Come,
let me see what task I have to do.
-Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus Act
III, scene i Line 275
What a simple, little, easy to understand line. And how
ironic to have randomly picked it from such a bizarre play. I could easily
ramble on about how we can use that line in everyday situations. Granted, it
would be a little bit stilted to say these exact words. Can you imagine the
person sitting at the desk near you at work, or perhaps in study hall, and they
say out loud to themselves, “Come, let me see what task I have to do.” First
off you might think they’re a bit goofy for talking out loud to themselves, but
beyond that you’d probably think them goofy for the style of language, but
beyond that you would certainly understand what they’re saying. And based on
what they’re saying you wouldn’t be particularly engaged. It’s just a simple
little line. “Okay, what’s next on the to-do list?” Right?
And yet, this play is just one bizarre, violent scene after
another. Severed heads, slaughtering prisoners, mutilated bodies, cannibalism, rapes…
it’s a Sam Peckinpah smorgasbord. In fact, it’s sometimes hard to reconcile it
as a Shakespearean work. At least it is for me.
Now I’ve read/listened to this one a few years back. It’s
one of Will’s early works. And if I’m not mistaken, most of the big Will
thinkers don’t spend much time with this one. Also (and I looked this next one
up), it’s only been made into a movie once, in 1999 with Anthony Hopkins in the
title role.
But getting back to today’s Totally Random Daily
Shakespeare; “Come, let me see what task I have to do.” The really bizarre, and
very spooky, thing about this line is that it appears to be so innocuous, when
it is anything but. It appears to be a line that you’d say while sitting there
having a cup of coffee. “Should I finish washing the dishes, or should I go
bring in the empty garbage cans? What task should I take care of?” In fact,
Titus utters this line shortly after he has been tricked into cutting off his
own hand, and then had his sons’ two severed heads presented to him. The task
about which he is uncertain has to do with a response to these matters, these
very bizarre matters. The expected line would be something more along the lines
of “WHAT THE HELL I’M I GONNA DO NOW!!!” But that wouldn’t be half as spooky. Instead,
and I really would love to see Anthony Hopkins say this, instead Titus says
simply “Come, let me see what task I have to do.” I can just picture Hopkins
saying that with one of his hands missing and the severed heads of his sons sitting there. And that, my friends, is the genius of
Shakespeare (and maybe Anthony Hopkins).
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