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mnemosyne
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| Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:38 am
Post subject: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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It's me again
For some who may appreciate, a description of Colley Cibber, the famous
eighteenth century actor, made by a witness to his debut in Richard III:
«[...] being invested with the purple Robe, he screamed thro' four Acts
without Dignity or Decency. The Audience ill-pleas'd with the Farce,
accompany'd him with a smile of Contempt, but in the fifth Act, he
degenerated all at once into Sir Novelty; and when in the Heat of the Battle
at Bosworth Field, the King is dismounted, our Comic-Tragedian came on the
Stage, really breathless, and in a seeming Panick, screaming out this Line
thus -- A Harse, a Harse, my Kingdom for a Harse. This highly delighted
some, and disgusted others of his Auditors; and when he was kill'd by
Richmond, one might plainly perceive that the good People were not better
pleas'd that so execrable a Tyrant was destroy'd, than that so execrable an
Actor was silent.», The Laureat: or, the Right side of Colley Cibber, Esq;
containing, explanations, amendments, and observations, on a book intituled
an Apology for the Life, and Writings of Mr. Colley Cibber [...] With some
anecdotes [...] which he, thro' an excess of modesty, omitted. To which is
added the history of the life, manners and writings of Aesopus, the
tragedian, London, Roberts, 1740, p. 35.
Do you think the comic in "a harse, a harse, my Kingdom for a Harse" may
derive from its resemblance to "arse" (was the term already in use in that
century?), to the onomatopeic value (meaning the difficult breathing of the
actor), both.... or what?
thank you, I hope you enjoyed the passage
mnemosyne
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Molly Mockford
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| Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 4:54 am
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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At 21:38:19 on Sat, 10 Jul 2004, mnemosyne <annesma@libero.it> wrote in
<flZHc.46460$c_1.1452365@twister1.libero.it>:
| Quote: | Do you think the comic in "a harse, a harse, my Kingdom for a Harse" may
derive from its resemblance to "arse" (was the term already in use in that
century?)
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Absolutely definitely. The term was in use a long, long time before
that.
It might have added to the audience's delight that the adding of a
non-existent h to words beginning with a vowel is an indication of
somebody who normally drops the initial h trying to speak "posher" than
is natural to him by adding it in every possible circumstance - see
Dickens' "Pickwick Papers", for instance.
--
Molly Mockford
I think I've been too long on my own, but the little green goblin that
lives under the sink says I'm OK - and he's never wrong, so I must be!
(My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) |
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John Briggs
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 9:57 pm
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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Molly Mockford wrote:
| Quote: | At 21:38:19 on Sat, 10 Jul 2004, mnemosyne <annesma@libero.it> wrote in
flZHc.46460$c_1.1452365@twister1.libero.it>:
Do you think the comic in "a harse, a harse, my Kingdom for a Harse" may
derive from its resemblance to "arse" (was the term already in use in
that century?)
Absolutely definitely. The term was in use a long, long time before
that.
It might have added to the audience's delight that the adding of a
non-existent h to words beginning with a vowel is an indication of
somebody who normally drops the initial h trying to speak "posher" than
is natural to him by adding it in every possible circumstance - see
Dickens' "Pickwick Papers", for instance.
|
Also resemblance to "ass". Anyone who pronounced "horse" as "harse" would
be quite capable of pronouncing "ass" as "ahss" (unlike Americans, of carse
 ).
--
John Briggs
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Molly Mockford
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 12:00 am
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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At 15:57:08 on Sun, 11 Jul 2004, John Briggs <john.briggs4@ntlworld.com>
wrote in <ordIc.331$0a6.247@newsfe2-win.ntli.net>:
| Quote: | Also resemblance to "ass". Anyone who pronounced "horse" as "harse" would
be quite capable of pronouncing "ass" as "ahss" (unlike Americans, of carse
).
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In the heydey of showjumping, the great German rider Alwin Shockemoehle
(OK, who else remembers the Schockemoehle brothers?) bred a rather good
horse which he named "Alwin's Ass".
He meant, of course, "Alwin's Ace". But that wasn't how he registered
the name. And it got quite a few laughs - for one reason or another.
--
Molly Mockford
I think I've been too long on my own, but the little green goblin that
lives under the sink says I'm OK - and he's never wrong, so I must be!
(My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) |
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mUs1Ka
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 12:53 am
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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Molly Mockford wrote:
| Quote: | In the heydey of showjumping, the great German rider Alwin
Shockemoehle (OK, who else remembers the Schockemoehle brothers?)...
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Paul was the younger brother, right?
