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onthosewhomayhaveastatisticalprobabilityofprematuredeath:Richard
IIIandCoriolanuswouldberegardedasbadrisks.Whenthemiddle-aged,
sedentary,maleprofessionalsuddenlydiscoversjogging,anearring,thechild
within,andayouthfullover,isthisachangeorastabilisation?Arapid
searchontheinternetrevealsamultitudeofcontextsinwhichthekindsof
metamorphoseswhichinterestShakespearearealsocentraltonewthinking.
Thebusinessworldisalmostobsessedwith‘theneedtoconfrontrapid
change.Softwarethatcannotadaptasrequirementschangewillperish,(quoted
fromrandominternetitem).TimonofAthensisanexampleoftheneedfor
rapidchangeininvestmentstrategies,afterthekindofstockmarketcrash
thatisfamiliarnowadays.Meanwhile,metamorphosis(or‘morphing,,asits
advocatescallit),isparadedinfringehealingandtherapeuticprofessionsas
thecluetopersonalgrowth.Thegrowingfieldof‘lifestylestudies,reinvents
theoldmidlifecrisisas‘transformationalopportunity,.Intheso-called‘global
village,andsaturationcommunications,cantheinstantaneousreceptionofan
impetuousemailmessagechangethecourseofpersonaldestinies,aseffectively
asBathshebaEverdene,sjokevalentinetoGabrielOakinFarFromthe
MaddingCrowd?Toallthesequestions,Shakespeare,splayscontinuetohave
anitchingrelevance–maddeningbecauseheelusivelydanglesanswerswhile
withholdingthem.Theappearanceofchangeiseverywhere,butitspermanence
isindoubt.Demetriusawakesafterthemidsummernight,inlovewith
Helena,butweknowthisisaresultofthejuiceofamagicalflower,and
likesomehouseholdobjectwedon,tknowhowlongitwilllast.Shakespeare
thejester,throwstheconundrumatus,butthenshrugshisshouldersnon-
commitally,saying‘Butthat,sallone,ourplayisdone,Andwe,llstriveto
pleaseyouveryday,.Orjustasenigmatically,
Ifweshadowshaveoffended,
Thinkbutthisandallismended,
Thatyouhavebutslumberedhere,
Andthisinsubstantialtheme,
Nomoreyielding,butadream.
Wherewehadhopedtofindjustonemagicalkey,heoffersinsteadaplurality
ofpossibilities,amyriadofexplanationsandquestionsthroughthedramatic
voicesofvehementlyconversingandarguingpersonages,eachexpressing
aplausiblebutcontradictorypointofview,eachsnatchedawaybythe
scepticismofothers.WhatOvidofferedtoShakespeare,sageinmythsthat
canbereadilyappropriatedtoconflictingcauses,Shakespeareofferstoours.
Theparadoxisthathismostconstantsubjectischangeitself,metamorphosis.
Inthissense,atleast,heisOvidian,andliketheRomanpoet,hecontinues
toofferbravenewworldsofculturalappro-priationandchange,findinglocal
habitationswherevertherearereadersandaudiences.
