"Shaw is like a train. One just speaks the words and sits in one's place. But Shakespeare is like bathing in the sea - one swims where one wants"
- Vivien Leigh
About this Quote
This quote by Vivien Leigh is a comparison between the works of George Bernard Shaw and William Shakespeare. Shaw is likened to a train, recommending that his works are structured and foreseeable. The speaker implies that a person can simply recite Shaw's words without much idea or effort. On the other hand, Shakespeare is compared to swimming in the sea, suggesting that his works are more open-ended and need more effort to interpret. The speaker implies that one can explore and interpret Shakespeare's works in any method they pick, as if they were swimming in the sea. This quote suggests that Shaw's works are more simple and foreseeable, while Shakespeare's works are more open-ended and require more effort to analyze. It likewise suggests that Shaw's works are simpler to comprehend, while Shakespeare's works need more effort to translate.
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