[Before Macbeth's castle in Dunsinane, Scotland.]

Macbeth:

                Thou losest labour.
As easy mayst thou the intrenchant air
With thy keen sword impress as make me bleed.
Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests;
I bear a charmed life, which must not yield
To one of woman born.

Macduff:

                Despair thy charm,
And let the angel whom thou still hast served
Tell thee Macduff was from his mother's womb
Untimely ripped.

William Shakespeare
Macbeth, 5.10.8-16

  
Esther Vera Howe
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
late 1920s
  

As I was birthed Caesarian style
when still a rare and risky operation,
the exchange I quote from Macbeth
always seemed particularly apropos.

My mother took me to Shakespeare plays
when I was a teenager;
her earlier reading of all the plays
inspired me to later read them all myself.
— RWF
  

  
At Troynovant we are more interested in excellent or distinctive work than the merely timely or fashionable. Quality is always in season, and often more topical and entertaining than currency or fashion admit. Thus, we aim to refer and amuse, rather than to announce and forget. We avoid spoiling surprises in reviews that recommend; other works take their chances.