Shakespeare line

[RJSimon]

I'm looking for the source and exact phrasing of a famous Shakespeare line
about "death by a thousand cuts."

Thanks in advance...

rjs...@aol.com

[Jess Anderson]

In article <3a6vse$f...@newsbf01.news.aol.com>, RJSimon
<rjs...@aol.com> wrote:

>I'm looking for the source and exact phrasing of a famous Shakespeare line
>about "death by a thousand cuts."

If my software works correctly, the phrase "thousand cuts"
does not occur in the works of Shakespeare. "death by"
occurs eight times, but the agent was always something
else.

--
<> I don't like to spread gossip, but what *else* can you do
<> with it?
<> -- Sandy Hereld
--
Opinions expressed herein have no connection with the UW-Madison.
Jess Anderson ande...@doit.wisc.edu

[Jarvis]

Jess Anderson (ande...@macc.wisc.edu) wrote:
: In article <3a6vse$f...@newsbf01.news.aol.com>, RJSimon
: <rjs...@aol.com> wrote:

: >I'm looking for the source and exact phrasing of a famous Shakespeare line
: >about "death by a thousand cuts."

: If my software works correctly, the phrase "thousand cuts"
: does not occur in the works of Shakespeare. "death by"
: occurs eight times, but the agent was always something
: else.

I always thought that death by a thousand cuts was ritual execution performed
by the Triad on members that had betrayed them or really messed up. Thus I
wouldnt have thought that Shakespeare would have written about it. Though
im not saying anything for certain.

--
|---------------------------< pm...@coventry.ac.uk >----------------------------|

[Dale Misterek]

In article <3aaejb$l...@rowan.coventry.ac.uk>, pm...@rowan.coventry.ac.uk (Jarvis) says:

>: If my software works correctly, the phrase "thousand cuts"
>: does not occur in the works of Shakespeare. "death by"
>: occurs eight times, but the agent was always something
>: else.
>
>I always thought that death by a thousand cuts was ritual execution performed
>by the Triad on members that had betrayed them or really messed up. Thus I
>wouldnt have thought that Shakespeare would have written about it. Though
>im not saying anything for certain.

>|---------------------------< pm...@coventry.ac.uk >----------------------------|
>
I thought death by a "thousand cuts" was part of the Republican
Contract. :)

[THOMPSON BENJAMIN RHINELANDER]

In article <3a6vse$f...@newsbf01.news.aol.com>, RJSimon <rjs...@aol.com> wrote:

>I'm looking for the source and exact phrasing of a famous Shakespeare line
>about "death by a thousand cuts."
>

There may be more than one source for that phrase, but the death of a
thousand cuts was a method of execution that was used in China (from ancient
times up until about the revolution I think, but I could be wrong). It
involved a torture device called a "wire jacket" or "iron shirt" (translation
is always messy), and there's a pretty good description in the novel
"Flashman and the Dragon" by G.M. Fraser.

--
Do not be lulled by my present condition,
Psmith. There are only 35 of you.

[Chuck Stevens]

THOMPSON BENJAMIN RHINELANDER (thom...@spot.Colorado.EDU) wrote:

: In article <3a6vse$f...@newsbf01.news.aol.com>, RJSimon <rjs...@aol.com> wrote:
: >I'm looking for the source and exact phrasing of a famous Shakespeare line
: >about "death by a thousand cuts."

Perhaps you're thinking of Julius Caesar, III.ii, around line 180..."this
was the most unkindest cut of all..."

--Chuck

[Tony Bird]

In article <3aaejb$l...@rowan.coventry.ac.uk>, pm...@rowan.coventry.ac.uk

(Jarvis) wrote:
>
> Jess Anderson (ande...@macc.wisc.edu) wrote:
> : In article <3a6vse$f...@newsbf01.news.aol.com>, RJSimon
> : <rjs...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> : >I'm looking for the source and exact phrasing of a famous Shakespeare line
> : >about "death by a thousand cuts."
>
> : If my software works correctly, the phrase "thousand cuts"
> : does not occur in the works of Shakespeare. "death by"
> : occurs eight times, but the agent was always something
> : else.
>
> I always thought that death by a thousand cuts was ritual execution performed
> by the Triad on members that had betrayed them or really messed up. Thus I
> wouldnt have thought that Shakespeare would have written about it. Though
> im not saying anything for certain.
>

>The reference may have been to an old Imperial punishment in China. The victim was wired up, very tightly, in a chicken wire jacket and the bits of flesh which protruded were sliced off over a period of time.(vide the notes to McDonald Fraser "Flashman and the Dragon" Again it may have been a simple flaying whilst efforts were made to keep the victim alive. In either case I doubt that a 16th Century Warwickshire lad would have known about either procedure. --
> |---------------------------< pm...@coventry.ac.uk >----------------------------|

##############################################################################
Antony Bird
Assoc Director Phone 07 365 39544
Prentice Centre Int'l +6 7 365 3944
The University of Queensland Fax (07) 365 4477
Queensland. 4072. Australia E-mail
t.b...@cc.uq.edu.au