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amy and the purplely apostrophe
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2 seconds later in the New Yorker, more pretentiousness. Sir Ian McKellen turned down the role of Falstaff because the director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Gregory Doran, was living with a more suited player for the role, Antony Sher. This gives the New Yorkers a chance to tie Shakespeare to Trump.
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But the character of Falstaff, who is described by Samuel Johnson as a 'thief and a glutton, a coward, and a boaster; always ready to cheat the weak, and prey upon the poor; to terrify the timorous, and insult the defenceless," has an unexpected relevance to the current election season. What might be called the Falstaff question-- is this man a harmless buffoon, or a dangerous threat to the world order?-- has, perforce, become a national preoccupation. 'What Shakespeare manages to do is make Falstaff really charming by exposing what a bullshitter he is,' Sher observed. 'Somehow, that never happens with Trump. He is so charmless.' Doran pointed out another dissimlarity between the two men: 'Falstaff would never put himself up for election.'
Falstaff a jest, but in America a serious proposition. And people love it!
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