The battle to build Shakespeare’s Globe

Shakespeare is admirable for his use of and contributions to the language, and for his poetry. But his works describe much that is simply too violent and gruesome to be tolerated in the world of to-day as we struggle towards civilisation. The blue pencil is overdue where Shakespeare is concerned. Let revised and corrected editions of his plays be put out, and the original texts consigned to locked cabinets in our larger libraries, where they may be consulted only by bona fide scholars. I contend that it was the reading of Shakespeare's original drama by youths of the day that led directly to the war of 1914. Some one such as Shaw makes a much more suitable and less harmful model for modern youths.

How, kleines c? Simply by treating as acceptable the unacceptable, speaking about the unspeakable, and making out that the uncivilized might be incorporated into our tottering proto-civilization.

In cases such as this one instinctively turns does one not to the O.E.D., wherein we find:

"Orig. pronounced, according to the analogy of words in -ble from Fr. and L., 'ACceptable, and so in all poets to the present day; but from the tendency to treat it as a direct derivative from the vb. ac'CEPT, as in ad'VISable, mi'STAKable, de'NIable, under'STANDable, the pronunciation ac'CEPTable is now more prevalent. So with the derivatives acceptably, -ableness. Sometimes compared acceptabler, -est. Capable, worthy, or likely to be accepted or gladly received; hence, pleasing, agreeable, gratifying, or welcome."

That "likely" is significant here. We must perforce conclude that to be beyond the pale there has to BE a pale!

No, I boycotted this particular film, Sydney.

The Guardian - Shakespeare – a fraud? Anonymous is ridiculous