Friday, May 23, 2025

 

Today’s Totally Random Line

 

Sir, his wife, some two months since, fled from his house; her pretence is a pilgrimage to Saint Jaques le Grand; which holy undertaking, with most austere sanctimony, she accomplist; and there residing, the tenderness of her nature became as a prey to her grief; in fine, made a groan of her last breath; and now she sings in heaven.

 

First Lord

All’s Well That Ends Well             Act IV, Scene iii, Line 46

 

The first and second lord, two anonymous henchmen here, are bringing us up to date on what’s going on with the two main people of the play. Betram is working on getting into bed with some local babe (this was related earlier in the scene), whilst his wife Helena, having given up on her marriage, went on a pilgrimage and subsequently died of grief. Spoiler alert: she’s not really dead.

So, what can we say about Today’s Line? Should we talk about Will’s use of anonymous henchmen to relate off-stage happenings to keep the play flowing? He does this a lot in some of his plays. Should we spend some time with his language: became a prey to her grief. Perhaps we can discuss Will’s propensity for really long sentences: seven plus lines full of commas, and semicolons. Or is there something else. Or perhaps we don’t discuss the line at all? Thoughts?



How about turning up the damn heat, how's that for a thought, huh? 
Holey moley, I'm freezing my baguettes off here! 



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  Today’s Totally Random Lines   Give me thy torch, boy; hence, and stand aloof:- Yet put it out, for I would not be seen.   Paris...