Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Vouch with me, heaven, I therefore beg it not,

To please the palate of my appetite;

 

Othello

Othello            Act I Scene iii, Line 263

Okay, this is a juicy bit, and I’m going to give you the whole speech, but not until I give you the set up so that you’ll have a chance to understand what Othello’s talking about. There’s quite a bit transpired already, but I’ll give you the Reader’s Digest Condensed Version (you’ll need to be as old as me to get that reference).

Othello, the war hero general, has just been assigned to lead the troops to Cyprus in order to engage the invading Turks. Othello, same guy, has just eloped with Desdemona, the daughter of Brabantio, a rich white guy. Othello is a black military man.

In this scene we are in front of the duke and the senators. It started out with Brabantio claiming that Othello stole his daughter, but that’s been settled. Now the question has become where does Desdemona go when Othello sails off to Cyprus to lead the fight against the Turks. The duke says that she’s to go back to her father’s house, but both Brabantio and Othello say no to this. So the duke asks Desdemona, and she says she wants to go with Othello to Cyprus.

And that’s where Othello comes in with Today’s Lines. Here’s the whole thing, which should make sense to you if you read it carefully, now that you have context. And remember, this is Denzel's role on Broadway right now, so you can picture him delivering these lines if you like.

Let her have your voice.

Vouch with me Heaven, I therefore beg it not,

To please the palate of my appetite;

Nor to comply with heat – the young affects

In me defunct – and proper satisfaction,

But to be free and bounteous to her mind:

And heaven defend your good souls, that you think

I will your serious and great business scant

For she is with me. No, when light-wing’d toys

Of feather’d Cupid, seel with wanton dullness

My speculative and officed instruments,

That my disports corrupt and taint my business,

Let housewives make a skillet of my helm,

And all indign and base adverstities

Make head against my estimation!

 

In brief,  Let her have her way. I not asking for myself, I’m too old to be driven by the need for sex. And don’t think that my duties as general will be impeded by her presence. No, when that happens you can let the housewives use my helmet for a kitchen skillet.

Yup, that’s what he’s saying. It was worth the read, wasn’t it?

 

It sure was, Mr. Blagys, and I think they should let her go with him. Does she get to go?

 Yes she does Mojo. But sadly, in the end, she probably wishes she didn’t.