I took a lot of Shakespeare in school. I love Shakespeare. When someone knows how to perform it, and not just recite it, wow. It gets me in the guts.
Knowing that, my wife sent me this video, and holy hannah, did it hit hard. For those who don't know, this monologue was from a play called Sir Thomas More. The monologue itself is attributed to Shakespeare, the play though, had many authors due to repeated censorship, impracticality and revisions. This play was rarely performed because there's something like 50 speaking roles, and not a lot of them were easily recycled characters, so you couldn't just chuck on a different costume and be someone else. Just for reference, I think most Shakespeare plays capped out at around 20 max, with several of them able to be swapped actors.
But that is just context. What Ian McKellen performs in this scene is magic. Absolutely. I was in tears watching this. He knows and loves these words and is able to derive meaning and understanding.
And of course, it is incredibly timely.
The idea is that the "strangers" (or immigrants) are unwelcome in England, but Englishmen have the expectation that they should be welcomed elsewhere. Not only that, but the speech demands empathy for the immigrants and the rejection of the lawlessness of the civil unrest of a mob.
I have watched this clip probably ten times today.
I live in Canada. We like to think of ourselves as opposed to ideas like immigration intolerance and ultra-conservative beliefs. And compared to some, that may be true.
Truth is, we aren't immune. So many people out there are in that mob, shouting "the strangers should be removed," just as other nations in this world are doing.
I just want people to open their hearts and hold people close. Nobody is a stranger. Everyone should be welcome.
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