Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Well, go to, go to.

Paris

Troilus and Cressida      Act II, Scene i, Line 96

Oh my. I chuckled to myself as I read that. I’d been sitting here this morning, drinking my morning coffee, waiting for my morning coffee to do its job of waking me up, and feeling  a bit down: sleepy or down? Or maybe a bit of both. Hard to say sometimes. Anyway, I decided to do a Daily Random Line. For two reasons: one is that I like doing Lines and it’s easy to do Lines (that’s one reason), and two is that so, so many times the Daily Line gives me something relevant to my day. Today is no exception. Well, go to, go to. It’s just five words; five short and completely understandable words. There’s no early modern English issues here; no need to translate anything (I really hate the use of the word translate when we’re talking about Will’s stuff; I’m using it sarcastically here). And the fact that it’s repeated, go to, go to, is perfect. It needs to be emphasized. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or down, then just get at it. Get started. Do something! Go to, go to!

Going to is so often precisely my problem. I seem to be almost always (yes, almost) inclined to not go to. I’ve really no idea about the context of this line. It would seem that Paris is telling someone to go ahead and do something. Who he is telling, and what they are going to do, well, who knows. No, literally, who knows; but I don’t. And I don’t need to know. But there's no doubt about the fact that now and almost always I just need to GO TO!

I'm ready to GO TO, Mr. Blagys

 Go to where, Mojo?

I don't know. But I'm ready.

I can always count on you, can't I, Mojo.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Now, how  dost thou look now? O ill-starr’d wench!

Pale as thy smock! When we shall meet at compt,

This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven,

And fiends will snatch at it. Cold, cold, my girl!

Even like thy chastity.

 

Othello

Othello                 Act V, Scene ii, Line 275

First off, the word compt at the end of the second line refers to reckoning, or the day of judgement. I know, it seems like an odd little word to have that meaning, but it’s what my on-line Shakespeare glossary says, and it makes sense.

So, what we have here is Othello, alone with the dead body of Desdemona. He killed her earlier in this scene and shortly after he did, he was brought to the realization by Iago’s wife Emilia that Desdemona had been faithful to him. Iago then killed Emilia and ran off. Now Othello is left alone to think about what he did.

In Today’s Lines he’s talking to the dead body of his wife. This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven, and fiends will snatch at it. That’s a great line that creates a vivid image of him falling. I can picture the fiends grabbing at him. I can’t quite decide, though, what the look on her face is that causes his fall. Is it some sort of look of contempt. No, now that I think about it, it’s probably the look of complete innocence, and the look that her dead face is now showing. Othello (or should I say Will) does not attempt to describe that look, does he? How dost thou look now? O ill-starr’d wench! Pale as thy smock! That’s all he gives us. She’s ill-starr’d and she’s pale. Ill-starr’d is just saying that she’s unlucky, but that doesn’t really give us an idea of how she dost look now. I guess it’s just the look of innocence on a dead face, but I suppose you’ll have to decide that for yourself, won’t you.

I wanted to find a look on a face that might represent Desdemona's,  but I decided that was a lost cause. 

So I'm giving you this picture of Antonio and his arresting officer: a couple of good looks that fall somewhere between a snarl and a sneer.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

What storm is this that blows so contrary?

Is Romeo slaughter’d, and is Tybalt dead?

My dear-loved cousin, and my dearer lord?-

Then, dreadful trumpet, sound the general doom!

For who is living if those two are gone.

 

Juliet

Romeo and Juliet       Act III, Scene ii, Line 65

Romeo has killed Juliet’s cousin Tybalt in a fight and has consequently been banished. This is what Nurse has come to tell Juliet, but it’s going to take her a while to get the full message out. At the point that she’s speaking Today’s Lines, Juliet thinks that both of the guys are dead. This will be clarified momentarily, but Romeo’s banishment does not make her much happier than the thought of his death, and she’ll go on for another half page of moaning.

