what i learned today

Now that I'm in law school I've had Shakespeare's famous quote regarding lawyers quoted at me several times, usually by people intending to make a joke. The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers. (A helpful side note to those considering telling me this quote: anybody who has anything to do with law has heard this quote about two bazillion times by the end of their first few months in law school. You are not original in quoting it. You are not even remotely funny because any humor associated with the quote disappeared after, oh, the twentieth time. Now when I hear it I tune out and start thinking about chocolate. Mmm. Chocolate.)

Anyhow, after awhile I began to wonder about it. I thought it was a little weird to hear such a sentiment expressed by Shakespeare. It seemed out of sorts when considered in the context of the rest of Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare's plays hardly advocate anarchy and rarely advocate indiscriminate killing of any group, let alone a group as decidedly middle class and Globe-theater-ticket-buying as lawyers.

So what I learned today: that quote as it's parroted now is taken totally out of context. It comes from Henry VI, Part II. The line is spoken by a baddie, the leader of a villainous gang. It is intended to express the concept that in order for the gang, and therefore for evil, to triumph, it would be necessary to deprive society of the protection of law first. The baddies want to kill off all the lawyers so there will be nobody left to protect the innocent citizens from their dastardly scheming.

Now I can't wait for the two bazillionth and first person to quote Shakespeare to me again. I am totally prepared. Poor person. I am a secret Shakespeare scholar in disguise, not a law student!