Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

 

The spirits that know

All mortal consequences have pronounced me thus,

‘Fear not, Macbeth; no man that’s born of woman

Shall e’er have power upon thee.’—Then fly, false thanes,

And mingle with the English epicures:

The mind I sway by and the heart I bear

Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear.   

 

Macbeth

Macbeth                         Act V, Scene iii,  Line 8

 

One with sensitive and discriminating tastes, especially in food or wine.

One devoted to sensual pleasure.

Those are the two definitions of epicure from MW online. The first is the modern definition and the latter is archaic. You can sort of see how one begot the other, but it’s more the archaic version that Macbeth is using here.  

We’re near the end of the play and things are starting to turn bad for Macbeth, but he remains defiant. After all, the witches who know all have told him that no man can kill him. Right?

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

And, as he drinks his draughts of Rhenish down,

The kettle-drum and trumpet thus bray out

The triumph of his pledge.

 

Hamlet

Hamlet                   Act I, Scene iv,  Line 10

 

…the king is feasting and every time he drinks, trumpets, drums, and cannon make their joyful noise in celebration.

There, instead of Pete’s version I gave you Isaac’s version this morning. So that’s right, every time the king drinks there is a musical salute with a cannon. It sounds a bit much, doesn’t it; sort of like a backwards drinking game. Instead of drinking every time something happens, something (in this case a musical and cannon salute) happens every time he drinks. I guess it’s great to be king. Sort of.

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I shall do’t, my lord.

 

Sir Thomas Erpingham

King Henry the Fifth      Act V, Scene i,  Line 292

That’s a pretty long name: Sir Thomas Erpingham. I don’t recall ever running into this fellow before, but it looks like we've visited this page twice previously, so…   In any event, he sounds like a solid guy. I shall do’t, my lord. It’s a no-nonsense reply to the king who has told Sir Thomas to gather all the nobles and meet them at his tent. So, Mr. No-Nonsense Sir Thomas is now Mr. Errand-Boy. He has to go around the camp and gather up all the nobles to meet at the king’s tent. I guess I should say Sir Errand Boy. Either way, I feel pretty certain that he’ll get the job done.

Good ‘ol Sir Thomas Errand-Boy Erpingham.

 

Well, I've got nothing further on Sir Thomas Erpingham, but I do have something on this little cutie; she's forty-two years old today! That's right, and just as cute as she was thirty or so years ago. 

Happy Birthday Jess!

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

 

The queen, the courtiers: who is that they follow?

And with such maimed rites? This doth betoken

The corse they follow did with desperate hand

Fordo its own life: ‘twas of some estate.

Couch me awhile and mark.

 

Hamlet

Hamlet                      Act V, Scene i,  Line 225

 

Quick vocab check: corse is corpse and couch is lie hidden. And, by the way, MW has one modern meaning of couch as to lie in ambush. I’m just saying. Maimed rites simply means that the burial they’re watching is not being performed with the proper rites and of some estate means rich and/or important.

Okay, with all that, you shouldn’t need Pete’s Version. See, it's written in plain, modern English. Almost.

Obviously what Hamlet and Horatio are witnessing is the burial of Ophelia. They just don’t know, yet, that it’s Ophelia. That information's not going to go over well with our titular hero. 

Now, in my world the verb form of couch (or in this case recliner) has a slightly different meaning. 

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

The queen, madam,

Desires your highness’ company.

Lady

Cymbeline                Act I, Scene iii,  Line 38

The Queen, in this play, is like the evil stepmother to Imogen, even though Imogen’s father is still alive. Imogen is the person being addressed by the speaker in Today’s Line. No doubt the queen is up to something, but I’m not sure what.

Speaking of I'm not sure what -

I saw this orange ball in the sky (it was more orange than this pic shows), setting on the horizon, and at first I was confused. Yup, that's the western sky all right, same place I'm always seeing the sun set this time of year; only problem is that I took this pick at 6:30 a.m. So, obviously it was the moon; but it kind of threw me for a minute.

For the record: I'm still not sure what the queen is up to.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

But come, I’ll tell thee all my whole device

When I am in my coach, which stays for us

At the park-gate; and therefore haste away,

For we must measure twenty miles to-day.

 

Portia

The Merchant of Venice      Act III, Scene iv, Line 82

 

Portia is talking to her right-hand lady, Nerissa. She’s talking about the fact that they need to get moving if they’re going to get to Venice in time, and the fact that she’s going to tell Nerissa the whole plan (my whole device) in the coach, on the way. Of course, the plan she’s alluding to is where Portia will show up at the trial disguised as Balthazar.

I’m trying to recall if there are any instances in Will’s plays where a guy gets dressed up as a lady (other than the male actors who play all the women’s roles). I can’t think of one, and yet the women getting dressed up as men happens time and time again. What’s up with that?

By the way, I hope you noted the rhyming couplet: haste away, miles today. You know what that means, don't you? That's right - the last lines of the scene. Very good!

