Hero’s Lot

MacBeth was wrong to take his wife’s suggestions,
Othello fell for his lieutenant’s tricks,
Young Hamlet seemed to asked too many questions,
And that’s what got these fellows in a fix.
Henry the Fifth, however, did just fine,
Despite a youth of foolishness and play,
Despite consuming tankards full of wine.
If there’s a moral here, I cannot say.
In Tragedy the playwright plops you down
Into a plot you’re not prepared to handle.
He gives you virtues, wealth, and fair renown,
But never quite enough. Out goes your candle.
Your odds are better, really it’s no mystery,
If you are made the hero of a History.