But 'tis strange

                                                               But 'tis strange

And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,

The instruments of darkness tell us truths,

Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s

In deepest consequence.

If you knew that was from Macbeth, congratulations!  If you are wondering why I would lead with that quotation, then you are, apparently, not a Mount Holyoke student.

  

I am now in my 20^th year at Mount Holyoke.  On every single syllabus, for every single class I have taught here, I have put a quotation from Shakespeare at the top of the syllabus.  I don’t note from whence the quotation comes, and I don’t ever mention it or explain why it is there.  For a few courses, I always use the same quotation (Money and Banking, Macroeconomic Theory, and Western Civilization always have the same quotation).  For any other course, I just read a play right before the start of the semester, found a few lines which struck me a particular interesting with some relevance to the class, and put it on the syllabus.

In twenty years, I have had less than a handful of students ask me about the quotation.  Now the money and banking and Western Civ students are off the hook of being accused of having a total lack of curiosity—the relevance of the quotations to the course on those two syllabi was obvious to anyone who bothered to read the quotations.  But the other students?  It’s come to the point where I think I would be really surprised if two students ever came up to ask about the quotation in a single semester.  I usually go years between such questions.

Now why is that?  I suspect the quotation is just ignored for the most part.  Every now and then some student may wonder, but then thinks that she is supposed to know what it is doing there and thus is too ashamed to ask.  I suppose some students read the quotation and just don’t care.  But I must say, you would think that in a typical year with well over 100 students getting a syllabus with a strange quotation at the top, at least one would ask about tit.  Wouldn’t you?

Anyway, I reread Macbeth recently.  It’s great.  But you knew that.  I also think it is the tragedy I would be most likely to assign to high school students.  The plot is pretty straightforward, and there are some great themes in there for a teenager to ponder.  Imagine getting a class of 16 year olds thinking about ambition.  It could be really interesting.

The quotation above, in case any student ever asked me, really struck me this time—it’s a lot like not being an economist.  Sure it seems like the things you learn before you learn economics are telling you the truth, but such things are honest trifles, betraying you in deepest consequence.  Learning Economics is a sure defense against the guiles of the witches upon the heath.

[For the curious:

Money and Banking:

            This kindness will I show.

Go with me to a notary, seal me there

Your single bond; and, in a merry sport,

If you repay me not on such a day,

In such a place, such sum or sums as are

Express’d in the condition, let the forfeit

Be nominated for an equal pound

Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken

In what part of your body pleaseth me. 

 

Western Civilization:

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Macroeconomic Theory:

Sure, He that made us with such large discourse,

Looking before and after, gave us not

That capability and godlike reason

To fust in us unused.

As, noted, the other classes have a different quotation every year.]