Mojo thinks he's cleverly disguised as part of my fleece robe. I'm not so sure the disguise was working as well as Portia's did, but I didn't have the heart to tell him.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

 

Saw’st thou not, boy, how Silver made it good

At the hedge-corner, in the coldest fault.

 

Lord

The Taming of the Shrew            Induction, Scene i,  Line 17

 

The setting: The lord has just arrived back from the hunt and he’s giving instructions for the caring of the dogs. Silver is one of the hunting dogs. In the coldest fault means when the scent of the prey had nearly been lost.

So that should make sense, n’est pas?

Use of the coldest fault is perhaps what led to the use of cold when describing a trail, or an investigation, as in Cold Case the television show.

Apparently Silver picked up the scent at the hedge-corner, when the trail had appeared to be lost. That Silver, he’s got quite the nose, eh?

This guy here has got a pretty solid schnozz. 

I'll bet he'd make a great hunting dog.

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

  

She’s not fourteen.

 

Lady Capulet

Romeo and Juliet         Act I, Scene iii, Line 13

 

So, according to her mother, Juliet is thirteen years old. Her mother is saying that she’s not yet fourteen. Well. What do we have to say about that? in modern times Juliet is played as and by a young woman. Young, yes; but woman, not girl.

Thirteen. Does that count as a young woman? In 2024? Not really.

I asked Mojo what he thought, and he said that he'd have to do a little reading up on the subject before answering that question. I'll let you know what he comes up with. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Turn, slave, and fight.

 

Margarelon

Troilus and Cressida            Act V, Scene vii,  Line 13

I don’t believe I’ve ever run into this Margarelon guy before in my seven years of randomly picking lines from this book.

Today’s scene takes place on the plains where a battle is raging. Thersites has just been watching Menelaus and Paris fighting, and commenting on it. Those two fighters leave the scene and now Margarelon, one of the Trojans, comes up behind Theresites, a Greek, and offers Today’s Totally Random Line. Theresites turns around and responds, What art thou? Margarelon anwers, A bastard son of Priam’s, and Theresites has quite a reply to that.

I am a bastard too; I love bastards: I am a bastard begot, bastard instructed, bastard in mind, bastard in valour, in every thing illegitimate. One bear will not bite another, and wherefore should one bastard? Take heed, the quarrel’s most ominous to us: if the son of a whore fight for a whore, he tempts judgment: farewell bastard.

And with that he runs off with Margarelon chasing him, and yelling, The devil take thee coward!

And that’s the end of the scene. Not really too much to it, really. The scene is mostly made up of Theresites talking; first about Paris and Menelaus fighting, and then about bastards.

Any thoughts? I think what Theresites has to say is pretty funny; particularly the I love bastards part.

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

 

Now, Catesby, what says your lord to my request?

 

Duke of Buckingham

King Richard the Third           Act III, Scene vii,  Line 58

 

Okay, now we have to decide how interested we are in knowing what the request is, and what Catesby’s answer is. As for me, I’m not at all interested, and I’ve got a bit of work that needs to be done. In another month or two I should be retired, and then I might have more time for a line like this. But today, not so much. Sorry.

Oh, by the way, I decided on the way in to work today to only post pics when they were readily available, and not to let the lack of pics prevent me from posting. I believe I've reached this conclusion before. Anyway, here you go. If you want to spend more time with Today’s Totally Random Line don’t let me slow you down.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

 

What should you do, but knock ‘em down by the dozens? Is this Moorfields to muster in? Or have we some strange Indian with the great tool come to court, the women so besiege us? Bless me, what a fry of fornication is at door! On my Christian conscience, this one christening will beget a thousand; here will be father, godfather, and all together.

 

Porter

King Henry the Eighth        Act V, Scene iii,  Line 31

 

This is the Porter responding to the question What would you have me do?
The question comes from the Porter’s man who is trying to hold back the crowds who have come to see the christening of Elizabeth.

A few notes on words. Moorfields is a big park where crowds would be expected. The word tool in regards to the Indian means exactly what you were thinking it meant, and the Indian is a reference to an American Indian. The word fry is brood; a brood of fornication. Now, given that, the passage should be pretty understandable, eh?

This scene is Will’s way of trying to show how all of London was excited about the christening of Elizabeth, who would become England’s great monarch of the latter half of the sixteenth century. Elizabeth died sometime around 1600 (give or take a year or two) and this play was written and first performed around 1612 (again, give or take a year or two). She had been pretty popular and Will’s trying to portray her as such. The following scene, the last of the play, is the christening with Cranmer giving a big long speech about how great this child being christened will become.

One more interesting, albeit unrelated, thing. I went to Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare to see if there was any more info on this particular scene. Alas, no; but I did pick up an interesting tidbit. Asimov gives a rather lengthy discussion of Gardiner’s attempt to destroy Cranmer, and in the process he brings up the Peasants’ War of 1524-25 in Germany. He ends the discussion of this war speaking of how the peasants were punished after they lost, and that there was little indignation of that, for who worries about the inarticulate robots at the bottom of the economic pyramid? Yes, robots. Who but Isaac Asimov would bring robots into a discussion of Shakespeare? You gotta love Isaac.  

