To Be Or Not To Be

Was there ever a phrase so widespread in any other merchandise? What is interesting here are the ways in which the phrase is used. A number of retailers make dreadful puns. The website Shakespeare's Den offers babywear in the form of a bib and bodysuit with 'to pee or not to pee' and a 'To do or not to do' notepad. The RSC Gift shop sells the inevitable, groan-inducing '2B or not 2B' marked on a pencil, magnet, badge and pencil tin.

Puns are, at least, forgiveable. They are deeply embedded in the soul of the most ardent Bardolator. There are, however, some quite baffling representations  CafePress sells a wall art poster that breaks the speech down in the form of business objectives listing pros and cons with some aspects such as 'Which is nobler in the mind?' marked as 'tabled for later discussion'. They also sell a T-shirt that substitutes the words 'to be' with pictures of two bees, one depicting a cartoon of Shakespeare holding a pair of 3D glasses and the question '2D or not 2D' and another has a portrait of Shakespeare offering 'To be or not to be and shit like that'.

What are truly mind-boggling are the attempts at representing the speech in the form of various scientific abstractions such as: '2b|| !2b = ?'. There are also:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

None of which has to do with the Danish ditherer. This is the modern variant of Shakespeare's universality. This is reducing Shakespeare to an alphanumeric, diagrammatic, almost digital format which might not, initially seem to be harmful. After all, the very concept behind one of the great digital enterprises of the century, the internet, was its universality - 'This is for everyone'. What could be wrong with a little humorous digital play on Shakespeare's most recognised speech? But rendering Shakespeare as datastream in this way does not mean that Shakespeare's words in this case are opened up for exploration. One of the great ironies of digital technology is that one can use it without the slightest concept of how it all works. And in the same way that the internet is a tool to be used with no understanding of the underlying technology, codifying Shakespeare in this way removes the need for an understanding of what actually lies behind Shakespeare's words. This is how a phrase synonymous with meditations on life, translates such equivocation into the modern vernacular. Like most of the internet, reducing 'To be or not to be' to a mathematical formula, is not as artful or subversive a form as it first appears.


Merchandise available from RSC Gift Shop and http://www.rsc.org.uk/shop/ ; Photograph from current display at the giftshop.For Shakespeare's Den, see http://www.shakespearesden.com/shakespeare-collectibles.html; Cafe Press is at http://shop.cafepress.co.uk/to-be-or-not-to-be and illustrations are taken from their website.

Shakespeare Busts

The bust of Shakespeare is the very emblem of literary respectability. It evokes cavernous libraries enveloped in the dust of ages. It marks one as possessing the sensibilities of the earnest connoisseur. The classical grandeur of these eyeless forms imparts to us a Shakespeare of The Ages, timeless and ever so slightly intimidating.

Modern housing, however, is not conducive to the presence of such behemoths. Interestingly, any sizeable bust of Shakespeare is now sold in the distressed resinous form of the garden ornament. The largest bust available that suits modern homes is the 17 inch resin reproduction of an original sculpture by Pam Taylor available at the Globe. The Shakespeare Giftshop does sell a rather expensive handmade black Jasper Wedgewood bust; but also provides an elegant compromise in the form of a small, discreet white bust, carved from gypsum plaster to resemble marble that fits perfectly on the modern flat pack bookshelf and lends a little cognizance to the collection of books therein. There are also tiny busts available, very cheap and nasty in souvenir shops everywhere. It is instantly recognisable as Shakespeare; but also quite obvious that the manufacturing process involved grabbing the mould of Ghengis Khan and shaving the top of his head.

 

 

 

 

Busts are available from http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/shop/product/shakespeare-bust/70 and http://shop.shakespeare.org.uk/shop/ Photographs taken from current display at the Birthplace Gift Shop. Therre is an identical bust available from the National Portrait Gallery - see http://www.npg.org.uk/shop