"Apart from that Mrs Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?"
About this Quote
Tom Lehrer's remark, "Apart from that Mrs Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?" is a darkly humorous line that draws its power from historical context and ironic juxtaposition. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford's Theatre; the question posed to Mrs. Lincoln casually ignores the traumatic tragedy that defined that night. By doing so, the statement draws attention to the absurdity of trivializing or glossing over profound events when seeking to return to ordinary conversation.
The humor operates through understatement and bathos. There’s an intentional disconnect between the unspeakable horror of witnessing a loved one's murder and the mundane curiosity about her enjoyment of the theatrical performance itself. The trivial follow-up question, placed immediately after an unimaginable calamity, underlines the futility and even insensitivity in focusing on lesser aspects when the significant event is catastrophic.
Lehrer often uses satire to highlight social issues or critique human tendency, and this line exemplifies such style. It pokes fun at conversational conventions, where people may awkwardly seek to resume normality after something awful. By invoking Mrs. Lincoln's night at the play, Lehrer exaggerates this tendency to the point of absurdity, highlighting how ridiculous it can be to separate minor concerns from overwhelmingly negative circumstances.
The phrase also resonates as a tool for social commentary beyond its humorous surface. It has become shorthand for willfully ignoring the obvious or focusing on trivialities in the face of something significant. It calls out tendencies to avoid addressing core issues directly, whether in politics, personal interaction, or public discourse.
Such a statement serves as both a joke and a critique, reminding us of the importance of context, the inadequacy of perfunctory conversation when real pain is present, and the absurdity of ignoring what truly matters. The comedy belts with a serious undertone, suggesting that sometimes our attempts to keep things light or normal are themselves painfully comical.
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