But It Messes Up The Meter! Grumpy Old Director Grumps About Gender-Swapping Shakespeare

Richard Eyre, a former director of the National Theatre in London, criticized a recent RSC production of Timon of Athens in which Lord Timon became Lady Timon — and, therefore, the line “I love that man” became “I love that woman”. Eyre, stressing the importance of Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter (which that extra syllable throws off), called the casting “a very bad decision. … Do the plays. Don’t rework it.” – The Times (UK)