Quote of the day

grahamg said:
"Is that what's called bringing things down to rock bottom",(note Shakespearean reference !). :)
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Quote:
"Nick Bottom is a character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream who provides comic relief throughout the play. A weaver by trade, he is famously known for getting his head transformed into that of a donkey by the elusive Puck."

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/m/a-midsummer-nights-dream/character-analysis/bottom

"Probably created as a showcase for one of Shakespeare's favorite actors, Bottom's role involves dancing, singing, and laughter. From his first introduction, Bottom is presented as courageous and outgoing. He is confident in his ability to play any, even all, roles in "Pyramus and Thisbe." For example, he says his performance of Pyramus will cause the audience to cry a storm load of tears. As the audience realizes, this confidence is misplaced, and Bottom is little more than a swaggering fool — indeed, an ass, as Puck's prank makes apparent."

Break
"Although Bottom is the locus of comedy in the play — he's a traditional Shakespearean clown — he also draws the audience's attention to serious themes, such as the relationship between reality and imagination. In preparing for the performance of "Pyramus and Thisbe," Bottom continually draws his fellow players' attention back to the question of the audience's gullibility: Will the ladies be upset when Pyramus kills himself; will they realize that the lion is not a lion but an actor? To remedy the first problem, Bottom asks Quince to write a prologue, explaining Pyramus is not really dead, and that Pyramus is not, in fact, Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver. In this instance, Bottom focuses the audience's attention on the difficulty of differentiating reality and perception; his solution suggests his belief that the players' acting will be too convincing, that they will fully realize the goal of theater."
 

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of
the earth are never alone or weary of life. Those who
contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of
strength that will endure as long as life lasts. The
more clearly we can focus our attention on wonders and
realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have
for destruction. Rachel Carson1.jpg​
 

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