--
Ray |
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John Hall
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 1:57 am
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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In article <xmJkhkUVBY8AFw+E@molly.mockford>,
Molly Mockford <nospamnobody@mollymockford.me.uk> writes:
| Quote: | (OK, who else remembers the Schockemoehle brothers?)
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I'll see your Schockemoehle brothers and raise you the d'Inzeo brothers.
--
John Hall
"If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts;
but if he will be content to begin with doubts,
he shall end in certainties." Francis Bacon (1561-1626) |
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Molly Mockford
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 2:22 am
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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At 19:53:14 on Sun, 11 Jul 2004, mUs1Ka <mUs1Ka@exite.com> wrote in
<2ldgkuFbli73U1@uni-berlin.de>:
| Quote: | Molly Mockford wrote:
In the heydey of showjumping, the great German rider Alwin
Shockemoehle (OK, who else remembers the Schockemoehle brothers?)...
Paul was the younger brother, right?
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Yes. His particular talent was training the horses; he was never
anything like the brilliant rider that Alwin was, although when Alwin
retired Paul started a lot more competitive riding, and was very good
indeed.
Thoroughly off-topic now so FU set to poster!
--
Molly Mockford
I think I've been too long on my own, but the little green goblin that
lives under the sink says I'm OK - and he's never wrong, so I must be!
(My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) |
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mUs1Ka
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:34 am
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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John Hall wrote:
| Quote: | In article <xmJkhkUVBY8AFw+E@molly.mockford>,
Molly Mockford <nospamnobody@mollymockford.me.uk> writes:
(OK, who else remembers the Schockemoehle brothers?)
I'll see your Schockemoehle brothers and raise you the d'Inzeo
brothers.
I remember Raimondo, who was his brother? |
--
Ray |
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Einde O'Callaghan
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:41 am
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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Molly Mockford wrote:
| Quote: | At 15:57:08 on Sun, 11 Jul 2004, John Briggs <john.briggs4@ntlworld.com
wrote in <ordIc.331$0a6.247@newsfe2-win.ntli.net>:
Also resemblance to "ass". Anyone who pronounced "horse" as "harse"
would
be quite capable of pronouncing "ass" as "ahss" (unlike Americans, of
carse
).
In the heydey of showjumping, the great German rider Alwin Shockemoehle
(OK, who else remembers the Schockemoehle brothers?) bred a rather good
horse which he named "Alwin's Ass".
He meant, of course, "Alwin's Ace". But that wasn't how he registered
the name. And it got quite a few laughs - for one reason or another.
|
Teh German for "ace" is "As", pronounced roughly the same as the English
"ass".
Regards, Einde O'Callaghan |
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Peter Duncanson
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:53 am
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 22:34:26 +0100, "mUs1Ka" <mUs1Ka@exite.com> wrote:
| Quote: | John Hall wrote:
In article <xmJkhkUVBY8AFw+E@molly.mockford>,
Molly Mockford <nospamnobody@mollymockford.me.uk> writes:
(OK, who else remembers the Schockemoehle brothers?)
I'll see your Schockemoehle brothers and raise you the d'Inzeo
brothers.
I remember Raimondo, who was his brother?
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Piero.
--
Peter Duncanson
UK
(posting from u.c.l.e) |
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FB
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 4:07 am
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 20:57:45 +0100, John Hall wrote:
| Quote: | I'll see your Schockemoehle brothers and raise you the d'Inzeo brothers.
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Is this poker jargon?
Bye, FB
--
"Nasalization is just a part of life"
(Joey DoWop Dee on it.cultura.linguistica.inglese) |
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John Hall
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 2:50 pm
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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In article <761c9vqasahp.7daqism5669b.dlg@40tude.net>,
FB <fam.balducciNOSPAM@tin.it> writes:
| Quote: | On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 20:57:45 +0100, John Hall wrote:
I'll see your Schockemoehle brothers and raise you the d'Inzeo brothers.
Is this poker jargon?
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Yes.
--
John Hall
"Think wrongly if you please,
but in all cases think for yourself."
Doris Lessing |
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FB
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 5:39 pm
Post subject: Re: ...my kingdom for a harse |
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On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 09:50:42 +0100, John Hall wrote:
| Quote: | In article <761c9vqasahp.7daqism5669b.dlg@40tude.net>,
FB <fam.balducciNOSPAM@tin.it> writes:
On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 20:57:45 +0100, John Hall wrote:
I'll see your Schockemoehle brothers and raise you the d'Inzeo brothers.
Is this poker jargon?
Yes.
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Thank you. In Italian it si "Vedo..., e rilancio di...".
Bye, FB
--
L'importante è che risplenda tu, sola primadonna e immarcescibile leggenda
del tuo pianerottolo.
(Lucangel su it.cultura.libri) |
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