Swiss Guard murder & Shakespeare

The recent story of the murder - inside the Vatican - of the Swiss

    Guard commander, Alois Estermann and his wife - this " moment of madness "

    and then equally mad self-destruction by the 23 year old Cedrich Tornay -

    apart from shocking us also helps explain why we still read William

    Shakespeare 's plays.  The oldest human emotions endure through the

    centuries - despite all the technical " progress ".

        Tornay had received an insufferable blow to his ego from the

    commander - a reprimand for a commonplace folly of youth - being

    out all night with responsibilities to face the next day.

        Tornay  notes that  his name is omitted from the " honorable

    service " list - no ego-boasting medal for him, a young man protecting

    Christ's vicar on earth. But Estermann himself the  good Pope appoints

    commander, a position his humble social status by tradition should

    make unattainable. To be humiliated and reprimanded by a low -life,

    who just happened to be at the Pope's  side on a very evil day when

    he was shot by Communist conspirators.

          The medieval aspects of the story are also worthy of Shakespeare.

    Why must the commander of the Swiss Guard be of noble birth ? What

    anachronistic snobbery  so near the year 2000 !

         And why must the Swiss Guard be all Swiss. Remember that it

    was no longer thought terribly important for the Pope himself to

    be Italian . Logically -tradition is seldom logical - it is no more

    necessary for the  pope's Guard to be all Swiss then it is for our

    cheese .

       Then if LIFE itself were logical there would be no emotional need

    for Shakespeare . It would not be " a tale told by an idiot ... "