Il bisogno genera strani compagni di letto

[Annarita55]

Hi again.
I'm still working at that role play game.
Here we are speaking abut the bad guy suddenly helping the heroes because he need them to be free to act and find a treasure for him
The sentence troubling me is the one in the title of the thread. I'm sure there is an Englis way of saying to express that, but it escapes me at the moment.
My attempt:

Il bisogno genera strani compagni di letto
Need creates odd bedfellows.

Please, help!

 

[Benzene]

Hello Annarita!

Shakespeare wrote "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows” in "The Tempest" a play in five acts. The expression means quite "il bisogno genera strani compagni di letto".

Do you know "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare? This is engaging really.

In mentioned Shakespeare's play, "Ariel" is a sprite of air.

You have to know I called Ariel a my cat that I found half-drowned during a flood in Genoa. At the time he was a puppy and he lived 16 years with me.

Bye,

Benzene

 

[Annarita55]

Not only I know the Tempest, but it is my favorite play by Shakespeare! And I used to have a cat named Ariel as well. He passed away at 12, but he really, really had an "Ariel" face!
Thank you for your suggestion, Benzene.

PS: I lived in Genoa for a few years, as a child

 

[alicip]

Even though I love Sheakespeare and his works, I believe this proverb fits better:
adversity makes strange bedfellows - early 17th-century saying meaning that difficult circumstances will bring together very different people. While the underlying idea remains the same, there has always been variation in the first word of the proverb (see politics makes strange bedfellows).

 

[theartichoke]

Another way of saying it: "Necessity makes strange bedfellows." While "necessity" isn't the commonest English word for "il bisogno," it's part of the common proverb "necessity is the mother of invention," so I think it could work here.

 

[Benzene]

Hello alicip!

You are welcome!

In my opinion only Annarita can choose my suggestion or your. In fact the use of one or the other changes the registry.

@Annarita55: personally I would like to know your opinion on, since you are the writer's novel. Thanks in advance.

Bye,

Benzene

 

[Annarita55]

This is a wealth of information! I love Shakespeare and I'll keep the quote for future use (I do write, but what I'm doing now is a translation from Italian of a Role Play Game). However, Role Play Games require a very simple, everyday language, so I suppose I'll go for the more straightforward solution, "necessity makes strange bedfellows".
Thank you,, everybody. You all have been of great help to me!