Its Shakespeare innit? — Forum Archive

24 Apr 2008, 12:10

LOL, another boring early morning at work, i came across this news story:

April 25, 2008 03:52am Article from: Agence France-PresseFont size: + -

FIVE centuries after they were written, the works of England's most famous playwright William Shakespeare have been brought up to date - making them understandable for the youth of today.

Satirist Martin Baum has taken the Bard's Elizabethan language that schoolchildren often find impenetrable and reworked 15 of his plays in a new compendium, To Be Or Not To Be, Innit: A Yoof-Speak Guide to Shakespeare.

Using the sloppy syntax and enunciation of some youngsters that is the bugbear of older generations, Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, for example, becomes 'Amlet.

And his famous line "To be, or not to be?" becomes "To be or not to be, innit?"; the state of Denmark is no longer "rotten" but "minging".

The Two Gentlemen of Verona have become "geezas" and Romeo, one of the star-crossed lovers of Romeo and Juliet, now pines for his "fit bitch Jules".

"Verona was de turf of de feuding Montagues and de Capulet families," according to the synopsis of the classic story of young love spurned in the language of the street.

"And coz they was always brawling and stuff, de prince of Verona told them to cool it or else they was gonna get well mashed if they carried on larging it with each other."

Baum insists on his website that the abridged versions retain the essence of the originals, including "the important sexist, duplicitous, cross-dressing and violent moments that made William Shakespeare well wicked".

"I'm not on a crusade or anything but if it can help generate an interest in Shakespeare I can't see that as a bad thing," he was quoted as saying by the Bournemouth Daily Echo newspaper in southern England.

"I know it will rankle with the intellectuals. I gave it to one who told me that they felt guilty that they found it funny."

24 Apr 2008, 12:26

Elegia wrote: I know it will rankle with the intellectuals.

Fuckin right it does,bitch. :read:

24 Apr 2008, 12:38

this is why txt msg speak should be banned. :nonono:

24 Apr 2008, 12:45

Well it's nice for a joke or to bring the kids to old literature. But obviously it's not good for use in schools :lol: .

24 Apr 2008, 12:51

AgentWood wrote: this is why txt msg speak should be banned.

How cometh? Totally different if you ask me...Would you have everyone text in Shakespeare lingo Woody?

24 Apr 2008, 12:59

Bere wrote: Well it's nice for a joke or to bring the kids to old literature. But obviously it's not good for use in schools .

They all say 'cunt' in the playground,let's not be naive.. If you want to set a proper example to advance their education and give them a rudimentary grasp of traditional literature,you fuck their dog and gain their attention.It always works,and they respect the radical approach...

24 Apr 2008, 13:17

Boatraceface wrote:

Bere wrote: Well it's nice for a joke or to bring the kids to old literature. But obviously it's not good for use in schools .

They all say 'cunt' in the playground,let's not be naive.. If you want to set a proper example to advance their education and give them a rudimentary grasp of traditional literature,you fuck their dog and gain their attention.It always works,and they respect the radial approach...

I didn't think of the swear words, but of the assimilation to today's language and/or slang. That that is not possible is obvious, but I may dream of that...

24 Apr 2008, 15:15

Boatraceface wrote:

Elegia wrote: I know it will rankle with the intellectuals.

Fuckin right it does,bitch.

Ditto, bitch. :read:

24 Apr 2008, 18:10

Surely the main point of studying Shakespeare, Chaucer, Donne, Wordsworth, etc. is to introduce people to the richness of the language, not to transpose it to council-estate-chav-wankspeak?

How else will the young people learn and enrich their vocabulary and understanding?

Turning fifteen of Shakespeare's plays into 'wankspeak' is an insult to their intelligence and is, in essence, telling them;

'You is too fuckin fick to unnerstan this shit cos you is streetz get wot I is sayin unless sum geeza is gonna dumb it down for ya anyway innit? He is dissin you man.'

'Goodbye Education, hello to another generation that's simply regarded as being thick-as-pigshit.'

:banghead:

24 Apr 2008, 18:11

You is too fuckin fick to unnerstan this shit cos you is streetz get wot I sayin unless sum geeza is gonna dumb it down for ya anyway innit?' Hello DIGGY MIKE :hat:

24 Apr 2008, 18:13

Boatraceface wrote:

Would you have everyone text in Shakespeare lingo Woody?

yes. i would.

