While reflecting on the last four years, I was drawn to the words of The Bard. In particular, the words of Mark Antony from the play “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” — “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” — resonate loudly in our politically dysfunctional country. Perhaps the words of Shakespeare can begin to help us heal.
Trump: Build a wall to keep out murderers and rapists.
Chorus: He is an honorable man.
Trump: Rip infant children from their mothers’ arms, never to be reunited. Put the children in cages. Deport their mothers.
Chorus: But he is an honorable man. They are all honorable men.
Trump: Get President Zelensky of Ukraine to lie about my opponent, Joe Biden, to smear him before the election, or he will not get any military aid.
Chorus: We all know he is an honorable man.
Trump: Don’t worry, the coronavirus will disappear. It is a hoax. You don’t need to wear a mask. Maybe you should drink bleach. Today, there are nearly 300,000 dead Americans and the numbers are going up rapidly — but I must play golf.
Chorus: But we all know he is an honorable man.
Trump: The election was rigged. It was riddled with voter fraud. “I won! I won! I won!” You must not believe in our election process. I will never concede.
Chorus: Alas, he is an honorable man. They are all honorable men.
I am not so presumptuous as to think my words might change anything, but perhaps those of Shakespeare will get some of us to reexamine the truth.
Michael Alestra
East Quogue
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