[net.consumers] Free VISA & Mastercard and Shakespeare

phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) (06/22/85)

In article <1122@peora.UUCP> jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) writes:
>(This philosophical opposition goes back to something Shakespeare said
>once.  You know...
>
>	Never a borrower, nor a lender be.

Well, in a play written by Shakespeare named Hamlet, a character named
Polonius said:

	Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
	For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
	And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
	This above all -- to thine own self be true,
	And it must follow, as the night the day,
	Thou canst not then be false to any man.

However, Polonius was portrayed as a fool, so if you wish to take the
advice of a fool, feel free.
-- 
 Offensive pickup line follows:
"Hi there, want to be my boy toy?"

 Phil Ngai (408) 749-5720
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jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) (06/24/85)

> However, Polonius was portrayed as a fool, so if you wish to take the
> advice of a fool, feel free.

But throughout literature, one of the attributes of the "fool" has been
that, amid his folly, he often revealed moments of brilliant insight ...

[Seems like even "The Beatles" had a song about that.]
-- 
Shyy-Anzr:  J. Eric Roskos
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	    "Erny vfgf qba'g hfr Xbqnpuebzr."

das@ucla-cs.UUCP (06/25/85)

In article <1751@amdcad.UUCP> phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) writes:
>Well, in a play written by Shakespeare named Hamlet, a character named
>Polonius said:
>	Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
 ...
>	This above all -- to thine own self be true,
 ...
>However, Polonius was portrayed as a fool ...

Indeed.  These cliches were cliches in Shakespeare's time.  A popular book
around the time Shakespeare wrote Hamlet was a book of aphorisms including
these and others that appear in Polonius's advice to Hamlet.  The humor to
Elizabethan audiences here (the literate members, at least) is that Polonius
thinks himself to be imparting important wisdom to Hamlet, but the "wisdom"
is a collection of hackneyed cliches; thus Polonius is really a fool.

[Shakespeare is not a registered investment counselor; I'm proud to be in such
 good company.]

-- David Smallberg, das@{ucla-cs.ARPA,cs.ucla.edu}, {ihnp4,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!das

jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) (07/01/85)

(The referenced article comments on my quoting Gilligan's Island...uh...
Shakespeare as justifying my philosophies regarding credit, stating that
Polonius's words were popular aphorisms at the time, and that Polonius
was "really a fool".  It concludes:

> [Shakespeare is not a registered investment counselor; I'm proud to be in
> such good company.])

There's true folly in saying that "loan oft loses both itself and friend";
just read the postings in net.singles on making loans to SOs, and you will
forthwith see.

Fortunately, when dealing with a bank, loan never loses itself; only friend.
Thus you only have to worry about dulling the edge of husbandry...
-- 
Shyy-Anzr:  J. Eric Roskos
UUCP:       ..!{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!vax135!petsd!peora!jer
US Mail:    MS 795; Perkin-Elmer SDC;
	    2486 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32809-7642