Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

ACT I.     SCENE I. 

A ship at sea: a tempestuous noise of thunder and                                         lightning heard.

Enter a SHIP-MASTER and a BOATSWAIN.

 

SHIP-MASTER

BOATSWAIN!

 

This is a little bit different setup for this morning’s post since it’s the first line of The Tempest. Well, it’s not just the first line of speech, it’s the first lines at the beginning of the script. We know it’s the beginning by noting that it’s the first scene of the first act, and it then tells us what’s going on before the Ship-master gives us the first actual spoken line of the play: BOATSWAIN! Yes, it’s all in caps.

We have to wonder just how they managed to stage the ship at sea, and the tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning, but apparently they did. This is not one of those things that took place off-stage and was then related to the audience by one of the actors. This is a ship, at sea, in a storm, on the stage, in the year 1610, or thereabouts. Interesting to think about, isn’t it?

Here is a pic of the relatively calm South Pacific Ocean a few hundred miles south of New Zealand, from a ship, in the sea. No tempestuous noise of lightning and thunder on this trip. Thank God!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

                                 I will hear that play;

For never anything can be amiss,

When simpleness and duty tender it.

 

Theseus

A Midsummer Night’s Dream  Act V, Scene i, Line 35

 

Well, do we think that this is a truism?

For never anything can be amiss,

When simpleness and duty tender it?

My online Shakespeare glossary doesn’t have anything unusual for the word tender: it just means look after, or care for. Simpleness and duty; that’s all you need. Interesting. Simpleness and duty. Nowadays we would probably use the word simplicity; but it’s all the same.

To add a little context, Thesus is reacting to being told that a play has been prepared for him by

Hard-handed men, that work in Athens here,

Which never labour’d in their minds till now;

And now have toil’d their unbreathed memories

With this same play…

Well this is interesting too, isn’t it? They’ve never before labour’d in their minds (that squares with the simpleness), but now have toil’d their unbreathed memories. Again, toil’d their unbreathed memories? I gotta think about that one. Never labour’d in their minds is easy, but toil’d their unbreathed memories? That’s one of the things I love about Will: sometimes he comes up with this stuff that I really have to think about.

Toil’d their unbreathed memories. They’ve used memories that they’ve never used, or had, before? Does that make sense? If so, what is he saying. Okay, this just got more interesting. He’s talking about laborers, bricklayers and the such (there’s the duty part) who will be putting on this play. These are guys who’ve never acted before; like me.

That’s right, this past weekend I was part of the production Twelfth Night presented here in Cheshire. I’d never acted in a play before (there are those who would argue that I still haven’t acted, but we’ll leave that alone for now). So, did I use memories that I never used before? Maybe? Utilized memories that I’ve never used before. Hmmm. I might have to spend the day thinking about this. Or perhaps I could get my new group of friends in the Cheshire Town Players to respond to this. Perhaps it means something to them.

Toil’d their unbreathed memories.

Anyone?

You know what they say: 

"If you didn't get a picture, it didn't happen." 

Well, here's the picture: It's me presenting my prisoner, Antonio the noble pirate (with no sea cap on his head), to Duke Orsino and Cesario/Viola.

So, am I toiling my unbreathed memories? You tell me.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold no longer:

Th’Antoniad, the Egyptian admiral,

With all their sixty, fly and turn rudder:

To see’t mine eyes are blasted

Domitius Enobarbus

Antony and Cleopatra           Act III, Scene x, Line 1

There are a lot of battles in this play, many (if not most) of them are sea battles. Whilst Christopher Nolan, if he were to take on this story, could stage (well, not on a stage, but on a screen) all the battles in all their glory, sixteenth century theater production companies could not. The alternative is to have people talk about and describe the battles. And that’s what we have here.

Need I say more?

Speaking of battles, it's always a bit of a battle grooming this guy; and he manages to ham it up quite well. You'd think he was having his ear cut off, or perhaps that he were having his eyes blasted by seeing 

Th'Antonoid, the Egyptian admiral,

With all their sixty, fly and turn rudder: 

Trust me: neither of these is the case. 

This guy definitely belongs in pictures.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

God grant that some, less noble and less loyal,

Nearer in bloody thoughts, but not in blood,

Deserve not worse than wretched Clarence did,

And yet go current from suspicion!

Duke of Gloster 

King Richard the Third     Act II, Scene i, Line 94

For starters, Duke of Gloster is Richard III; he just hasn’t become king yet. And we all know that, in this play, Richard is the bad guy.

So, what the heck is he saying? Well, there are no difficult or outdated words in the four lines. Perhaps a bit of context will help.

