Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA Path: utzoo!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cepu!ucla-cs!das From: das@ucla-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.consumers,net.invest Subject: Re: Free VISA & Mastercard and Shakespeare Message-ID: <6131@ucla-cs.ARPA> Date: Tue, 25-Jun-85 02:09:17 EDT Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.6131 Posted: Tue Jun 25 02:09:17 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 26-Jun-85 00:26:42 EDT References: <1805@ut-ngp.UUCP> <1478@utah-gr.UUCP> <1122@peora.UUCP> <1751@amdcad.UUCP> Reply-To: das@ucla-cs.UUCP (David Smallberg) Distribution: na Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 20 Xref: dcdwest net.consumers:2565 net.invest:530 Summary: In article <1751@amdcad.UUCP> phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) writes: >Well, in a play written by Shakespeare named Hamlet, a character named >Polonius said: > Neither a borrower nor a lender be; ... > This above all -- to thine own self be true, ... >However, Polonius was portrayed as a fool ... Indeed. These cliches were cliches in Shakespeare's time. A popular book around the time Shakespeare wrote Hamlet was a book of aphorisms including these and others that appear in Polonius's advice to Hamlet. The humor to Elizabethan audiences here (the literate members, at least) is that Polonius thinks himself to be imparting important wisdom to Hamlet, but the "wisdom" is a collection of hackneyed cliches; thus Polonius is really a fool. [Shakespeare is not a registered investment counselor; I'm proud to be in such good company.] -- David Smallberg, das@{ucla-cs.ARPA,cs.ucla.edu}, {ihnp4,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!das