Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Were I but now the lord of such hot youth

As when brave Gaunt thy father, and myself,

Rescued the Black Prince, that young Mars of men,

From forth the ranks of many thousand French,

O, then, how quickly should this arm of mine,

Now prisoner to the palsy, chastise thee,

And minister correction to thy fault!

 

Duke of York

King Richard The Second Act II, Scene iii, Line 100

The Duke of York is speaking to Henry Bolingbroke. The Duke of York, John of Gaunt (Henry’s father), and Edward the Black Prince (Richard the Second’s father) are all brothers, sons to Edward III. Edward the Black Prince, the eldest brother, died before he could become king, so when Edward III died, the crown passed to the Black Prince’s son who became Richard the Second. Now Henry Bolingbroke has decided to usurp the crown from his first cousin, and his uncle, the Duke of York is telling him that this is not the right thing to do. Unfortunately, the Duke of York is now an old man, and can really do nothing to stop his nephew, Henry. Still, he’s going to let Henry know, in no uncertain terms, that he doesn’t approve of what Henry is doing.

I'm confused, Mr. Blagys; The Duke of York is the uncle of Henry and of King Richard? Doesn't the Duke have any of his own kids? Where are they?

The Duke has one son, but he doesn't play much of a role in this play. 

Just go with it, Mojo.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

My gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine,

Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts,

Calm thee, and bear the faults of  Titus’s age,

Th’effects of sorrow for his valiant sons,

Whose loss hath pierced him deep and scarred his heart;

And rather comfort his distressed polight

Than prosecute the meanest of the best

For these contempts.

 

Tamora

Titus Andronicus                Act IV, Scene iv, Line 27

 

Whilst Tamora appears to be sympathetic to Titus, don’t be fooled. In the next line, in an aside, she talks about killing Titus. Tamora is sympathetic to no one, she is on no one’s side but her own, and in this story she has risen to the role of empress, as the wife of Emperor Saturnine.

Yes, this is a tragedy.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

With a thief to the gallows; for though he go as softly as foot can fall, he thinks himself too soon there.

 

Rosalind      

As You Like It              Act III, Scene ii, Line 333

This line, spoken to Orlando, is prefaced by him asking, Who doth he gallop with?

This conversation starts with a discussion of Time, and Rosalind saying that he/Time travels in divers places with divers persons. She says that sometimes Time ambles, sometimes he trots, sometimes he gallops, and sometimes he stands still.

Today’s Line tells us that he gallops with a thief to the gallows since, for someone about to be hanged, time flies.

And for whom does time stand still? If you recall from a week ago, we were told by Henry Van Dyke, For those who love, Time is not.

Will has a different answer. Rosalind tells us that Time stands still with lawyers in the vacation; for they sleep between term and term, and then they perceive not how Time moves. Terms are court sessions, so I guess she’s saying that lawyers sleep when they’re not in court and so perceive no movement of time. I’m not exactly sure what she’s insinuating about lawyers, but it doesn't sound particularly complimentary. Nevertheless, I kind of like Van Dykes sentiment better: 

Time stands still for lovers.

 

They say you can tell a person’s age by looking at their hands. Well, I don’t think time is standing still for me, because that is not a young man’s hand.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

You cannot show me.

Anne Bullen

King Henry the Eighth   Act I, Scene iv, Line 48

There’s a bit of a party going on at the palace with a bunch of ladies in attendance. One of them is Anne Bullen (that’s Will’s spelling of Boleyn). Today’s Totally Random Line is a part of a back and forth between Anne and Lord Sands. She calls him a merry gamester, to which he replies,

                                      Yes, if I make my play.

Here’s to your ladyship: and pledge it, madam,

For ‘tis to such a thing,--

To which she replies with Today’s Line, You cannot show me.

So, what do you make of that? The confusing part is and pledge it, madam, for ‘tis to such a thing. I’m at a bit of a loss as to what Lord Sands means by this, but I’m afraid I’m a bit entrenched right now, otherwise I might get up try to find some help with this line in one of my other compilations. As it is, getting up would require quite the effort, so you're going to have to take your best guess on this one.

