottish Play

I must admit, I was relieved when the three weird sisters in Macbeth chanted around their cauldron Friday night at the Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta. Despite the many times I’ve seen that play, parts of it still surprise me.

This year, because bees have been so much on my mind, I was somewhat nervous waiting for the “double, double, toil and trouble” speech. I knew they threw “scale of dragon” and “root of hemlock” into the pot, along with a number of other extremely odious, nasty things, but I couldn’t remember – had they thrown in various parts of a bee as well?

I’m happy to report, they didn’t. Bee parts would have sweetened their brew, I’m sure, and Shakespeare couldn’t have had that happen.

My two 11-year-old grandchildren were entranced. The porter’s silly speech, the sword fights, the sleepwalking scene.

If you’ve never seen the Scottish Play, as it’s called in the superstitious theater, where speaking the name of that play aloud is considered bad luck, I strongly recommend it. It speaks to this time as powerfully as it did to the Elizabethans. The corrupting influence of power seems, unfortunately, to be as timeless as Shakespeare’s dialogue.

BEEattitude for Day # 369:
       Blessed are those who know the sweetness of honey bees, for they shall sing happily in their dreams.

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