Tag Archives: Henry IV Part I

Lord, How This World Is Given to Lying

By Robin Bates | Published: May 4, 2021

Trump’s big lie about winning in 2020, which has become gospel in certain GOP circles, brings to mind Falstaff’s lying.

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Cuomo Channels Shakespeare’s Henry V

By Robin Bates | Published: April 5, 2020

Andrew Cuomo’s recent speech to the National Guard has echoes of Henry V’s St. Crispin’s Day speech on the eve of Agincourt.

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Which Shakespeare Character Is Trump?

By Robin Bates | Published: January 2, 2019

Wednesday It’s satisfying to see national pundits take a page out of Better Living through Beowulf and turn to the classics to understand Donald Trump. Okay, so NeverTrumper conservative Bret Stephens has probably never read this blog, but we both recognize how literature deepens our understanding of the world, including American politics. I particularly appreciate […]

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Trump & GOP as Shakespearean Drama

By Robin Bates | Published: December 14, 2017

To see the decline of the GOP as a Shakespeare drama, one must draw on “Macbeth,” “Hamlet,,” “Henry IV,” and “King Lear.” And throw in Marlowe’s “Dr. Faustus.”

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Can Trump Cast Off His Falstaffs?

By Robin Bates | Published: November 20, 2016

Can Donald Trump, like Prince Hal in Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” plays, shift from irresponsible merrymaker to great leader? Can he say, “I know thee not old man” to his former companions? Dream on.

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Kill All the Lawyers? Nope, We Need Them

By Robin Bates | Published: October 12, 2016

A district judge reflects upon what lawyers and judges can learn from Shakespeare, including “Othello,” “Merchant of Venice, “Hamlet,” “King Lear,” most of the history plays, and others.

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Prince Hal in Today’s School System

By Robin Bates | Published: July 12, 2012

David Brooks argues that today’s “nurturing, collaborative” educational system would have kept Shakespeare’s Prince Hal from becoming one of England’s great kings.

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The Bard: Sublime Poet, Ace Businessman

By Robin Bates | Published: March 9, 2011

My son Darien and I were interviewed by Boomer Alley Radio yesterday—I’ve posted the listening times below in case any of you live out west or want to check out the podcast—and while I wish I’d gotten a bit more specific about how Shakespeare applies to business, it was fun. Everything I said on the […]

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Rex Ryan, a Modern Day Falstaff

By Robin Bates | Published: January 22, 2011

Sports Saturday As we move towards the NFL’s conference championships, one of the most interesting stories continues to be loud-mouthed Rex Ryan, the 350-pound coach of the New York Jets. If his team were to win its third straight road game tomorrow, it would be, in the words of Sport Illustrated’s Rick Reilly, the “greatest […]

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