Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

The property by what it is should go,

Not by the title. She is young, wise, fair;

-King

All’s Well That Ends Well     Act II, Scene iii, Line 133

 

Believe it or not, the speech here by the king has many similarities to yesterday’s speech by Shylock. In particular, the king is making the point to Bertram that he should not judge Helen by her social status, in the same way that Shylock was telling Salarino that he should not be judged by his Jewishness. Pretty interesting, eh?

For context, Helena has just cured the king and has now been promised anything she wishes. She wishes to marry Bertram. However, Bertram is a Count, and Helena is a commoner. Bertram objects on this basis, and the king replies

        ‘Tis only title thou disdain’st in her, the which

I can build up. Strange is it that our bloods,

Of colour, weight, and heat, pour’d all together,

Would quite confound distinction, yet stand off

In differences so mighty. If she be

All that is virtuous, save what thou dislikest,

A poor physician’s daughter, thou dislikest

Of virtue for the name: but do not so:

From lowest place when virtuous things proceed,

The place is dignified by the doers deed:

Where great additions swell’s, and virtue none,

It is a dropsied honour. Good alone

Is good without a name. Vileness is so:

The property by what it is should go,

Not by the title. She is young, wise, fair;

In these to nature she’s immediate heir,

And these breed honour: that is honour’s scorn,

Which challenges itself as honour’s born

And is not like the sire: honours thrive,

When rather from our acts we them derive

Than our foregoers: the mere word’s a slave

Debosh’d on every tomb, on every grave

A lying trophy, and as oft is dumb

Where dust and damn’d oblivion is the tomb

Of honour’d bones indeed. What should be said?

If thou canst like this creature as a maid,

I can create the rest: virtue and she

Is her own dower; honour and wealth from me.

 

Just to help you out a bit: dropsied is puffed up or pretentious, and debosh’d is corrupted or depraved. So, given that, what do you think? I think the similarities to yesterday’s speech are significant. One thing that particularly stands out is the use of blood to make the point. Yesterday Shylock was telling us that Jews bleed just like Christians. Today the king is telling us that everyone’s blood is the same – pour’d all together, would quite confound distinction. Again, Totally Random lines. It’s uncanny, isn’t it?

And just one more example of things being the same, even when they may be perceived (erroneously)

to be different. In this case we get a written notice that they are the same. Too bad we couldn't get a written notice on so many other things in life! Perhaps Will's works are our written notice?