I have misquoted the above lines for years, always putting England first. But let's forget about Harry for the moment and concentrate on George. April 23 is St. George's Day. St. George is the patron saint of England, as is St. Patrick for Ireland, St. Andrew for Scotland and St. David for Wales.
St. George (d. about 303 A.D.) was an early Christian martyr born in Cappadocia, in eastern Asia Minor. His life is obscured by legend, but his martyrdom at Lydda, Palestine, is generally considered to be a matter of historical fact, testified to by two early Syrian Church inscriptions and by a canon of Pope Gelasius I dated 494, in which St. George is mentioned as one whose name was held in reverence.
The most popular of the legends that have grown up around him relates his encounter with the dragon. A pagan town in Libya was victimized by a dragon (representing the Devil), which the inhabitants first attempted to placate by offerings of sheep and then by the sacrifice of various members of their community. The daughter of the king (representing the Church) was chosen by lot and taken out to await the coming of the monster, but George arrived, killed the dragon and converted the community to Christianity.
In 1222 the Council of Oxford ordered that his feast be celebrated as a national festival, and in the 14th century he became the patron saint of England and of the Order of the Garter. That's another story worth sharing. St. George must have been quite a traveler because he is also the patron saint of Russia. Doubtless he rescued a couple of Olgas from the Volga.
The boys at English boarding school were given an extra helping of pudding and a much-appreciated half-holiday to celebrate St. George's Day. There were mystery plays with St. George as the hero and an assortment of symbolic characters. The girl's day school enjoyed a full day's holiday and spent the afternoon making daisy chains and looking for St. George's mushrooms.
So much for St. George - April 23 is also Shakespeare's birthday. It is interesting to note that Shakespeare also died on April 23; there were, of course, a few years in between.
The best bit of literary good fortune that ever befell a race was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire in 1564, the eldest son of John Shakespeare, the merchant, and Mary Arden, a member of the local landed gentry. As the eldest son, he attended the local grammar school and received a fairly good education.
After leaving grammar school, Will is believed to have worked with his father. At the age of 17, in 1581, he married Anne Hathaway by special license. Their first child - a son, Hamnet - was born six months later.
In 1587, Shakespeare arrived in London. It is believed that his reason for leaving Stratford was that he was caught poaching deer in Chorcott Park, the country seat of the Lucy family, which, incidentally, are still there - the deer and the Lucy family.
Shakespeare's history plays were on the whole pretty accurate, had their basis in fact and were patriotic morale builders - except for "Richard III" (always remember that Shakespeare was writing with a Tudor on the throne and had to keep his politics and public relations in order).
The famous quote above mentioned, "God for Harry, England and St. George," is from "Henry V" before the battle of Harfleur. The speech starts out with "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more" and ends with "I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, straining upon the start. The game's afoot: Follow your spirit; and upon this charge cry God, for Harry, England and St. George!"
Speaking of Shakespeare quotes, do you realize if you've ever been "tongue-tied," seen an "eyesore" or said "good riddance" to anything, you are quoting Shakespeare. If you've acted "more in sorrow than in anger," if you've "seen better days," "lived in a fool's paradise" or "acted without rhyme or reason," you are quoting Shakespeare. There are dozens more; in fact the words of the Bard have become part of our everyday life and conversation.
And of course "The game's afoot" was appropriated by another famous English figure, Sherlock Holmes.
After 441 years the words of Shakespeare live on. It might be interesting to see how many more you can find. The following was on a keychain brought back from the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Ore. I was so taken with the rhyme I learned it by heart and will recite it at the drop of a hat. Since there are not many hats dropping around here, I will let you read it. See how many titles you can get. If anyone can identify the source, give me a call.
Ant & Cleo, Rom & Ju, famous lovers who stayed true
Comic Errors, dramas light, Midsummer's Dream
and then 12th Night
Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado, as You Like It,
Tame the Shrew
Windsor's Wives, Verona's Gents, Measures two
paid William's rent
Hamlet, Tempest, ghost and magic, Othello, Caesar:
heroes tragic
Coriolanus and Macbeth: had fatal flaws,
met violent deaths
Now we're in historic lore: parts one and two
for Henry Four
For Henry 5th there is but one: three whole parts
for Harry's son John, two Richards and King Lear-
Stop! A made-up King should not be here!
Titus, Timon, blood and gore, Venetian Merchant
- just five more
Troil and Cress and Cymbeline like Pericles,
aren't often seen
Winter's Tale, and last to tell
All is Well that Endeth Well.
Incidentally there is a an excellent production of "Othello," well worth seeing, by the Seattle Shakespeare Company at Center House Theater, running until May 5. They are also presenting a special Bill's Birthday Bash on Monday, April 25. For more information, call 733-8222.
"Shakespeare was a British bloke who made his living writing things to quote."
TTFN, Linda of London
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