TEXT:
MACBETH (continued)
Was it not yesterday we spoke together?
First Murderer
It was, so please your highness.
MACBETH
Well then, now
Have you considered of my speeches? Know
That it was he in the times past which held you
So under fortune, which you thought had been
Our innocent self: this I made good to you
In our last conference, passed in probation with you,
How you were borne in hand, how crossed,
The instruments, who wrought with them,
And all things else that might to half a soul
And to a notion crazed say 'Thus did Banquo.'
First Murderer
You made it known to us.
MACBETH
I did so, and went further, which is now
Our point of second meeting. Do you find
Your patience so predominant in your nature
That you can let this go? Are you so gospelled
To pray for this good man and for his issue,
Whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave
And beggared yours for ever?
First Murderer
We are men, my liege.
MACBETH
Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men;
As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,
Shoughs, water-rugs and demi-wolves, are clept
All by the name of dogs: the valued file
Distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle,
The housekeeper, the hunter, every one
According to the gift which bounteous nature
Hath in him closed; whereby he does receive
Particular addition. from the bill
That writes them all alike: and so of men.
Now, if you have a station in the file,
Not i' the worst rank of manhood, say 't;
And I will put that business in your bosoms,
Whose execution takes your enemy off,
Grapples you to the heart and love of us,
Who wear our health but sickly in his life,
Which in his death were perfect.
NOTES:
Laurence Olivier
Considered one of the greatest Shakespearean interpreters of the 20th century, Laurence Olivier (1907-1989) played Macbeth in a landmark production at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1955. It was long rumoured that Olivier planned to make a film of the play - following his enormous successes with Henry V, Hamlet and Richard III - but the film never got made. In 2013, an article in the Guardian described the discovery of an extensive screenplay for Olivier’s adaptation, which included some rather drastic and exciting revisions to the play. Read here for more details!
John Caius
John Kays (1510-1573), also known as John or Johannes Caius, was an English physician. He was very well-travelled, and received his medical degree in Padua, having already graduated from Gonville Hall in Cambridge. After time spent in Italy, France and Germany, he returned to England, where he was admitted to the College of Physicians. Evidently a very dynamic and popular man, he served as its president for several years. He was physician to several monarchs - Edward VI, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I, although the latter dismissed him because he was a steadfast Catholic. With the money he made from his royal appointment, he invested in his Cambridge alma mater, and thanks to his generous expansion, it was renamed Gonville and Caius College. (I must apologise sincerely - I think I said that the college was in Oxford within the podcast. I know that it is in Cambridge!) Caius was something of an early zoologist, with a great interest in the natural world. The book mentioned in the podcast, De Canibus Britannicis, was just one of many volumes Caius published about animals and nature. Some have argued that he was also the inspiration for the character of Dr. Caius in Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor. Perhaps we’ll discuss that if and when this becomes The Falstaff Podcast…!
Edward Topsell
Edward Topsell (1572-1625) was a cleric and author. He was curate of the church of St. Botolph’s in Aldersgate in London, very close to Silver Street, where we know that Shakespeare lived as a lodger in the 1600s. Topsell is most famous for his two books, The History of Four-Footed Beasts and The History of Serpents. Unlike Caius, Topsell was not a scientiest or an expert - only a valiant enthusiast. As such, his books have perhaps a less-than-scientific acumen, but they are filled with juicy nuggets of random information and even some mythical beasts. Topsell would have us know, for example, that apes are terrified of snails, and that weasels give birth through their ears. He also gives details of unicorns, sphinxes, manticores and even gorgons. He draws the line, perhaps disappointingly, at the existence of the hydra.
St. Botolphs, Aldersgate
I had never heard of St. Botolph until this episode, but he was an English saint who lived during the 7th century. Rather gloriously, he is the patron saint of boundaries, and so by extension of trade and travel. There are various churches and parishes dedicated to him besides the pretty church in Aldersgatel; my favourite is in Buttsbury, Essex. Apparently Buttsbury derives from Botolfvespirie, meaning Botolph’s Pear Tree. How lovely is that?!
Shakespeare on Silver Street
Before you go anywhere else, I must direct you immediately to Charles Nicholl’s terrific book The Lodger - Shakespeare on Silver Street which unpacks what little information we have of Shakespeare’s life during the time that he lived at this address in London. It is a great read, and gives a super insight into daily life in the city at that time.
King James and Dogs
The only breed of dog mentioned in the King James Bible is the greyhound, at Proverbs 30:29-31. It is fairly unlikely that greyhounds existed in ancient Palestine, so why might this have been the chosen canine for the translation? We do know that James adored hunting, and wreaked havoc when and wherever he chose to visit with the Royal Hunt. He imported dogs from France, and commandeered them from all over England, too. The whole affair was a bit of a nightmare for the farmers and landowners who would have to house and feed (and then clean up after) the royal party when it elected to appear.
Mongrels
A mongrel is a dog of mixed-breed, also known in contemporary English by the slang term mutt. Unlike fashionable mixed-breeds (like cockapoos or labradoodles, etc), a mongrel is an unintential mix of dog breeds.
Spaniels
Spaniels are a kind of hunting dog - in the 16th century there were land spaniels and water spaniels, although the latter is now extinct. The Stuart royal family were huge fans of hunting and hunting dogs - King James’ son Charles even gives his name to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel!
Curs
Nowadays we use the word cur to refer to an aggressive dog, often a mongrel. It’s a very pejorative term for any “bad dog”. But in fact it used to be a specific breed of drover’s dog. Sadly, they were extinct by the mid-19th century. As a breed they were said to be smart, clever, active and a bit restless. They had the reputation of being able to separate the cattle of their master’s herd from any others!
Shoughs
Having checked this passage in about 10 filmed performances, all of which pronounced it to rhyme with “rough”, I’ve found in written sources that it was also known as a Shock-dog. So perhaps it should be shock rather than shuff? Regardless, here’s a rather acerbic description of the now-extinct breed from The Dog, a full catalogue of canines by William Youatt in 1852. He writes that the shough is “…traced by Buffon, but somewhat erroneously, to a mixture of the small Danish dog and the pug. The head is round, the eyes large, but somewhat concealed by its long and curly hair, the tail curved and bent forward. The muzzle resembles that of the pug. It is of small size, and is used in this country and on the Continent as a lap-dog. It is very properly described by the author of The Field Book as a useless little animal, seeming to possess no other quality than that of a faithful attachment to his mistress.”
Water-Rugs
We aren’t quite sure what Shakespeare means here, but perhaps it’s a nod to water dogs, or water spaniels, the kinds of breed that were good at hunting and loved to swim. They were excellent at catching game from the water. Perhaps “rug” refers to their rough, characteristically long hair. There are still several long-haired water dogs that are popular around the world.
Demi-Wolves
A demi-wolf is a dog that is half-wolf. (It’s not a werewolf, which would be half-wolf and half-human!)