It's riot season in the United States, and with a large portion of our young adults spending their nights in a deadly duet with the police across many of our cities, we thought we'd look at how Shakespeare viewed anarchy, which he sees as linked to the eternal youthful ideal of a perfectly constructed society.
Shakespeare visits this idea in quite a few plays, and today we'll look at one of the Edward VI plays (the second one), where he has an avowed anarchist, Jack Cade, dream of overthrowing the existing order. It's actually Cade's henchman, Dick, who says the famous line, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." The conversation Shakespeare puts that line into gives us Cade's vision of the world he would build once his revolution is complete:
JACK CADE. "Be brave, then; for your captain is brave, and vows reformation. There shall be in England seven half-penny loaves sold for a penny: the three-hoop'd pot shall have ten hoops; and I will make it felony to drink small beer: all the realm shall be in common;...and when I am king,– as king I will be,–"
ALL. "God save your majesty!"
JACK CADE. "I thank you, good people:– there shall be no money; all shall eat and drink on my score; and I will apparel them all in one livery, that they may agree like brothers, and worship me their lord."
DICK. "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."
JACK CADE. "Nay, that I mean to do..."
It's fun to dream, and Shakespeare seems to be having fun as well. Is bread too expensive? We'll order the price be lowered. Seven half-penny loaves sold for a penny. Cade's dream was the 20th century's reality: the Soviet Union of course forced prices to remain at a standstill for decades. And despite the disastrous results, The U.S. imposed "wage and price controls" in the 1970s. It didn't work here either.
How about: "the three-hoop'd pot shall have ten hoops"? Shakespeare loves the idea of just ordering something you don't like to be something else. When Petruchio is taming Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew, he tells her the sun is the moon, and won't rest until she agrees. The Soviet Union took the hint, and would routinely change the days of the week it was. Next week's Saturday would be turned into a Wednesday by order of the Politburo, for example.\
But back in Edward VI, part 2, Cade and Shakespeare aren't done. "There shall be no money; all shall eat and drink on my score." Cade doesn't explain how everyone can eat on his score, or tab, likely because he can't, but the idea of going through life like Queen Elizabeth, never carrying money, and yet having all of your needs met, is enduringly attractive. Guaranteed basic income, anyone?
Even though all shall be equal, as symbolized by their wearing identical clothes (I will apparel them all in one livery, that they may agree like brothers), Cade somehow feels it proper to anoint himself as monarch, just to ensure the equality continues, we can assume. And that's when Dick chimes in with the suggestion that we kill all the lawyers. Can't have that pesky rule of law interfering with a nice millennial dream...
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