Shakespeare "Beer"

"I shall make it felony to drink small beer." - William Shakespeare

If you want to enjoy yourself, you’ve got to go big or go home! Seriously, it’s the law now.

Although little is known of the historical figure Jack Cade, Shakespeare had fun bringing him to life in the Henry VI trilogy. As he depicts it, Cade’s bumbling rebellion against the king in 1450 is chock full of political tropes that sadly still resonate today. 

Cade is a man of the people, yet he pontificates about his royal lineage. He promises to foster universal brotherhood, yet aspires to be worshipped as “lord.” And he’s all for worker’s rights, so long as they work for free. 

But when it comes to prosperity by fiat decree, nothing he says compares to the lunacy of outlawing small beers.

Sadly he never wins the throne, so we’ll never know what utopian dreams may come - where one is compelled to consume more alcohol, read less, and kill all the lawyers (we’ll save that last one for another day).

In our illustration, we combine a hefty pint of the strong stuff with the full legal force of “the law” - in this case a judge’s gavel which has smashed an inadequately sized drink. 

This is part of our MOST ABSURD project. See them all here. 

• 11x14 inch art print with white border 
• Premium, fine art paper made in New York 
• Elegant eggshell finish
• Ships in a a rigid, flat mailer. No need to unroll! 
• Fits into standard 11x14 frames (or a 16x20 frame matted to 11x14)