But the poet of them all
who will start 'em simply ravin'
is the poet people call
the Bard of Stratford-on-Avon
Brush up your Shakespeare
Start quoting him now
Brush up your Shakespeare
And the women you will wow . . .
--Cole Porter, Kiss Me Kate
Parades, church services, stage performances . . . all were familiar sights last week in both the United Kingdom and on the Iberian peninsula, for both Great Britain and Spain were holding observances in honor of their two great national poet-playwrights: William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes.
This was the 400th anniversary of both their deaths--an opportunity to celebrate Anglo-Hispanic friend-ship, which is quite a change from the days when the Spanish Armada set sail to conquer Britain and the first Elizabeth stepped forward to proclaim:
"My loving people, we have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety to take heed how we commit ourself to armed multitudes for fear of treachery; but I assure you, I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good will of my subjects, and therefore I am come amongst you at this time, not as for my recreation and sport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all, to lay down for my God and for my kingdom and for my people, my honour, and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart of a king, and a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my realms; to which, rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, by your forwardness, that you have deserved rewards and crowns; and we do assure you, on the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the meantime my lieutenant-general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble and worthy subject, not doubting by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and by your valor in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over the enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people."
Let those words resound, and Cervantes' too: "Our greatest foes, and whom we must chiefly combat, are within." The ageless Spanish poet also had a lively sense of the absurd in human affairs that should be honored, preserved and maintained if we are to remain fully human. Spain awarded the Cervantes Prize this year to a Mexican author, Fernando del Paso, for his "contribution to the development of the novel, combining tradition and modernity, as Cervantes did." Indeed, Cervantes' Don Quixote has been called the first novel.
Combining fantasy and reality--call it history's first experiment with magical reality--it follows the Knight of the Sad Countenance as he and his faithful sidekick, Sancho Panza, go adventuring across La Mancha on their eternal quest for truth, justice and honor. Long may they live--as they have for four centuries.
Editorial on 04/27/2016