Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

  

                                            Then began

A stop i’the chaser, a retire; anon

A rout, confusion thick: forthwith they fly

Chickens, the way which they stopt eagles; slaves

The strides the victors made:

 

Posthumus Leonatus

Cymbeline              Act V, Scene iii, Line 88

 

These are just a few lines in the middle of a long bit where Posthumus has met up with a Roman Officer, and he is describing the battle. Remember, we’re in old Britain (circa 500 A.D.?) when the Romans had invaded. So this battle is between the Brits and the Romans. Will is using the tactic of having one of his characters describe the action that took place rather than to try to stage that action. Nowadays, in the movies, we manage to make the action the centerpiece of the show; forget about dialogue. Who needs dialogue.

Anyway, this is a long bit, a lot longer than the four lines I gave you, and it’s not really easy to understand- as you can see from these four lines, But I read through it a few times and, lo and behold, it made a little more sense each time. Posthumus is describing how the Romans were chasing the Brits but then the retreat stopped and the Brits began routing the Romans.   

Trust me; that’s what he’s talking about. 

Some how I don't feel like Mojo trusts me on this one. 

I feel like he thinks I'm trying to sell him a bag of goods.