Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

The other two, slight air and purging fire,

Are both with thee, wherever I abide;

The first my thought, the other my desire,

These present-absent with swift motion slide.

 

Narrator

Sonnet 45                                                

 

That’s the first quatrain of Sonnet 45. Here’s the rest of it.

For when these quicker elements are gone

In tender embassy of love to thee,

My life, being made of four, with two alone

Sinks down to death, opprest with melancholy;

Until life’s composition be recured

By those swift messengers return’d from thee,

Who even but now come back again, assured

Of thy fair health, recounting it to me:

        This told, I joy; but then no longer glad,

        I send them back again, and straight grow sad.

Well, what do you make of that?  Here, let me give you a little blurb from my Shakespeare’s Sonnets Edited by Katherine Duncan-Jones and see if that helps. Speaking of Sonnet 45...

This follows on immediately from the preceding sonnet’s focus on the speaker’s confinement in the elements of earth and water. The remaining, mobile elements of air and fire have been dispatched from the poet to his friend, leaving him depressed and heavy.

That’s it in a nutshell, and it's still pretty confusing. I think we'll just pass on this one.

Wait, what? Did he say he's passing?

Whew, that's a relief! 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

As many, worthy lady, to yourself.

 

Eglamour

The Two Gentlemen of Verona     Act IV, Scene iii, Line 8                                   

Right back at you. That’s what Eglamour is saying to Silvia in response to her Sir Eglamour, a thousand times good morrow. The word morrow was used to mean morning.

I had thought for a moment that perhaps Today’s Totally Random Line might be one of those that we could work into our daily lives, but on second thought, perhaps not. The problem is that it only works because Sylvia offered a thousand times good morrow, not simply good morning. If someone were to wish you good morning and you replied with as many, worthy lady (or sir), to yourself, well, that just doesn’t make much sense. So perhaps we should work on getting Silvia’s line into daily use. Instead of good morning, next time you’re greeting someone, try going with a thousand times, good morrow; or maybe a thousand times, good morning, since morrow may throw them off. Then, if we use that enough, eventually we’ll get other people to use it, and we will then have our openings for As many, worthy lady (or sir), to yourself.

Yeah, that sounds right.

Update: My sister Jean, who stayed over with us last night, just came into the room where I’m typing. Naturally, I took the opportunity to say a thousand times, good morrow (I should have gone with morning). Jean, thinking I said a thousand times we quarrel replied with, that sounds about right. 

So that didn’t work out at all. Don't worry, I’ll keep trying.

A thousand times good morrow, Mr. Blagys. Say, I don't suppose you have any treats up there, do you?

See! Mojo gets it! 

As many to yourself, little buddy; but, sorry, no on the treats. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Who’s there? Othello?

Ay, Desdemona.

 

Desdemona

                       Othello

 

Othello                Act V, Scene ii, Line 24                                   

 

This is the last scene of the play, and Othello being a tragedy, you know what that means. Yup, lots of dying about to happen.

Othello spends the first twenty-three lines of this scene talking to himself and the sleeping Desdemona about how and why he must kill his wife, before she wakes and utters the first part of Today’s Totally Random Line. He goes on talking to her and, after chatting for a bit, that’s exactly what he does: he smothers her with her pillow.

Again, tragedy.

Mojo listened to this last act of Othello with me (I have the Arkangel CD of Othello stored on my pc), and now the little guy is practically in tears. He was especially touched when Desdemona's maid Emelia started singing 'Willow, willow, willow' over her lady's dead body.

He's such a sensitive little fellow. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

No longer Earl of March, but Duke of York:

The next degree is England’s royal throne;

For King of England shalt thou be proclaim’d

In ever borough as we pass along;

And he that throws not up his cap for joy,

Shall for the fault make forfeit of his head.

 

Earl of Warwick

King Henry the Sixth Part III     Act II, Scene i, Line 195                                   

Warwick is talking to Richard who will become Richard the Third. No, not in this play, but in Will’s later play aptly titled Richard the Third.

You know, I can’t seem to help it, but that line about losing your head if you don’t throw your cap for joy as Richard passes makes me think of the United States of America in 2025…

Quick! Pull up Mr. Blagys, pull up!

