I'm certainly no Shakespeare snob, but you'd think that a bunch of British writers (as much as they like to shove The Bard in everyone's face) would be more well versed in his writings than this. How many times do we have to hear snippets of Shakespeare's lines spoken in everyday conversations, with Shakespeare suddenly saying, "Ooo...that's good. I think I'll use that" before it becomes hackneyed? Answer...once. As an example, The Doctor says, "The play's the thing!", then tells Shakespeare he can use it. Why? Without the surrounding context from Hamlet, it's not a pithy line, and makes no sense. The full line is, "The play's the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King!" It refers to Hamlet's sudden realization that he can use a troupe of actors to play out his uncle's assassination of his father (the King) in order to guilt the former into some sort of admission of guilt. The single line, "The play's the thing" has no value in poetry, and makes no sense without the rest of the scene and the characters. It's like saying, "I have a dream" to Martin Luther King, Jr., and then telling him he can use that line. Without the rest of the speech, it's not very impressive.
This happens over and over in the episode, making me think that none of these writers has ever actually seen (or understood) a Shakespeare play. Pretty embarrassing, and not worthy of a show with such a huge, devoted following.
This happens over and over in the episode, making me think that none of these writers has ever actually seen (or understood) a Shakespeare play. Pretty embarrassing, and not worthy of a show with such a huge, devoted following.
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