Sunday, December 9, 2012

Berowne's 12/9 Quiz

Here’s the answer to this week’s quiz.
I always had the feeling that of all the kings Will Shakespeare wrote about and thought about – and he thought about quite a number of them - Henry the Fifth was the one he admired the most. He was Will’s idea of the ideal English king.
But when he was young, the future King Henry – then known as Prince Hal – left the Royal Court to waste his time in taverns with low companions.
Hal's chief friend in living the low life was Sir John Falstaff. Fat, old, drunk and corrupt as he was, he had a charisma and a zest for life that captivated the Prince, born into the hypocritical world of the Court.
So the wild kid who turned into a decent young man was Prince Hal, the answer to our quiz for this week.
Laurence Olivier as Henry V.

Congratulations to Lyn and Other Mary for the right answer. I can now publish their original comments.

Here's the original post.
(For Three-Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "V" is for "Victor")
All those tattoos made me think of today’s younger, wilder generation. And that got me to thinking of another Berownial quiz.
Folks seem to like them so here’s another one. I wrote the following scene, basing it loosely on one of the best-known Shakespeare characters (speaking of younger, wilder generations). Your assignment – should you choose to accept it – is, which character?


“You do understand that this is all top secret. If Mr. Axtell knew I had a private detective following his son around he’d be a bit upset.”
“Of course. I’m a professional. I report only to you. No one else knows this is going on.”
“Okay. What’s the bad news this time? What abnormal thing has Victor been up to?”
“Well, I don’t know how bad this news is, but he bought a motorcyle.”
“I suppose that had to happen, sooner or later. But even a used motorbike is – what? A thousand dollars or so? He’s a kid; he can't afford a lavish lifestyle. Where’d he get the money?
“Oh, he had money. Quite a lot of it. He took it from his trust fund.”
“That’s impossible. He can’t touch that trust fund till he’s 21 years old.”
“Young Victor is a bit more clever than you might think. He hacked his way into his fund on the internet. And you won’t believe what he paid for a new Harley-Davidson. Sixty thousand dollars.”
“Good God! I didn’t even know they made motorbikes for that kind of money.”
“Well, he had a lot of custom work done on it. You should see it; it’s kind of unbelievable. But it has made him king of the hill with that gang he hangs out with.”
“Mr. Axtell is going to have a heart attack. So Victor is still with that same gang?”
“Yep. And the real bad news is that they get involved in some nefarious activities from time to time.”
“And you mean to say he takes part?”
“No. He just likes to watch, from a distance. He gets a kick out of such goings-on.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to report this to Mr. Axtell. Here he is, CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Axtell Industries, and he’s got a teenage son who’s running wild. He’ll say Victor should be grounded, but that doesn’t seem to mean much. By the way, who’s – let me check this name here – who’s Fat Ferdy?”
“Oh, that’s one of the gang Victor especially likes to hang out with. They go everywhere together. He makes Victor laugh.”
“I’m glad someone has something to laugh about. Mr Axtell had great plans for his son. He always dangled the possibility before the boy that he would have a top position some day. That would seem to be out of the question now.”
“Well, you know, there’s an angle to this that’s – well, interesting.”
“More bad news?”
“No, not really. When I interviewed him, Victor told me that he knows just what he’s doing. He’s a kid having fun, screwing around, living it up, but he also knows very well who he is and what’s expected of him. I may be mistaken but I got the feeling that when he grows up he’s going to turn out all right.”

(Submitted also to Sunday Scribblings)

40 comments:

Jae Rose said...

I would have said Juliet.. But then Victor/Romeo doesn't grow up..or is it a double bluff? Is Victor a victor? my lack of literary knowledge is as non existent as my trust fund..but still love these puzzles..Jae

Kathe W. said...

a fun read Berowne- I'll have to ponder my answer....

Anonymous said...

Laertes

Berowne said...

>Still love these puzzles..Jae<
Just the encouragement I needed. Thanks so much.

Other Mary said...

I'm feeling quite ignorant here, Berowne, but I'll guess Prince Hal.
I did enjoy your story though.

Tumblewords: said...