 

Today’s Totally Random Line

What! Is my Lord of Winchester install’d,

And call’d unto a cardinal’s degree?

Exeter

Henry the Sixth Part I               Act V, Scene i, Line 29                            

I’ve no idea what’s going on here other than what I read in the stage direction: Enter Winchester [in Cardinal’s habit], a Legate, and two Ambassadors.

Presumably, based on Exeter’s comment, the Cardinal’s habit is something new for Winchester. I suppose I’d be a bit surprised too if someone I knew showed up in a Cardinals habit.  

These two see a lot of cardinals in cardinal habits. 

No surprises here.

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Away, and talk not; trouble us no more.

 

Saturninus

Titus Andronicus                          Act I, Scene i, Line 478                                   

I’m not sure what the context is here as far as Titus Andronicus goes, but it has perfect context to the phone conversation we just ended. We’ve been in Cally the past six days, and we just got off the phone. with Walker who’s back minding the ranch. We called to check in and make sure everything’s ok. Naturally, things are fine: he’s fine, Mojo’s fine, everything is fine. Walker was not too interested in talking (no surprise), and though he didn’t say it, we’re pretty sure his feeling was Away, and talk not; trouble us no more.

It's just amazing how incredibly timely these Totally Random Lines can be!

A Cally resident we ran into this morning.

Again, no Mojo; he's back at the ranch with Walker P.

 We'll be flying home tomorrow and back with Walker Peter and Buster P. Mojo late in the evening.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

His discontents are unremoveably

Coupled to nature.

 

Senator

Timon of Athens     Act IV, Scene iv, Line 227                                   

 

Of course, in today’s context, the senator is talking about Timon, who wants nothing to do with humanity. Timon has had it with people. I believe his attitude can be summed up in the immortal words of my friend Uwe: I hate people.

But, in a larger sense I think we can apply Today’s Line pretty much universally. Sometimes the nature referred to can be our own, and sometimes that nature can be nature at large. Case in point:

If either of our young men here, whether it be mild mannered Otto or SuperAug, makes a wrong move, his subsequent discontent will be unremoveably coupled to nature (in this case the nature being embodied in gravity).

 For the record, there were no wrong moves in this case. 

And just so you know, Mojo was not present for today's pic. He is averse to any situations that have a possibility for discontent, unremoveably coupled with nature or otherwise.

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Rest, rest, perturbed spirit!—So, gentlemen,

With all my love I do commend me to you:

And what so poor a man that Hamlet is

May do t’express his love and friending to you,

God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together;

And still your fingers on your lips, I pray.

The time is out of joint:--O cursed spite,

That ever I was born to set it right!—

Nay, come, let’s go together.

[Exeunt]

 

 

Hamlet

Hamlet                             Act I, Scene v, Line 86                                   

Oh boy, that’s a long one, isn’t it. I had to add the last four and a half lines above because it’s the end of the scene. Anyway…

This is the scene where Hamlet meets and talks to the ghost of his father. The ghost says that his brother, Hamlet’s uncle, murdered him, and he tells Hamlet that he must take revenge on his uncle. Then the ghost disappears and Hamlet’s buddies come rushing up to see what happened. They saw the ghost, but they didn’t hear what the ghost told Hamlet. The prince swears them to secrecy and then ends the scene with today’s short speech.

Hopefully, with that short explanation that I gave you, today’s lines should be pretty clear to you.

Clear as mud, Mr. Blagys.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Ay, sir, you shall find me reasonable; if it be so, I shall do that that is reason.

 

Slender

The Merry Wives Of Windsor          Act I, Scene i, Line 199                                   

There are mornings that I don’t feel like writing about the line that I pick. Sometimes it’s me, and sometimes it’s the line, or maybe the play. Today I think it’s a little of both the line and the play, but I’m going to soldier on here and see where I get.

