Presumably in a move to inject some cultured class into their latest
line, UK clothier Topshop recently unveiled a new line of T-shirts
printed with one of the most beloved lines of English literature: “Romeo
Romeo, Wherefore art thou Romeo?” But as Britain's Metro reports, the
quote, taken from arguably the most famous play by William Shakespeare,
“Romeo and Juliet,” is followed by a serious misspelling.
The quote is attributed to
“Shakespere.” Oops.
British
shoppers with a bit more reverence for their nation’s fabled literary
heritage were quick to point out the gaffe, sending Topshop scrambling
for a fix. My favorite line from the Metro’s story: According to the
Daily Mail, when informed for the error, a Topshop spokesperson
responded: "Oh my God."
In the wake of the textile typo, the
shirt has since vanished from Topshop’s website. While armies of
literature professors are doubtlessly calling for a plague on Topshop’s
house, it is an admonition from Shakespeare himself that they should
take to heart. “Ignorance is the curse of God,” wrote the Bard in “King
Henry VI.” “Knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven
