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In these early days of facing the pandemic when we are all struggling to make good decisions and listen to good advice, I have been thinking a lot about the importance of listening to good counsel. In literature failing to listen to good counsel always leads to negative consequences. So…for today’s prompt:
Pick a famous character from literature or from film who needs (and doesn’t get) good counsel at some point in the narrative. Which character? Where in the narrative? What advice would you give the character?
Guidelines: All responses should be less than 200 words. When you are done, please post your response in the comments section if you are so inclined. If you do so, please include your name and understand the expectation that your response should easily fit within PG-13 boundaries.
Created and curated by J. Ross Peters, Educational Consultant, Writer, Poet, Photographer, Folk Art Fan, Guitar Hack
Web: jrosspeters.com Twitter: @jrosspeters; @writingbug1 Instagram: JRP100
Mike says
Most of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes blow through a lot of stop signs on their way to doom. Lear and Romeo get pretty good advice, but age and youth warp their hearing. Othello’s got his own vulnerabilities, but frankly no one could be immune Iago’s diabolical counsel, and as an outsider, his only real friend is his doomed wife. Lady M’s counsel seems like the echo of Macbeth’s driven ambition, and the bloody frenzy it sets off seems inexorable. Hamlet gets plenty of advice–from himself–but doesn’t alchemize it into action until it’s too late–with the help of some pirates at sea, a gambit I’ve always had a hard time buying. Julius Caesar, the play, seems like the fullest examination of counsel. All of the conferring and conspiring falls into two baskets: the rational debate of politics and governance, and the wifty world of omens and premonitions. If only the Soothsayer had more status—instead of being a nutter along with the parade route with an End is Near! placard—Caesar and Brutus might have had a chance. In my experience, a consultant is a Soothsayer with status, access and a better sign (or slide deck). As a consultant, if I had to choose among these tragic heroes, I’d take a run at Brutus and Caesar.
rpeters says
This is excellent–thanks, Mike, for taking such a great run at the prompt. After teaching Shakespeare for a few decades, it is clear we have much to talk about. Your connection to consulting seems valuable and valid. All best–