“If
all the year were playing holidays,
To
sport would be as tedious as to work.”—Prince Hal in English playwright and
poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Henry IV, Part I (1600)
When
I came across this quote a week ago, there was no identification of it other
than the fact that it had been written by Shakespeare. But it reminded me an
awful lot of a class I took on Shakespeare nearly 40 years ago with Columbia
University’s Edward Tayler.
The theme I recall, from that single semester, was
about going from the world of holiday to the world of everyday—and sure enough,
this is the passage that Prince Hal, boon companion to a bunch of hellraisers
like Falstaff, will negotiate on his way to becoming King Henry V, the monarch
who will reject his old way of life in assuming his new responsibilities.
This
week, then, will be the last chance to enjoy the world of holiday while we can.
Let’s enjoy it while we can.
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