…younger sons to younger brothers…
-Falstaff
King Henry The Fourth
Part I Act IV,
Scene ii, Line 29
This is two days in a row of Henry IV plays, today part one
and yesterday part two, and two days in a row of Falstaff. Yesterday we had a
line in reply to Sir John’s question ‘what money is in my purse?’ and today we
have Sir John giving a bit of a soliloquy. He’s talking about the troop of
soldiers he’s in charge of and in this particular part of the speech he’s
talking about how unfit a group of men he has. Here’s the larger piece that I carved today’s Totally Random line out of
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and now my whole charge
consists of
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ancients, corporals, lieutenants,
gentlemen of
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companies, slaves as ragged as
Lazarus in the
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painted cloth, where the
glutton's dogs licked his
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sores; and such as indeed were
never soldiers, but
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discarded unjust serving-men,
younger sons to
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younger brothers, revolted
tapsters and ostlers
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trade-fallen, the cankers of a
calm world and a
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long peace, ten times more
dishonourable ragged than an old faced ancient:
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It reminds me of a line from The Two Towers movie when
they’re getting ready for the battle of Helm’s Deep and Legolas, looking at the
group of men (and boys) getting ready to man the walls says ‘Most of them have
seen too many winters’ and I think Aragorn replies, ‘or too few’. ‘younger sons to younger brothers’ is just Will's way of accentuating the youth of Falstaff's soldiers.
I can't remember whether or not I've already used this pic of me and my younger brother Will in his stylin' plaid pants. But no matter, it's a good pic for today. And Will has two sons, so they'd be younger sons to the younger brother. Luckily, Will and I grew up in a time of no war for our country. God willing the same will hold true for his sons. And mine. And yours.
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