Richard is the brother of King Edward. Clarence, another brother, has been arrested under suspicion of treason and sent to the Tower of London to await execution. Edward reconsidered and reversed the order, but before Clarence could be released, Richard saw to it that he was murdered in the tower. Now everyone is just finding out that Clarence is dead, and they are sort of looking at Richard.

King

Is Clarence dead? The order was reversed.

Richard/Duke of Gloster

But he, poor soul, by your order first died,

And that a winged Mercury did bear;

Some tardy cripple bore the countermand,

That came too lag to see him buried.

God grant that some, less noble and less loyal,

Nearer in bloody thoughts, but not in blood,

Deserve not worse than wretched Clarence did,

And yet go current from suspicion!

If I’m not mistaken, in the first four lines Richard is saying that he, a tardy cripple, was too late bearing the countermand and that Clarence was already dead when he got there (not true). So then, what is he saying in the next four lines.

Okay, I think I got it. Try this:

God knows that there are some who are not as good a man as Clarence, and who deserve death, and yet we don’t even realize who these baddies are.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s it, though I’m not sure who Richard is referring to. Maybe he’s just floating this idea out there to make it easier to throw suspicion on the next guy that he wants to get killed.

Okay, Shakespeare understood for today. Go in peace.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Nor more willingly leaves winter; such summer-birds are men.

Timon 

Timon of Athens     Act III, Scene vi, Line 30

 

Timon is speaking this as an aside, in other words to himself. Let’s give you the whole exchange.

Timon

And how fare you?

Second Lord

The swallow follows not the summer more willing than we your lordship.

Timon (speaking to himself)

Nor more willingly leaves winter; such summer-birds are men.

This scene is taking place after Timon realizes that his friends are no friends at all. He’s fallen on tough times and every one of his friends has refused to help him. So he has invited them all to dinner where he’s going to tell them all off whilst serving them a bowl of warm water for dinner. They, of course, don’t know that yet, and Timon is pretending to still be the same old welcoming Timon.

So what does Timon’s comment mean? It’s not too hard.

Second Lord

We follow you like the swallows follow summer.

Timon

You also leave winter quickly, like a summer-bird.

I believe he’s using winter to mean tough times. In other words, you guys are fair-weather friends; not to be counted on in tough times.

I think it’s as simple as that.

And here is the polar opposite of fair weather friends:

Two of my favorite people in the world that I could count on ever and always.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Be opposite all planets of good luck

To my proceeding! if, with pure heart’s love,

Immaculate devotion, holy thoughts,

I tender not thy beauteous princely daughter!

 

King Richard

King Richard the Third  Act IV, Scene iv, Line 405

 

Richard is talking to Elizabeth about her daughter, and trying to convince her how noble his intentions are. He wants to marry her daughter, and he’s trying to talk Elizabeth into helping him woo her. Only problem: he’s already killed Elizabeth’s husband and two young sons. Oh, is that all?

Shakespeare’s Richard is a really rotten dude. How historically accurate this picture is, might be questioned, but nonetheless, the fellow in this play is the pits: a ratfink extraordinaire. He’s responsible for the death of the woman’s husbands and sons, and now he wants to marry her daughter. Does the sheer absence of empathy, and overwhelming presence of gall remind you of anyone?

Hmmmm… I could swear there’s someone this reminds me of.. who could it be?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

But which are the offenders that are to be examined? Let them come before master constable.

 

Sexton

Much Ado About Nothing    Act IV, Scene ii, Line 7

 

Sexton doesn’t have a name; he’s just sexton. So, we know that he’s someone that works at the church. Sort of like the guy I’m playing in Twelfth Night. I’m just an officer; no name. So, you know that I’m a member of the police force. And I guess that’s all you really need to know.

But here’s something you didn't know. Today is August Fourth. I started blogging this blog on August 1, 2016. Yes, ten years ago. I am now four days into year number eleven of doing this blog. This is blog post number 1,511. It’s personal post number 3,115. You see, I write my posts in Word before copying them to my blog. Often, about half the time, my Word post, for one reason or another, does not make it to my online blog. Obviously I miss days, for many reasons, but I’ve average almost six days a week writing about Will’s works in my personal log, and almost three days a week average of posting to this online blog. That’s not bad. Or maybe it represents a colossal waste of time? Who knows. Sometimes I like to think of this blog as my personal Watts Towers. You’re not familiar with the Watts Towers? I’m going to let you google that one.

Meantime, You can call me Sabato, and I’ll just keep blogging.

 

Okay, I’ll make it easy on you.

Watts Towers - Wikipedia