24 Apr 2008, 18:15

WOODYo WOODYo wherefore ART thou WOODY? MIAMi:D

24 Apr 2008, 22:51

AgentWood wrote:

Boatraceface wrote:

Would you have everyone text in Shakespeare lingo Woody?

yes. i would.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks

24 Apr 2008, 22:57

Youth and slang comes and goes, Shakespeare's language will last for ever.

25 Apr 2008, 00:11

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: Youth and slang comes and goes, Shakespeare's language will last for ever.

..but wasn't Shakespeare speaking in slang when he wrote all his works? :scratch:

25 Apr 2008, 00:14

EdelBrock wrote:

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: Youth and slang comes and goes, Shakespeare's language will last for ever.

..but wasn't Shakespeare speaking in slang when he wrote all his works?

no

25 Apr 2008, 00:22

bloodynora wrote:

EdelBrock wrote:

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: Youth and slang comes and goes, Shakespeare's language will last for ever.

..but wasn't Shakespeare speaking in slang when he wrote all his works?

no

Get thee to a nunnery! :deal:

25 Apr 2008, 00:52

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: Youth and slang comes and goes, Shakespeare's language will last for ever.

He's a cunt.

I don't believe he ever used the c word, but that word will last forever.

How many times do you hear his language being used these days. Very little if not at all. Unless yer gay and go to a theatre.

Richard III - he was a cock as well.

25 Apr 2008, 01:07

Wasnt Shakespeare said to have been stoned when he wrote all his stuff anyway?

:shrug:

25 Apr 2008, 03:13

Shug wrote:

He's a cunt.

I don't believe he ever used the c word, but that word will last forever.

Shakespeare made several 'C word' jokes, including my favourite from 'Hamlet',

"HAMLET: Lady, shall I lie in your lap?

OPHELIA: No, my lord.

HAMLET: I mean, my head upon your lap?

OPHELIA: Ay, my lord.

HAMLET: Do you think I meant country matters?

OPHELIA: I think nothing, my lord.

HAMLET: That's a fair thought to lie between maids' legs."

Now what's so difficult to understand about that joke?

Shakespeare did sometimes use slang, but when appropriate - usually with the 'lower class' characters. He may well have been drunk or stoned while writing certain parts of his plays, but that hasn't stopped him being the most famous playwright in history. :)

25 Apr 2008, 03:53

get the kids hooked on the soft shit then introduce them to the hard stuff.

that’s the way to do it.

25 Apr 2008, 03:55

Shug wrote:

How many times do you hear his language being used these days. Very little if not at all.

yer reckon?

25 Apr 2008, 04:49

I still think he's a cunt though :nod:

25 Apr 2008, 04:52

In fact I'd go as far as to call him a gobshite.

25 Apr 2008, 04:53

25 Apr 2008, 08:44

Shug wrote:

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: Youth and slang comes and goes, Shakespeare's language will last for ever.

He's a cunt.

I don't believe he ever used the c word, but that word will last forever.

How many times do you hear his language being used these days. Very little if not at all. Unless yer gay and go to a theatre.

Richard III - he was a cock as well.

I beg your pardon, but you may be a bit envious that he's from England, while you're from Scotland and you have a different language. What would you say about Sir Robert?

25 Apr 2008, 09:00

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote:

Shug wrote:

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: Youth and slang comes and goes, Shakespeare's language will last for ever.

He's a cunt.

I don't believe he ever used the c word, but that word will last forever.

How many times do you hear his language being used these days. Very little if not at all. Unless yer gay and go to a theatre.

Richard III - he was a cock as well.

I beg your pardon, but you may be a bit envious that he's from England, while you're from Scotland and you have a different language. What would you say about Sir Robert?

Shug's from Scotland? :rofl: :spit:

:smoking:

25 Apr 2008, 09:22

Nick King wrote:

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote:

Shug wrote:

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: Youth and slang comes and goes, Shakespeare's language will last for ever.

He's a cunt.

I don't believe he ever used the c word, but that word will last forever.

How many times do you hear his language being used these days. Very little if not at all. Unless yer gay and go to a theatre.

Richard III - he was a cock as well.

I beg your pardon, but you may be a bit envious that he's from England, while you're from Scotland and you have a different language. What would you say about Sir Robert?

Shug's from Scotland?

:nod: ,Corby,its only a coule of hours down the road from Glasgow...

:laugh: