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A rose by any other name would still have thorns.
Oh. I thought that ...A nose by any other name would smell a sweet.
I saw Bill Moyers' new PBS show last night wherein Herman Gollob, author of Me and Shakespeare, stated that the common theme of the tragedies was the conflict between ego and altruism. Using that idea, could a tragedy even be written today? IMHO, altruism has been murdered.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Geoff: though repeatedly violated, altruism is more widely practised than at any time in previous human history. It just hurts more because we notice selfishness more.
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could a play be written today about dreams, since MacBeth murdered sleep?
Ohmygosh, I thought it was SHEEP, in keeping with Lady Mc's killing their dog ("Out, damn Spot!")
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Gollub's statement that "altruism vs. ego is a common theme of the tragedies of Shakespeare": this
seems an unsupported notion, given the tragedies themselves. Key, in point, are two of the most well-known:
Hamlet & Romeo&Juliet. IMHO, the only completely altruistic characters in these particular plays are,
respectively, Horatio and Benvolio - neither of whom is, unfortunately, actively involved in the conflict.
Don't these two stand as balance points, or sources of reason, somewhat like a Greek chorus, or Lear's fool? And the very name Benvolio seems to suggest altruistic behavior.
I'm not saying that I agree with Gollub, and your citations well refute what ws said in the short time allotted to him on TV - I just tossed it out as food for thought. As for altruism being dead, I did get hyperbolic, but the world seems so steeped in egoistic corporate power and the de-selfing of the common person (as seen in the term "consumer" usurping the place and implicit rights of "customer") that I go overboard with exaggeration at times.
As for your mentioning Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," I'm more worried about another "Crucible," wherein the righteous kill the right. Dr Bill, you lived through the time Miller wrote about in allegory. Do you not see parallels?
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Dear mav: to tease you gently,whouldn't this be in WW's thread about words that get confused?
ferment vs fomentWell, Bill, you make an interesting point. But hang on a mo – just consider this definition of ‘foment’: vt, to apply a warm lotion to; to foster or instigate (usually evil) – n fomentation the application of a warm lotion. […] to reduce inflammation and pain {from Latin fovere, to warm}Instigating evil – yes, quite accurate; but reducing inflammation? I don’t think so! ;) Now contrast it with this definition for ‘ferment’: n a substance that excites fermentation; fermentation; agitation; tumult; vt to cause fermentation in; to work up, excite […] fermentation the act or process of fermenting; a slow decomposition process […] accompanied by evolution of heat and gas… {from Latin fervere to boil} (both definitions from Chambers Concise 1997) Uh-huhhhhh – exciting tumult which results in slow decomposition accompanied by heat and gas – that does it for me  So how come ‘foment’ came to have the meaning of “instigating evil” attached to it, when otherwise it usually refers to a therapeutic poultice?
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Dear mav: I can see we need not fear you fomenting a revolution.
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altruism is more widely practiced now than at any time in previous human history. - wwh Hear, hear, Uncle Bill, so true, so true. Now if we can only learn to properly integrate altruism with the purpose of our existence we will become a happy bunch. - -
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