General delay
Bell, Robert H.
GENERAL DELAY ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL "Boy,'' said President Reagan, ' I saw Rambo last night and next time I'll know what to do." New York limes G OOD afternoon, gentlemen. I've called...
...Which would you like to hear first...
...Exactly...
...That's why we've devised several contingency plans for you to examine...
...Of course the hero has to delay killing Claudius...
...You know, I saw Barrymore play Lear in 1939...
...Otherwise the play would be a one-act revenge tragedy — and Olivier never would have filmed it...
...President, in my opinion, we've been delaying long enough...
...No, General Food...
...Will King Lear be on the final exam, sir...
...And I think that's the opinion of the American people...
...Nothing in the play refutes the essential fact that Claudius murdered the king...
...Mr...
...Othello sees things too simply, in terms of good and evil, which suits him well on die battlefield but not in the realm of human relations...
...sort of to think about itfor a bit...
...He was monumental — die more so because his Lear was so utterly humbled...
...President, I think you might well be right...
...Mr...
...I' m thinking of doing nothing for awhile...
...I think we'll save Lear for the term paper...
...I'd like to bounce my idea* off you...
...Well, General Electric, it's certainly true Chat that simple fact is never in doubt...
...You see, I saw Hamlet last night and this time I think I know what to do...
...No, I much prefer the tragic wisdom of die melancholy Dane...
...President, if you don't mind my disagreeing with you, sir, I think you've over-emphasized the importance of delay in Hamlet...
...But how one should respond * to a simple fact — that's the elusive, complex problem...
...And I say to myself, *Self, he would zap the bastards...
...I happen to have seen King Lear last night and learned that there are a lot of ways to win and lose...
...Mr...
...Lear begins 'every inch a king' in the superficial sense, reveling in the panorama and procession of me court, relishing the power of monarchy...
...You know, Mr...
...I've called this meeting with the National Security council and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss possible responses to the hostage crisis...
...President, I also saw a Shakespeare play last night and it might offer us some wisdom...
...I don't see it that way, General Mills...
...Delay seems central to Hamlet's character because he's a man of introspection, reflection, inferiority...
...Oh, I don't know, let me Think about it...
...Although the extent of Lear's tragic wisdom is certainly debatable...
...Kind ofdelay action until I have a chance to mull over ail the possibilties...
...ROBERT H. BELL ^ (Robert H.Bell teaches English at Williams College, and airs his humor on National Public Radio...
...That's exactly what we're here for...
...President, that's a highly modern, existential interpretation...
...Of course it is, General Tire...
...What, 1 ask '' myself, would Othello do in this situation...
...It's a crucial line because it expresses those qualities of character which precipitate the tragic catastrophe...
...That's why people, continue to read and study and discuss Shakespeare...
...Ultimately he defines himself as nothing more than 'a foolish fond ojd man/ imploring Cordelia for forgiveness...
...A dandy subject for a seminar paper would be King Lear's Military Options...
...Once in doubt is once to be resolved.' " 'Yes, General Dynamics, Othello does say that, in Act H, scene bi, if I remember correctly...
...Mr...
...Throw everything he has at them!' In die words of the immortal bard...
...He's a hero who introduces himself with a pun — "A little more than kin and less than kind' — which expresses his sense of the multiplicity of meanings and the disparity between appearances and reality, if one can speak of reality in a world as problematical as Hamlet's...
...If I may be so bold as to ask, what do you think...
...We've put together options involving the Seventh Fleet, the Green Berets, the Marine Helicopter Unit, and, as a last resort, the Nuclear Threat...
...Commonweal: 598...
Vol. 112 • November 1985 • No. 19
