Shakespeare may be for all time. But Thomas Bowdler is for today.

Bowdler, the self-appointed moral guardian who anticipated the Victorian age – a time when it was understood that legs should always be referred to as “limbs” when in the presence of a lady – saw to it that all of the indelicate bits were excised or altered in the Bard’s plays, when he came to edit “The Family Shakespeare” in 1807. Distressingly, the book was a tremendous success that went through at least 11 printings.

No more in “Othello” did an old black ram tup a white ewe. Nor did they make the beast with two backs. Heavens!

All references to sex, violent death, blasphemy, and vulgarity were delicately paraphrased or removed. Bowdler’s crusade to rewrite history was undertaken in the interest of family values.

In the 20th century, there was a sharp backlash, and Bowdler became a figure of fun. That’s the best lesson he could impart. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “Bowdlerise” (in American English spelled with a “z”) as “To expurgate a book or writing, by omitting or modifying words or passages considered indelicate or offensive; to castrate.”

His name has become synonymous with misguided censorship. Libraries and booklovers heap scorn on Bowdler’s memory by celebrating “Bowdler’s Day” every year on July 11, the anniversary of his birth.

But lest we grow smug, it’s helpful to consider that victories without vigilance risk being overturned. There is an alarming tendency in human nature to view uncomfortable remnants of the past as things to be buried or discarded, as if it were some sort of moral victory to do so. But it doesn’t change history. If anything, it betrays an imperfect understanding of history.

Unencumbered by nuance, sweeping gestures undeniably feel good. They are simple. They bring immediate gratification. But they can also be messy.

There is less flash, less exhilaration in arriving at understanding through context. That requires education and consideration. It is a quieter, more thoughtful path, and it calls for cool heads. It will never electrify a mob like the golden calf of revolution.

Bowdler died on this date in 1825. Now, if only his spirit could be laid to rest.

On a more affirmative note, it seems this tug of war has always been with us!

https://sports.yahoo.com/snowflakes-trigger-warnings-shakespearean-violence-113506191.html

Ironically, I had to post a link to a secondary source, reprinting the article, since Australian legislation has restricted the sharing of domestic news links to Facebook!

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, “Othello Suite”

Mily Balakirev, “King Lear Overture”