Literary conversations

Like many workplaces, we have a 'book club' that comes round. I was very excited last week to see one of the offers was a box set of 10 Penguin* Shakespeares, for the bargainous price of £6. I found myself hugging them and knowing I had to have them.

I got my copies yesterday, and was singing their praises to my boss.

Boss: ‘You mean you’ll read those, for pleasure?’
‘Well, I’ve read them all already, but yes’
J chips in: ‘I saw a Shakespeare once – it had Puck in it, I was bored stiff’

The CEO comes out ‘Ahh, Alas Poor Yorick’
Boss: ‘I knew him well’
‘I knew him, Horatio’
We turn to Romeo and Juliet
Boss: ‘is that where O Romeo Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo comes from?’
‘yes, but really, if we’re being pedantic, it should be ‘Montague, Montague…’

(Really, don’t get me started on this, I could go on for days)

Boss: ‘I’ve only been to the theatre once in my life, to see ‘We Will Rock You’

I start to giggle uncontrollably

Boss: ’What’s up?’
‘M…, ‘We Will Rock You is theatre for people who don’t go to the theatre!’


*Yes, we all know the Arden editions are the best, but the Penguins are the set texts for my OU course, and that was my justification for buying them, even though there’s only one set text out of three in the set.