Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

In troth, I think she would.—Fare you well, then.

-Valeria

Coriolanus                      Act I, scene iii, line 109

 

This is Valeria talking to Volumnia about Virgilia. That’s a lot of V’s. Valeria has been trying to talk Vigilia, her friend, into coming out with her to go do something. Vigilia insists that she won’t leave the house until her husband Coriolanus is home from the battles. Volumnia, Coriolanus’s mother, has just said to Valeria, Let her alone, lady: as she is now, she will but disease our better mirth. That is what Valeria is responding to with Today’s Totally Random Line. In troth, is In truth. 

I find it interesting that these three women, the only women in the play other than a few unnamed extras, all have V names. And further, can you imagine any woman embracing the name Volumnia? It makes me think Voluminus and, ergo, Fatso. 

Volumnia will end up playing a small, but very pivotal, role in the play later on when she talks Coriolanus out of sacking Rome. But for today, she’s just the mother-in-law to Virgilia.

Finally, disease our better mirth. That's a very cool little turn of phrase. I like that, and perhaps I'll use that one, if I can manage to remember it. My wife is always calling me a party pooper. I'll respond with, What, are you afraid I'm going to disease your better mirth?

Yeah, she likes to enjoy life. I do my best not to disease her better mirth.