On the 17th February, Christians all around the globe will observe Shrove Tuesday. It is an occasion of great significance, as it is the day before Ash Wednesday and the tradition of the Lenten fast. In many cultures, Shrove Tuesday is traditionally a day of feasting marked by communal indulgence and celebration. Pancakes are made with the richest ingredients. Families participate in the cooking and games like pancake racing are all part and parcel of community celebration.
In more devout communities, Lent is a time of complete abstinence. During this period a plain vegan diet is adopted and eggs, butter and sugar are totally forbidden. However Shrove Tuesday is a day when these strict dietary rules are ignored, in fact the direct opposite is true. Pancakes are topped with jam, chocolate and sweetened lemon. It is a day dedicated to fun, and family celebration before the austere ceremonies of Lent begin. Lent is not just about fasting, it is a time of atonement and reflection on past sins and dishonourable behaviours.
Our ancestors understood the significance of events like these, and the profound meaning embedded within every ceremony and spectacle. They were more aware of occasions when food was scarce, and were eternally grateful when there was a surfeit. The connection between honourable behaviour and heavenly reward was inextricable. They literally believed that this was true. Human wickedness may have material rewards in the mortal realm, but the punishment in the hereafter was guaranteed. “Shrove” is a now obsolete English word meaning absolution. Derivations of this word include “shriven” and “to shrift”. Also the phrase “short shrift” is still in common parlance, albeit with a slightly different meaning and connotation.
In everyday conversation, “short shrift” is only understood as receiving unsympathetic treatment, but originally it referred to the quick method of absolution granted to a condemned prisoner destined for the gallows. The religious aspect to this term has vanished, along with the religious nature of Shrove Tuesday itself.
However in Shakespeare’s time, religion was integral to the discourse. His audience would have been god fearing and devout. He utilised these sensibilities for his own dramatic purposes, creating dastardly caricatures who meet misfortune as a consequence of their behaviours.
His play “Richard III” was effectively Tudor propaganda. The last Plantagenet King is presented as a grotesque, the personification of evil. The brutality of his character is exaggerated for theatrical effect. His scheming and callous disregard for human life is all laid bare.
The King’s cold condemnation of Lord Hastings, who he believes is plotting against him is revealed. He sentences Hastings to death, and on the day of his execution these same ominous words are uttered by Richard’s closest aides Sir Richard Ratcliffe, and are appended rather chillingly with “the King longs to see your head”. However the King’s underhand tactics were destined to end badly, in a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Bosworth.
The history plays of Shakespeare, and the intricate poetry, inspired by Biblical truth continue to resonate. Throughout the festivities, it is apt to recall the poignancy and piquancy of these lost words and phrases as a distillation of a simpler time.
Ponderings 
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