In order to hold the attention of Nias Warouw and his Guards, Flandry, their prisoner, recites:
"'Pillicock sat on Pillicock-hill...'" (p. 139)
We find, if we did not know already, which I did not, that this speech is from King Lear. See here.
Next, he cries:
"'Take heed o' the foul fiend...'" (ibid.)
- which, we learn, are Edgar's next words in King Lear. See here.
Finally:
"'This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet...'" (ibid.)
- which, again, Edgar says soon afterwards in King Lear. See the second link above.
Neither Anderson's text nor the attached image name the author of King Lear, which is surely superfluous. Nevertheless, I had read "The Plague of Masters" several times without knowing that Flandry's three gibberish speeches share a single famous source.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Nor I! But, alas, I was never the fan of Shakespeare Poul Anderson was. What I thought of just now, hoever, was that this translation of bits from KING LEAR into Pulaoic by Flandry shows us that people in the Empire still read and appreciated the Bard. By then, of course, translated into the Anglic of Flandry's time.
And/or did Flandry take the trouble to learn Old Anglic (our English)?
Ad astra! Sean
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