I was summoned for jury duty today. For those of my readers who aren't familiar with the process, voir dire is when prospective jurors are questioned by the attorneys to determine if they have any biases that might influence their judgement of the case. As I received my summons, the following scene flashed into my mind:
As it happened, my number was not called and I did not have to serve, so the world was spared my terrible interpretation of Portia's great speech from the Merchant of Venice.
NOTE: I make light of it here, but I do take jury duty very seriously, and have served before. I certainly take it more seriously that Mr. Shakespeare, who somewhat cynically observes that:
"The jury, passing on the prisoner's life,
May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two
Guiltier than him they try."
Measure for Measure (2.1)
He's got a point, though...