BRUCE WHITFIELD: Uneasy lies he that wears a shower head
For Zuma, as the play draws to a close, he must be wondering who his true friends are
You are unlikely to find too many young people who relish studying Shakespeare. His texts are more than 400 years old, the language dated and the stories out of sync with current problems. It's hardly surprising that the Department of Basic Education is re-evaluating his relevance. But considering the political machinations, passion, greed and avarice in South Africa over the past week, we can use Shakespeare to tell a modern story. When it comes to core themes of treachery and deceit, Shakespeare was the master. Perhaps by the end of this column, the department may be convinced of the author's merits. Either way, here goes. Prologue: Shakespeare was a fan of the prologue. It gave context. So let's start with Marcellus in Hamlet: "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." Moving rapidly to Act 1, Scene 1, to the witches in Macbeth: "Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble." It became clear this week that a conspiracy was being cooked up to rid President J...
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