Shakespeare wrote:
Full
fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes…
A fathom is six feet. Five times six equals 30 feet.Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes…
(Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "A" is for "Accident")
It was a tough way to travel, to sail from Europe to
America four or five hundred years ago.
Not only did hurricanes spring up from the Caribbean
with winds that could tear a sailing ship apart, but the trip was fraught with perilous
islands along the way that were every bit as dangerous.
One of the islands that you had to get past to get
to the American mainland was called by the sailors of the day “The Isle of
Devils” because it was surrounded by menacing rocks.
It was in July, 1609, that a vessel named the Sea Venture was sailing to bring
supplies to Jamestown, Virginia, and had a famous nocturnal accident: in the middle of the night it was caught up in a storm that battered the
ship and caused it to run on the rocks of the Isle of Devils.
What the survivors were to learn was that the place
wasn’t devilish at all. In fact, the island they had smacked into we know
today was Bermuda, and as many vacationers in later centuries discovered, it
was an honorable and pleasant place to spend the winter - if you could afford it.
At any rate, when the news of the accident and the storm got back to
England, Will Shakespeare sat down and wrote a play titled
“The Tempest.”
It’s a very interesting work: the experts didn’t
know what to call it – comedy, drama, history, tragicomedy. They seem to have settled upon “romance” as
its specific genre. The reason for the
confusion is that there a number of sub-plots in the play,
peopled by actors who range from ordinary folks to fantastic characters of
heavy-duty weirdness.
However, to get around to our weekly quiz, there’s a
sequence where a man’s father has drowned and his body has begun to decompose
as it lies in the water.
Shakespeare handles this rather ghoulish topic as
you might expect – it’s ghoulish enough for anyone, but he can’t help but write
of it in poetic style.
“Of
his bones are coral made,
Those
are pearls that were his eyes.
Nothing
of him that can fade
But
has suffered a sea change
Into
something rich and strange.”
Now here’s the question. The poor drowned guy is lying in how many
feet of water? (Do the math.)
(The answer will be posted Friday.)
33 comments:
30 feet
Reminds me of the Mozart joke:
Q. What did Mozart start doing as soon as he died?
A. De-composing!
Sorry ~ Eddie
Eddie Bluelights has turned on all his blue lights and given us the right answer.
Congratulations to Eddie. I haven't a clue.
I enjoyed this trip into ancient history.
300 ft or more i think!!
To Arushi: You're on the right track. Try again.
They cannot seem to 'fathom' it out - lol
"Full fathom five he lies..."
Poor Dad, but nevermind - eh!
Good one Berowne.
Thank you for visiting my blog. Your comment was much appreciated. I cannot reply to your email which is how I usually handle comments.
Have a delightful day.
I cannot fathom how deep the water is- I'm with Gail- I haven't a clue.
Kathe W wrote: I'm with Gail - I haven't a clue.
Altonian has the right answer - except that we're dealing with feet. :-)
That is a poetic way to describe a drowned person. I didn't know these connections to The Tempest. Thanks for enlightening me!
enjoyed reading....waiting for the answer...:-)
Oh dear! Possibly, 30 feet?
Ah! Blame the mental tardiness of an aged brain. I now see the point of the 'math' element of the quiz - in which case the answer is 30 feet!
Another "winner" - Karen S has the correct answer.
Davey Jones always retrieved his victims from 33 feet of heroic water .....
ok I am going to guess 6 feet.
I can't fathom this. OK, 30 feet?
Roger Owen Green has the correct answer.
I had to go back to my notes but found it immediately - 5 fathoms, Ariel sings.
Leslie
abcw team
Lousy at nautical math...sure enjoyed my visit♪
To Leslie: Sorry, but the correct answer is in feet.
I once saw a promenade production of the Tempest and the weather joined in with its own contribution.
200 feet it is, Berowne!
Hank
As ever I come here and discover something new!
Denise ABC Team
Five fathoms or 30 feet. I wonder whether the US will ever go metric like the rest of the world?
Another "winner" - oldegg has the right answer.
Not absolutely sure about the connection, but I'm going with"Full fathom five my father lies." which would make it 5 x 6 = 30feet.
ChrisJ has just checked in with the correct answer.
I have no idea but I would like a
"sea change". I had no idea that was another gem of Will's . Gosh he was a genius.!
Missed the quiz, but thanks, Roger, for mentioning a place I was once proud to call home: Bermuda. I didn't know that the Princess Hotel, where I was artist-in-residence, was the site of major letter intercepting and decoding between the States and Europe. Apparently, it all took place in their cavernous basement, as the locals wined and dined the pilots until they simply HAD to stay overnight! Amy
oh duh- reading the answer I realized I should have figured it out. !!!
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