Well, there’s the that that in the line. I always find it interesting when you have a proper sentence that has two words, like that that, together. At first glance it can seem clumsy, or perhaps a typo (in fact, I’m surprised that Word doesn’t highlight that that in red as I’m typing), but it’s not. It’s merely that that that is needed to convey the thought. Did you see how I cleverly used three thats in a row in that last sentence that I typed. Now I’m just trying to use the word that as many times as I can in a sentence, and I’m just getting silly. Yes, I’ve been known to get silly. Perhaps that’s a sign that I need to end this post?

I guess you could argue that I shouldn't have bothered soldiering on today. Well anyway, I hope you don’t mind if I end by saying…

 …and that’s that.

Really? That's what you're going to end with? That's that?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Did these bones cost no more the breeding, but to play at loggats (a lawn game like bocce or horseshoes) with ‘em? 

 

Hamlet

Hamlet                             Act V, Scene i, Line 97                                   

This is the scene where Hamlet and his buddy Horatio come upon the churchyard at night, and they are watching two gravediggers at work. The gravediggers have tossed up a skull that they’ve come across whilst digging, and it is the skull that Hamlet is talking about. They’ll come across another skull a few lines down and that one is the famous Yorick. But the skull in Today’s Line is just that of some anonymous henchman, and Hamlet is remarking at the insignificance of it, regardless of how important the owner of the skull may have been in life.

It’s a philosophical comment and not surprising considering that it’s coming from Hamlet. I can get a bit philosophical myself at times, and that’s not surprising either considering it’s coming from me. In fact, Mojo and I spend a lot of time philosophizing, thinking deep thoughts.

Sometimes I like to imagine what Mojo is thinking about: perhaps the nature of existence, or maybe the true meaning of beauty?

Squirrel!

Up in that tree, squirrel!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

A valiant Greek, Aeneas,- take his hand,-

Witness the process of your speech, wherein

You told how Diomed, a whole week by days,

Did haunt you in the field.

 

Paris

Troilus and Cressida          Act IV, Scene i, Line 8                                    

 

This line and scene are confusing. It takes place on a street in Troy. You’ve got the Trojans Paris and Deiphobus, they’re brothers. You’ve got Aeneas and Antenor, they’re Trojan generals. And you’ve got Diomedes, a Greek general. What the heck is a Greek general doing on a street in Troy?

I wanted to listen to this scene to see if that gave me some clarity, but this play is missing from my hard drive, so I’ll have to fix that. I guess I could look a the Play Shakespeare App summary. Okay, Paris has brought Diomedes into Troy for the prisoner exchange. That, at least, explains what Diomedes is doing in Troy.

So, without getting into the details of who’s being exchanged for whom, Paris (the son of King Priam of Troy) is talking to Aeneas (one of the Trojan generals), about Diomedes (a Greek general). He’s bringing up the fact that Aeneas had said that Diomedes had haunted him on the battlefield for a week. And that’s pretty much all of Today’s Line.

I guess if we were watching the play we would know at this point (the beginning of Act Four) who’s who, and this dialogue would make easy sense to us. I guess. Although, I remember watching a tv show the other night and some lady showed up in a scene as though she were one of the regulars, and I had no idea who she was. Luckily Patrice did, so that was pretty helpful. That saucy little wench can be pretty indispensable at times, that’s for sure. 

 

 This guy, on the other hand…

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitful prognostication, I  cannot scratch mine ear.—Prithee, tell her but a worky-day fortune.?

 

Charmian

Anthony and Cleopatra         Act I, Scene ii, Line 50

 

Worky-day. That’s the original form of workaday. Tell her an ordinary, mundane fortune, that’s what Charmian is saying.

Speaking of Charmian…

...our beautiful daughter-in-law is named Charmaine (slightly different spelling). 

Mojo loves going to visit Charmaine because she has a really nice house, and Mojo gets his own luxurious accommodations there. They are anything but worky-day. In fact, they are accommodations fit for a king; which of course, is what Mojo feels he deserves.

It's always quite an adjustment for Mojo when we come home from Charmaine's house. Luckily he has his friend to console him as he eases back into his worky-day accommodations. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

O honey nurse, what news?

Hast thou met with him? Send thy man away.

 

Juliet

Romeo and Juliet           Act II, Scene iv, Line 18

 

Juliet is talking to Nurse whom she sent to bring a message to Romeo. She is very anxious to hear Romeo’s reply. 

