Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

 

The raging rocks

And shivering shocks

Shall break the locks

Of prison-gates;

And Phibbus’ car

Shall shine from far,

And make and mar

The foolish Fates.

 

Bottom

A Midsummer Night’s Dream       Act I, Scene ii, Line 32

My favorite parts of this play are the parts that have Bottom and his buddies in them. Today’s lines are Bottom reciting a piece. I think it is a few lines from another play that he is reciting to show all what a great actor he is. Since we only have the words, and not- please hold…

I was going to say we only have the printed word here, but of course we have more than the printed word. We have the Arkangel recording of the play. So, I just listened to act one, scene two. It was only six minutes long, and yes, it was as I said. This scene is Peter Quince (there aren’t all that many Peters in Will’s plays, are there?) meeting with all his buddies to tell them about a play they’ll be performing for the duke and duchess on their wedding night. Quince is assigning all the parts and Nick Bottom has something to say about everything. So his little burst of theatrical recital, to show all the others what a great actor he is, is not at all unexpected. In fact, in the Arkangel version it draws an applause from the other members of the group. Quince assigns all the parts and then tells them to learn their lines and meet in the forest tomorrow night to begin rehearsals. At the duke’s oak we meet, he says. Bottom replies with the last line of the scene, Enough; hold, or cut bowstrings.

 

Hold, or cut bowstrings. That’s an interesting phrase. At first I thought it might be more or less the same as fish, or cut bait. The Google tells me that it comes from a battle decision: hold your position, or retreat. In the case of the latter, they would cut their bowstrings so that their bows (presumably left behind) could not be used by the enemy. And, according to the Google, this does indeed roughly translate to the modern expression fish or cut bait. I think in today’s instance it’s just something for Bottom to say, because he’s got something to say about everything. Here’s the Google link if you want to read it.

Act 1, Scene 2: Popup Note Index Item: “Hold or cut bowstrings” | myShakespeare

Now when I read this explanation, the first thing that came to mind was, why wouldn’t they just take their bows with them? Why would they leave them when they retreat, cut bowstrings or not?

Yes, I guess that’s my takeaway. Don’t ask me why; it just is.