Today’s Totally Random
Lines
I wish you all joy of the worm.
Clown
Antony and Cleopatra Act V, Scene ii, Line 260
Well that’s an odd
little line, eh? Now, given that this is almost the end of the play, can you
guess what the worm is? Yes, that’s right, it’s the asp that Cleopatra’s going
to use to end her life. The clown (whoever that is) has just brought a basket
with the asp/worm in it. He and Cleopatra have a little bit of back and forth
about the asp/worm, and then the clown leaves.
Twice he wishes her the joy of the worm; an interesting little turn of phrase. What exactly does he mean? What is the joy of the worm? Death? Hmmm. I don’t know. It’s a bit odd.
2 comments:
Is an asp another word for a worm...? How does she end her life with a worm...?
A great sticker appearance!
Worm is, in this instance, another word for a snake.
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