Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)           

                                       

For ‘tis the sport to have the engineer

Hoist with his own petar: and ‘t shall go hard

But I will delve one yard below their mines,

And blow them at the moon.

  

-Hamlet

Hamlet                          Act III, Scene iii, Line 207

 

What a great line! This is the scene in Gertrude’s chamber where Hamlet inadvertently kills Polonius and then sees his father’s ghost.
But right now he’s talking to his mother about the fact that R&G are set to escort him to England, and that he’s going to turn the tables on them. A petar is a bomb, so Hamlet is talking about the bomber being blown up with his own bomb. I really like the part about delving one yard below their mines and blowing them at the moon. 

When I read that I couldn't help but think of Tolkien's use of delve when Gandalf (I'm not sure, but I think it was Gandalf) talks about Durin delving too deep in Moria and disturbing the Balrog. But of course, delve is a very common word, and it's often used when talking about mining, so we mustn't assume that Tolkien had any influence from Will. No.

Just the same, delve one yard below their mines, and blow them at the moon. Where on earth did Will come up with that? Wow!

I don't remember who this friendly guy is, but apparently he wanted to see whatever I was looking at in the telescope. Was it someone being blown at the moon? Again, I don't remember.