Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

Most radiant, exquisite, and unmatchable

 beauty,-- I pray you, tell me if this be the

lady of the house, for I never  saw her: I would be

loth to cast away my speech; for, besides that it 

is excellently well penn’d, I have taken great 

pains to con it. Good beauties, let me sustain no 

scorn; I am very comptible, even to the least 

sinister usage.

-Viola

Twelfth Night          Act I, Scene v, Line 169

 

First off, a few notes to help you understand today’s line. Con means learned by heart. Comptible to the least sinister usage means susceptible to unkind treatment.

Context? Okay, if you insist. Viola is a  woman disguised as a man, and she has been sent to Olivia by the Duke of Illyria to try to woo Olivia for the Duke. Viola has just walked in the door of Olivia’s house and the latter is standing there with some of her women in waiting. Viola is trying to figure out which one is Olivia.  

There, now did that help, or did it just confuse you further? Maybe you should go see the play. I’m going to. I’m going all the way to Nashville, TN to see it. What the heck do you think of that?

Yup, this is where I'm going; back to the farm in Tennessee. Okay, so I'm not going there just to see the play; I'm going there to see my daughter. But I am going to see the play as well. And no, I've not taken the time to con the play.