Swearing by the Sword
Saturday, October 4th by scott malia
A recent news item focused on the issue of vast amount of swearing in pop culture in the United Kingdom. While it’s tempting to view the issue as yet another symptom of the casual-ization of society, the writer presents a different view. When talking about four-letter words, he notes some of the tackier choices of phrase by none other than Shakespeare. The question raised is whether or not this fact legitimizes the language either in its own time or in ours.
Rather than simply pointing the finger at contemporary society for its rich arsenal of four-letter words, the writer cites some of the historical sources for said words. In truth, the UK, along with the rest of Europe, is less shocked by language than censors in the U.S. I’d love to share some of the linguistic history with you, but I fear some might blanche at the asterisks and exclamation points used to coyly convey less-than-savory turns of phrase.
One particular word, which I would rank fairly highly on the list of words that might elicit a slap in the face, is figured quite prominently (if obliquely) in Hamlet. The brooding Dane may be in love with Ophelia, but when that love sours, all bets are off. Seriously, when you think about it, Shakespeare makes Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? seem tamer than a PBS cartoon. Will may have been a poet, but he could teach the people on Deadwood a thing or two about how to curse.