Okay, granted that the pc balanced on the books and the blanket keeping me warm wouldn't be the hardest things to move, but see that lump in the red blanket in the bottom center of the picture? That lump is named Mojo, and you know what they say about sleeping dogs: something about letting them lie.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I brought High Hereford, if you call him so,

But to the next highway, and there I left him.

Duke of Aumerle

King Richard the Second   Act I, Scene iv, Line 3

We did observe. --Cousin Aumerle,

How far brought you high Hereford on his way?

There; that’s lines one and two of the scene, spoken by King Richard, and that’s what the Duke of Aumerle is responding to with Today’s Totally Random Lines which are lines three and four. High Hereford is Harry Hereford, aka Henry Bolingbroke.

One of the things that can make Will’s works hard to read, particularly the histories, is the fact that many of the royal characters go by more than one name. Take Harry Hereford/Henry Bolingbroke for example. As if he wasn’t already confusing enough, by the end of this play he will be known as King Henry IV. 

It's way too confusing, Mr. Blagys. It’s one of the reasons I tend to favour the tragedies. Besides, if I'm being candid, I find the histories a bit pedestrian. 

Is that right, Mojo? Pedestrian?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Thy thoughts I cleave to. What’s thy pleasure?

 

Ariel

The Tempest           Act IV, Scene i, Line 165

This is Ariel appearing at Prospero’s command:

Come with a thought!—I thank thee, Ariel, come!

Pretty good, eh? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a servant show up at your command, especially with Ariel’s words and attitude? He cleaves to Prospero’s thoughts. My goodness!

Let's just leave it at that for today.

Sometimes I feel like this guy is cleaving to my thoughts. Lord knows he gets physically close enough to them.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

For competence of life I will allow you,

That lack of means enforce you not to evil:

And, as we hear you do reform yourselves,

We will, according to your strength and qualities,

Give you advancement.- Be it your charge, my lord,

To see perform’d the tenour of our word.—

Set on.

                           [Exeunt KING and his TRAIN]

 

King Henry the Fifth

King Henry the Fourth Part II   Act V, Scene v, Line 71

This is at the very end of the play. Recall that much of the two Henry the Fourth plays were about Henry the Fourth’s son, Prince Henry, aka Hal. Now, here at the end of the play, Henry IV has died, and Hal has become Henry the Fifth. Recall also that during much of the two Henry IV plays Prince Henry/Hal spent much of his time carousing with Falstaff and the boys. Finally, recall that on Henry IV’s deathbed Prince Henry/Hal promised his father, the king, that he would become a Henry the Fifth that his father would be proud of.

Okay, got that?  

Now, here in this final scene the new King Henry the Fifth is processing through the streets, and Falstaff in in the crowd. Falstaff cries out,

God save thy Grace, King Hal! My royal Hal!

Hal/King Henry V stops and addresses Falstaff as the commoner that he is,

I know thee not, old man: fall to thy prayers;

How ill white hairs become a fool and jester!

That’s gotta hurt Old Falstaff. The king goes on to say that he’s dreamed of an old man like Falstaff, but that now that he’s awake, he despises that dream. He tells Falstaff to shape up and that he, King Henry the Fifth, has turned away from what he was, and who he hung out with, when he was Hal. Further, he banishes Falstaff and his buddies, and on pain of death tells him not to come within ten miles of him, the king. Then he finishes up with Today’s Totally Random Lines, in which King Henry is saying that if Falstaff shapes up, he might be treated a bit better.

And that’s about it. Falstaff tries to tell everyone around him that the king doesn’t mean what he’s saying, and that he just has to talk like that in public. He maintains that King Henry will send for him in private. Unfortunately for Falstaff, Henry does mean what he’s saying, and he won’t send for the old man in private; and everyone knows that. It’s a little bit of a sad ending for Falstaff, but it’s necessary to set Hal up as the heroic King Henry the Fifth that he’s going to be in the next play.

Oh well, I guess it can't be helped.

Disown you like Falstaff got disowned by Hal? 

Of course not, Mojo! I would never abandon you. 

Don't be ridiculous!