Love the tales -

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Mmmm. Need a long think on this Berowne...

Anna :o]

Berowne said...

Congratulations are due to Other Mary; she has given us the correct answer! Who else would like to try?

Hannah said...

I'll not try to guess but I'll say that your dialogue is effective and your story believable...I think that's how it usually works out...okay in the end...I turned out alright. ;)

Berowne said...

Hannah, you turned out terrific.

Unspoken said...

I have no idea, but I've yet to study enough Shakespeare. Had it been Sherlock Holmes :), I'd have had a shot!

Lyn said...

No more bad boy, finally Dad approves! Maybe Prince Hal? Henry IV, Part 1 ? Shrug?
No intellect, just guessing, and thanks for so much fun...

Berowne said...

Another news flash: Lyn has also given us the right answer! Who's next?

Lady In Read said...

Berowne, love these quizzes every week. Have to read more - this is where things seem familiar but the answer just does not appear out front.. so will ponder on this one for a while..

kaykuala said...

Beautiful description and beautiful narration, Great quizzes, Berowne! Just hope there will come a day when I can confidently breathe out the correct answer!

Hank

21 Wits said...

So you shall try stretching my mind this morning- (not allowed! Hahaha!) again with such perpetual fancy of Who ? Who ? ever could it be??? This deep search which I shall accept to follow only once I'm off tomorrow!

PhenoMenon, ABCW Team said...

Very interesting quiz and a fun read no doubt..

Roger Owen Green said...

Reminds me of some 1950s biker movie that James Dean never made.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Berowne said...

I think James Dean could have played this character's part very well...

Jenne' R. Andrews said...

O lord, it's been too long; we should all return to Shakespeare. As You Like It comes to mind and I know not why! Thanks for visiting me! xxxxj

Unknown said...

stumped.Time for me to reread some classics!

Pratibha said...

even though i have no idea who you talk of , but i do like victor :D
you write some real good scenes :)

Berowne said...

We'll post the correct answer on
Thursday.

Meryl said...

Great fun...at first I thought it might be one of the kings because you use that phrase, but Sir Andrew Aguecheek from Twelfth Night keeps coming to mind with the frivolous spending and "it ends out alright" in the end.

Great fun! THanks.

Lmkazmierczak said...

Ordinary Words...more research is needed on my end♫♪ The plot thickens!

ekta khetan said...

Hmmmmmmm...hmmmm I am pondering...No idea :)

Sasha A. Palmer said...

I'll take a chance: Richard II?

Sheilagh Lee said...

I have no idea.

Sasha A. Palmer said...

Well, I took a shot :-) He was kind of led astray, and did use the funds..but I guess showing up in London dead doesn't qualify as turning out all right in the end.. It was fun, cannot wait for the next one.

Daydreamertoo said...

At a guess, I would say King Lear (Edmund)
I'm only vaguely familiar with a lot of Shakespeare's leading characters.
Either him or Othello maybe..
I like the challenge and enjoy your stories too :)

Berowne said...

You're guesses are excellent; not the correct answer, however. Thanks for participating.

Intelliblog said...

Hmmmmm, Richard III?
You do modernise well in any case! :-)
Just goes to show people haven't all that much in centuries!

Tess Kincaid said...

Antonio?

Tess Kincaid said...

Or Bassanio, maybe...

Berowne said...

We've had some fine responses - and my thanks to everyone for taking part - but so far only Lyn and Other Mary have come up with the correct answer.

Whispering Thoughts said...

This sounds interesting. I gather this is a part of some big story too. I would enjoy reading further.

Other Mary said...

YAY!!!

Sharp Little Pencil said...

I never get these. One of my best friends, now deceased, was a high school English teacher who was big on Shakespeare and managed to make it relevant to students. Too bad the teachers of today must teach to tests instead of sharing their varied wealth of knowledge. Amy

ekta khetan said...

Yeah interesting...pl post next soon :)
http://ektakhetan.blogspot.com

RMP said...

I really enjoyed the modernized version (though I have to admit I never read Shakespeare's version). Victor definitely sounds like an interesting character in his own right.

 
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