Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Stay, father! For that noble hand of thine,

That hath thrown down so many enemies,

Shall not be sent: my hand will serve the turn:

 

Lucius

Titus Andronicus   Act III, Scene i, Line 110

Lucius is trying to give his father a hand here. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one.

Okay, so Aaron the Moor has come in and told the folks at Titus’s house that Titus’s other two sons are about to be executed for a crime they didn’t commit. But, says Aaron, the emperor has decided to spare them if Titus will send his severed hand in their stead. This, of course, is a complete lie, but they all fall for it.

In Today’s Line, Titus’s son Lucius is trying to convince his father to let him, Lucius, be the one to lose a hand. Ultimately, it will be Titus who loses a hand, and his other two sons lose their heads anyway.

Yes, this is Titus Andronicus. Quite the uplifting piece, isn’t it?

He's going to cut off his hand, and then his two sons' heads get cut off??

This is SOME Bullsh-

MOJO, stop!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

The crown o’the earth doth melt.—My lord!

O, wither’d is the garland of the war,

The soldiers’ pole is faln: young boys and girls

Are level now with men; the odds is gone,

And there is nothing left remarkable

Beneath the visiting moon.

 

Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra    Act IV, Scene iv, Line 67

These are the first words out of the mouth of Cleopatra after Antony dies, admittedly a little hard to understand. Let’s take a shot at a Pete’s version this morning. I’ll enlist the help of G.B. Harrison’s footnotes. 

The crown of the earth melts.

Withered are the glories of war.

The guiding star has fallen.

Children are on the same level as grown men,

and there is nothing left remarkable beneath the visiting moon.

That's a little better, eh? I really like that last part, there is nothing left remarkable beneath the visiting moon. That really drives home the desperate tone of the whole thing, doesn't it?

Mr. Ham-it-Up decided that he wasn't interested in Cleopatra's words this morning, he just wanted to play the part of Antony. 

Yes Mojo, that's a very creditable dead Antony. Bravo. 

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

One score ‘twixt sun and sun,

Madam’s, enough for you , and too much too.

Pisanio

Cymbeline              Act III, Scene ii, Line 70

Today’s Lines are the answer to Imogen’s question

How many score of miles may we ride

Twixt hour and hour?

So Imogen wants to know how many miles they can go per hour, but Pisanio answers how many miles they can go per day. One score; that’s twenty miles. Remember? Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth… Eighty-seven years between 1776 and the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Simple math. A score is twenty. And how far away is Milford-Haven? That’s where Imogen wants to go because she believes her husband is there. I don’t think we know. And in fact, I don’t think her husband is actually there. As usual, a bit confusing.

So rather than spend any more time on this line, let’s take a look at another truly brilliant piece of writing. Yes, there are other brilliant writers out there other than Will.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense, we can not dedicate - we can not consecrate - we can not hallow - this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.   

There: if I can type the whole thing (took about ten minutes), you can read it (should take two or three minutes). Perhaps I should say a few words about it.

As noted within this speech, it was read at the dedication of a cemetery at Gettysburg for the soldiers who died in that battle. Lincoln and another gentlemen, Edward Everett – a noted orater, spoke at that ceremony. The latter spoke at length, great length: about two hours worth. Lincoln got up afterwards and gave this ten sentence speech which lasted only a few minutes. As I said, Lincoln’s short speech is a masterpiece.

This speech was given on November 19, 1863, but the battle of Gettysburg began 161 years ago today, and lasted three long days. So it is altogether fitting that we take a look at the speech today.  

One final note: Abraham Lincoln was known to be a learned man and one of the things he was quite learned about was the works of William Shakespeare. What do you think about that?

Wait a sec, Lincoln was a Shakespearean? Like you?

Well, not exactly like me, Mojo; but yes, Lincoln was a Shakespearean.

And please don't talk with food in your mouth.