Nurse is more like Juliet’s nanny, than a nurse. She’s the woman who’s been tending to Juliet her whole life. I’m not sure if that’s the reason she’s calling her ‘honey nurse’, or if it’s that she’s just over-excited to hear the news from Romeo, or perhaps a little of both. In any event, it’s a bit of a curious moniker, don’t you agree?

Honey nurse.   

I wish I had a honey nurse. I bet she'd feed me honey and hold me comfortably in her arms, not make me squeeze behind her neck like this bozo does.

I heard that.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

For what doth cherish weeds but gentle air?

 

Lord Clifford

King Henry the Sixth Part III      Act II, Scene vi, Line 21

 

Clifford is lying on the battlefield, wounded and whining about what a poor king Henry has been. Here, I’m going to give you a bit of it.

And, Henry, hadst thou sway’d as kings should do,

Or as the father and his father did,

Giving no ground unto the house of York,

I and ten thousand in this luckless realm

Had left no mourning widows for our death;

And thou this day hadst kept thy chair (throne) in peace.

For what doth cherish weeds but gentle air?

And what makes robbers bold but too much lenity?

So the gentle air in Today’s line is Henry’s gentle treatment of his enemies; and these same enemies, robbers (the Yorks and all those following the Yorks) are nothing but weeds. You gotta be a little bit tough with the weeds or they’re just gonna grow and take over. Right?

There, it’s a gardening metaphor. You can’t go wrong with a gardening metaphor.

 

And speaking of gardens: 

here is our ever vigilant Mojo, guarding against weeds in our garden. 

Go Mojo!

Weeds schmatz!

 I'm just here for the sunbeams. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Ay, madam: he desires to make atonement

Between the Duke of Gloster and your brothers,

And betwixt them and my lord Chamberlain;

And sent to warn them to his royal presence.

  

Duke of Buckingham

King Richard the Third         Act I, Scene iii, Line 37

 

The ‘he’ in Today’s Lines is King Edward IV, Richard the Third’s brother. Richard starts off in this play as the Duke of Gloster and doesn’t become king until Act Four.

The ‘madam’ in Today’s Line is Queen Elizabeth, King Edward IV’s wife.

This play portrays Richard as a fairly petty and evil little man. History tells us that he wasn’t all that bad, and that whilst his brother Edward was king he was quite faithful to him.

Today’s Lines tell us that Richard (Duke of Gloster) was already making trouble and that King Edward was working on smoothing this trouble out.

That’s what Today’s Lines are about.  

Sometimes when we get into theses scenes that are all about the different royals, Mojo likes to strike his Mojo the First pose to show me that he too could have been a royal,

Yes, your royal highness, that is a truly regal profile. 

Yah, you bethch'a!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

                                                   But now return,

And with their faint reply, this answer join:

Who bates mine honour shall not know my coin.

 

Sempronius

Timon of Athens           Act III, Scene iii, Line 26

This is the part in the play where Timon realizes that he’s running out of money and starts asking his friends for financial help. Sempronius is one of those friends, and he’s talking to Timon’s servant who’s been sent with the request for funds. As you can see, the answer is no. He’s using the excuse that Timon asked his other friends first, and they all said no. Sempronius is saying that he feels slighted that Timon didn’t ask him first, and therefore he is answering no, just like all the rest. It’s nonsense.

Timon’s servant ends this short scene, alone, with a soliloquy about the nature of man that is reflected in this situation. I’m tempted to put it here, but it’s sixteen lines long, and you probably wouldn’t read it. Oh, what the heck.

Excellent! Your lordship’s a goodly villain. The devil knew not what he did when he made man politic (crafty and self-serving),- he crost himself by’t: and I cannot think but, in the end, the villainies of man will set him clear. How fairly this lord strives to appear foul! Takes virtuous copies to be wicked; like those that, under hot ardent zeal, would set whole realms on fire:

Of such nature is his politic love.

This was my lord’s last hope; now all are fled,

Save the gods only: now his friends are dead,

Doors, that were ne’er acquainted with their wards

Many a bounteous year, must be emploly’d

Now to guard sure their master,

And this is all a liberal course allows;

Who cannot keep his wealth must keep his house.

