Saturday, April 23, 2011

A Second Shakespeare Birthday Story

I heard this one on the BBC a while back so it must be, you know, true.  It's about the Earl of Euphoria who was getting a straight-razor shave from his favorite barber when his friend the Duke of Magenta eyed him through the plate glass window.  The Duke popped in for a friendly hello and in the process, nudged the Earl just a smidge, but enough so the barber dropped his razor leaving the Earl, you know, like semi-detached.

The  Earl sued the barber.  The case came before the Judge McAdoo, much admired for his sagacity and general knowledge.  He held that only the nudger, not the barber, might be liable on these facts.  In support of his finding he produced a veritable treatise, which passed from hand to hsand among members of the bar and took on the name "McAdoo about Nudging."

The treatise was so popular that Shakespeare even named a play after it. Can you guess which play?  

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