Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

           

How goes the world, sir, now?

-Ross

Macbeth                         Act II, Scene iv, Line 20

                   

This is a scene on the morning after Duncan’s murder. Ross, a nobleman, is outside Macbeth’s castle talking about the murder to an old man. Macduff, another nobleman shows up and Ross greets him with today’s line. It seems, at first, a rather an odd line given that both men know that the king has just been found murdered in his bed. But the ‘now’ on the end of the question gives it that added meaning of knowing that things are messed up, but has anything new happened since the murder? Well, yes it has: the assumed murderers were killed by Macbeth, whilst Duncan’s two sons have fled. Meanwhile Macbeth has left for Scone where he will be crowned the new king. So actually, a lot has happened.

And what about Duncan’s body?

   Carried to the Colme-kill,
   The sacred storehouse of his predecessors,
   And guardian of their bones.

And it’s this last bit that is yet another bit of Will’s writings that makes me think of Tolkien’s work. In this case it brings to mind Theoden’s burial.

Yes, I am convinced that Will influenced the writing of JRR. Don’t get me going on that one. And yes, I know that JRR professed a general dislike for Will’s works, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t schooled in them at an early age, and that they could not have subconsciously affected him. I am absolutely convinced of it, as I suppose, I am absolutely convinced of many things; most assuredly some of them right and true, and some of them less so.
So, let’s just leave it at that.

This is a close-up of a pine tree branch in our backyard. Those little things that look like berries are actually very small pine cones. 

I looked all over for something related but came up empty. Anyway, I thought this was a nice pic, so there you go.