William Shakespeare’s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
“Don Pedro: … to be merry best becomes you, for out o’ question, you were born in a merry hour.
Beatrice: No, sure, my lord, my mother cried; but then
there was a star danced, and under that was I born.”
Characters in William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Act II, Scene 1
My shared birthday cake with a fellow January friend from the Institute for Conscious Being
Today is my birthday, and I love finding Shakespeare quotes about special days.
In December, a friend posted on Facebook: “When someone says, ‘Happy holidays’ instead of ‘Merry Christmas,’ remember that they're not necessarily doing it out of political correctness. They do it out of respect. From the 20th of November to January 24th, there are at least 15 different religious holidays.”
Since I cannot seem to find a holy day commemorated on January 24 for any faith in the world, I will accept the fact that the close of this spiritual season is indeed a nod to my natal anniversary (she said with a wink!).
The chat between Don Pedro and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing is a flirtation and jest about marriage. Beatrice wittily declines Don Pedro’s proposal, defending her rudeness by saying her disposition is to be blunt. Far from being upset, the Prince commends her banter, because her humor is pleasing. He believes, as was common in the Renaissance, that Beatrice was astrologically “born in a merry hour,” so the constellations bestowed good spirits upon her.
As Shakespeare often does, the happiness of Beatrice’s beatific nativity is tinged with the melancholy of her mother crying out in the pain of childbirth. “No, sure, my lord, my mother cried; but then there was a star danced…” I remember reading that Nietzsche believed that people’s individual creativity comes through seeking their natural freedom. And when we then begin — in this liberty — to acquire self-knowledge, he called the result “a dancing star,” our special gift to the world. When we follow our bliss, we are joyous — or, astronomically speaking — over the moon!
When I was younger and in the compulsions of my Ego Four personality, I knew no one who shared my birthday. I considered January 24th a very special day, and myself a singular person. Fours sometimes feel misunderstood and flawed, but also wondrously mysterious, unique, and out of the ordinary. In talking to one of my college mentors, John Finlay (my favorite English professor) one day, we discovered we shared a birthday. Instead of distressing me for finding such a mate, it made this day even more uncommon, even more remarkable. Now, I know several people who share this day as their debut into this world, and I am happy to share it joyously with them.
In fact, today we actually pay homage to many momentous things, some of which I will celebrate heartily. It is Macintosh Computer Day, and I have owned Apple and Mac inventions since the late 1980s, so hurrah! It is National Beer Can Appreciation Day, in which we are to toast the historic, colossal, and thirst-quenching day beer was first sold in cans. Though I prefer draft, I will give a hearty nod to beer cans today! It is also National Compliment Day, National Belly Laugh Day, National “Just Do It” Day, and the International Day of Education. What a variety of revels and roisters we can enjoy. Many happy returns of the day to all who celebrate any joyous occasion on January 24!