 

 

I couldn't find a picture of Queen Elizabeth (I have some postage stamps with Elizabeth II, but not Elizabeth I), and I couldn't find a picture of Isaac Asimov or a robot. So then I thought I'd use a picture of a pyramid. I know I have one somewhere, but I couldn't find it. So I'm going with this picture of a baobab tree. I know, it's not the same as a pyramid, but it's something that's really big and quite iconic, like the pyramids. Right?

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

  

Well, lords, we have not got that which we have:

‘Tis not enough our foes are this time fled,

Being opposites of such repairing nature.

 

 Earl of Salisbury

King Henry the Sixth Part II     Act V, Scene iii,  Line 21

 

Well, it’s only three lines; at least we can say that. But I’ll admit that they are a little confusing. First, context: Salisbury is one of the elder statesmen of the York faction and they’ve just defeated King Henry & Co. at the battle of St. Albans. The King’s forces are in retreat. Okay, now the three lines.

We have not got that which we have. Hmmm. We have not got that which we have. This is the beginning of the thought, so we’re not missing something from the previous line. Hmmm, a bit confusing, eh?

Let’s move to the next line and see if that brings us any clarity. These two are pretty clear – Pete’s version: It’s not enough that we’ve got them on the run, because retreating is not in their nature. And then the thought that is not stated, but implied: if retreat is not in their nature, than this ‘retreat’ is simply the prelude to their next action.

Okay, does that give clarity to we have not got that which we have. I think it does. I think Salisbury is saying that we’ve won the battle but not the war. We’ve not got (complete) victory yet, even though we have victory (in this battle).

How’s that? I think it’s pretty good. And since it’s a nice short scene, and it’s Saturday morning, I think I’ll listen to the scene. Good day to you.

Here, from my sticker book, is a V for victory. But since it stands for a victory that they have, but don't have, it's a V with a very squirrelly little guy in it. 

Also, in keeping with the have but don't have theme, it's a sticker, but it's not been taken out of the book. So it a sticker that's not been stuck. Therefore, is it really a sticker?

Did you get that? Or did you not get that? Perhaps you got it, but didn't get it?

Should I stop now?

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

 

'The rugged Pyrrhus, like th’Hyracanian beast,’ — ‘tis not so:—it begins with Pyrrhus;
‘The rugged Pyrrhus, — he whose sable arms,
Black as his purpose, did the night resemble
When he lay couched in the ominous horse,—
Hath now this dread and black complexion smear’d
With heraldry more dismal; head to foot
Now is he total gules; horridly trickt
With blood of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons,
Baked and impasted with the parching streets,
That lend a tyrannous and damned light
To their vile murders: roasted in wrath and fire,
And thus o’er-sized with coagulate gore,
With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus
Old grandsire Priam seeks.’—
So proceed you.

  

Hamlet

Hamlet                         Act II, Scene ii,  Line 465

 

This is Hamlet reciting some lines for the players from a play that he once saw. Yes, he’s talking about the siege of Troy, couched in the ominous horse. Pyrrhus was one of the Greeks and he did some slaughtering in Troy, including killing King Priam. Gules, by the way, means red.

Hamlet prefaces today’s lines with
One speech in it I chiefly loved: ‘twas Aeneas’ tale to Dido; and there about of it especially where he speaks of Priam’s slaughter:

Then he gets into today’s lines. 

Hamlet starts the speech, then realizes he’s got it wrong, ‘tis not so, then starts again.

It’s an interesting few lines; okay, maybe not so few. Does one look at the lines themselves, ostensibly part of another, nonexistent play? Or does one look at what Hamlet is doing, and saying, and what the lines mean in relation to his situation in this play? You could do either, couldn’t you? This play, Hamlet, is full of these kinds of choices. All of Will’s works are, but none more than Hamlet.

 

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege;

Behold the ordnance on their carriages,

With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur.

  

Chorus

King Henry the Fifth       Act III, Prologue, Line 27

 

This is the chorus setting the scene and asking the audience to imagine what the siege of Harfleur would look like. This is the same siege that we were in yesterday with the boy who didn’t want to be there, as we have managed to randomly pick one page previous in my book from yesterday.

Particularly in the plays that have battles, Will uses the chorus to tell the audience what the setting is. Remember, there were significant limitations as to what they could present on a stage back then.

So we’re asked to picture the canon, with fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur. Get the picture?

It’s a nice little passage, thirty-five lines long. It describes the ships leaving England and arriving at Harfleur and then the siege beginning. It includes the stage direction [Alarum and chambers go off, within]. So perhaps they did fire a cannon off stage.

Remember, that’s how they burned down the Globe Theater some years later: firing off a cannon during a production of King Henry the Eighth. But that’s a story for another day.