William Shakespeare Quotes
Do you take me for a sponge, my lord? hamlet: Ay, sir; that soaks up the king's countenance, his rewards, his authorities. But such officers do the king best service in the end: he keeps them, like an ape, in the corner of his jaw; first mouthed, to be last swallowed: when he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry again. rosencrantz: I understand you not, my lord. hamlet: I am glad of it: a knavish speech sleeps in a foolish ear.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Simon & Schuster, 2012.
This statement has represented the reality of governments before and after.
Essentially, she was telling all the political forces that they were in the wrong and had to compromise. One could not tell the King, Louis XIV, that he was wrong at that time and place, so she told him that he was poorly advised, but everyone, including the king knew what she meant.
This is a variation of the famous Lord Acton quote {292904}.
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. They also continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