                                                                    [Exit]

And that’s the end of the scene. Kind of interesting that this little speech begins in prose and ends in verse. What do you think of that?

I think you didn't finish everything on your dinner plate, Mr. Blagys. 

There's no sense wasting that; it would make a tasty little snack for me, that's what I think.  

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

This is the monstruosity in love, lady,- that the will is infinite and the execution confined; that the desire is boundless, and the act a slave to limit.

 

Troilus

Troilus and Cressida             Act III, Scene ii, Line 81

 

Well, we could get into context if we wanted to, but the nature of the line allows us to just take it at face value, and I think that is what we’ll do.

It’s very well put; but of course it’s Shakespeare, isn’t it. Will is infinite. I wonder if Will thought of this use of the word will as a pun? I mean, given the nearly infinite magnificence of the works that he produced (assuming he realized how great his works were), I can see where he was making a pun between will (unlimited desire) and Will (himself). Just a thought.

The second iteration is just as good, if not better: desire is boundless and act a slave to limit. Act a slave to limit. That’s really some awesome word work there, Will, I love it.

And don’t tell me that you couldn’t find a place to use that line. No, not every day; but there are times when it would be perfect. I’m pretty sure that Patrice would say that about half the projects that Pete proposes.

Pete

Look, if we get rid of that wooden deck outside our bedroom, we could build one out of stone. That would last forever, and we could also build a stone fountain into the face of it!

Patrice

You know, buddy, desire is boundless, and the act a slave to limit.

Another perfect example: See that little guy on the right? He'd give anything to be let loose on that squirrel he's eyeing right now. And if we let him loose? What then?

His will is infinite but the execution confined;

the desire is boundless, and the act a slave to limit.

Try telling him that.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Now, my lord, what shall we do, if we perceive

Lord Hastings will not yield to our complot?

 

Duke of Buckingham

King Richard the Third                Act III, Scene i, Line 191

The Duke of Buckingham is asking the Duke of Gloster (Richard). And the answer?

Chop off his head, man.

Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?

Complot, by the way is a plot or conspiracy, and it’s in the online Merriam Webster. Granted, it’s listed as archaic, but it’s there, nonetheless.

Any more questions?

Yes, have you seen my little bone treat? I think I left it up there when I was sitting with you. It might have dropped down the side there.

I meant any more questions about… oh, never mind. Let me take a look.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Why, there they are both, baked in that pie;

Whereof thier mother daintily hath fed,

Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred.

‘Tis true, ‘tis true; witness my knife’s sharp point.

 

Titus

Titus Andronicus                  Act V, Scene iii, Line 62

 

 

Yes, that’s right, Titus killed Tamora’s two adult sons and baked them in a pie. But don’t worry – Tamora doesn’t have to grieve over it very long, because the next line is Titus stabbing her to death. Then the line after that is Saturninus killing Titus, followed by Lucius killing Saturninus. Oh, and let’s not forget that before this all got started Titus kicked things off by killing his own daughter.

Thankfully though, that’s the end of the killing. The last page and a half of this play is speechifying and commiseration, as the survivors get set to pick up the pieces and carry on.

And there you have it: Titus Andronicus.

Yikes! 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I’ll follow, sir. But first, an’t please the gods,

I’ll hide my master from the flies as deep

As these poor pickaxes can dig: and when

With wild wood-leaves and weeds I ha’ strew’d his grave,

And on it said a century of prayers,

Such as I can, twice o’er, I’ll weep and sigh;

And leaving so his service, follow you,

So please you entertain me.

 

Imogen

Cymbeline                             Act IV, Scene ii, Line 391

 

The ‘master’ that Imogen wants to bury and say prayers over is Cloten, but Imogen doesn’t know that. She thinks it’s her love, Posthumous, but she’s telling Caius Lucius that it’s someone named Richard du Champ.

Got that? It’s Cloten, she thinks it’s Posthumous, and she says it’s Richard du Champ.

 

Nothing confusing about that, eh Mojo?

I’m pretty sure he agrees with me.