Funnily (at least I found it a little funny), a few lines up when Nurse is talking about Romeo she says O Romeo, Romeo. Whilst it’s not Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo, it’s still close enough to Juliet’s famous words to give pause. At least, it was enough to give me pause; I don’t know about you. But let’s face it, there are lots of things that give me pause.

Well, what on earth is giving me pause here?

Oh, that's right; it was these shoes that I saw when I was out and about yesterday. Thems is some stylin' wheels, eh? In fact, it looks like something that Romeo might wear!

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

That Julius Caesar was a famous man;

With what his valour did enrich his wit,

His wit set down to make his valour live:

Death makes no conquest of this conqueror;

For now he lives in fame, though not in life.

 

Prince

King Richard the Third     Act III, Scene i, Line 86

Richard has suggested that the prince reside in the Tower of London until his coronation, and so begins a discussion of the tower and Julius Caesar who, ostensibly, began the construction of it. Of course, at this point the prince, who is just a boy, has no inkling of Richard’s plans to eliminate him. The prince’s mother, on the other hand, has lots of inkling, and has taken herself and the prince’s brother into sanctuary somewhere outside London. It’s an interesting scene. Will paints a picture of an evil man who was able to fool a lot of people, not just young princes. It might be considered a cautionary tale. You should read it. Here, I’ll make it easy on you.

 

Richard the Third (Modern) :: Internet Shakespeare Editions

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Now is my turn to speak. Behold this child,--

[Pointing to the CHILD in the

arms of an ATTENDANT]

Of this was Tamora delivered;

The issue of an irreligious Moor,

Chief architect and plotter of these woes:

The villain is alive in Titus’s house,

Damn’d as he is, to witness this is true.

 

Marcus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus             Act V, Scene iii, Line 121

Well, it’s a fairly long sentence, that’s for sure; nothing new about that. This is from the last page of the play. It’s line 159 with this final scene ending on line 204.

They decide that Titus’s son (Marcus’s nephew) Lucius will be the new emperor. Pretty much everyone else who wasn’t already dead got killed earlier in this scene: Titus, Saturninus, Tamora, Lavinia…who did I miss? They will also decide, momentarily, to bury Aaron up to his neck so that he can starve, and to throw Tamora’s body to the carrion fowl. And then the play ends with a rhyming couplet,

Then, afterwards, to order well the state,

That like events may ne’er it ruinate.

Try as I might to not think about (and I do try very hard), these last two lines got me to considering our current political situation. Do you think we’ll ever get to the end of this nightmare that our state now endures? And if we do, will we put in place safeguards That like events may ne’er it ruinate?

God, I hope so.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I write good creature; wheresoe’er she is,

Her heart weighs sadly: this young maid might do  her

A shrewd turn, if she pleased.

 

How do you mean?

Widow/Helena

All’s Well That Ends Well      Act III, Scene v, Line 69

The first three and a half lines are the Widow’s and the last half line is Helena’s. They’re talking about Helena’s predicament with Bertram, though the widow doesn’t realize that it’s Helena she is speaking with. As such, she’s being blunt, forthright, straight, and plain-spoken, because she has no reason to be otherwise. In other words, she’s being round with Helena.

I hope you realize the I used yesterday’s word today.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Pray you, be round with him.

Polonius

Hamlet                       Act III, Scene iv, Line 5

Blunt, forthright, straight, and plain-spoken: those are the meanings given for round in my on-line Shakespeare Glossary. This is Polonius talking to Gertrude. She’s called Hamlet to her room to question him about his odd behavior, and Polonius is about to hide behind the curtain to listen in on the conversation. But first he’s got to give Gertrude some advice, of course. I say of course because giving advice is Polonius’s main occupation.

Sometimes I feel like I’m married to Polonius, because I’m constantly getting advice on what to do and how to do it, especially when I’m driving. Oh well.

It's a good thing I don't do that to you, isn't  it, Mr. Blagys. 

Now, can you come over here and sit with me and rub my belly?