Today’s Totally Random
Lines
I am known to be a humorous patrician, and
one that loves a cup of hot wine with not a drop of allaying Tiber in’t; said
to be something imperfect in favouring the first complaint; hasty and tinder-like
upon too trivial motion; one that converses more with the buttock of the night
than with the forehead of the morning: what I think I utter and spend my malice
in my breath. Meeting two such wealsmen (statesmen), as you are, - I cannot
call you Lycurguses (a legendary Greek
lawmaker),
- if the drink you give me touch my palate adversely, I make a crooked face for
it. I cannot say you worships have deliver’d the matter well, when I find the
ass in compound with the major part of your syllables: and though I must be content
to bear with those that say you are reverend grave men, yet they lie deadly
that tell you you have good faces.
Menenius Agrippa
Coriolanus Act II, Scene i, Line 50
Where to start?
Well, first off, I came to the end of a sentence with I make a crooked face
for it, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to continue to include the part
about the ass and the syllables. That’s right, Shakespeare is having
Menenius tell these guys that they’re talking out of their asses. I felt
compelled to include that.
This is a scene
where Menenius Agrippa, the wise old advisor and friend to Coriolanus, comes
upon two of the representatives of the people. These two are real weasels who
have it out for Coriolanus, and Menenius knows it. In Today’s Lines he is
talking first about himself and then about the two of them and telling them
what weasels they are. Unfortunately for me, the word wealsmen has nothing to do
with weasles, it’s just an old term for statesmen. Oh well.
I’m finding it
very difficult today to stay at 30,000 feet. Every time I see these two
wealsmen in Coriolanus, I cannot help but think of all of today’s current
wealsmen (better termed weaselmen and weaselwomen), and their Weasel-in-Chief.
Sorry, can’t help myself. I considered going into an epic rant, but I’ll spare
you, and in the meantime limit my rants to the buttock of the night.
It just occurred
to me that Will made reference to the rear end of human anatomy twice today.
Menenius talks about conversing more with the buttock of the night than
with the forehead of the morning, and later speaks about the ass
in compound with the major part of your syllables to the two wealsmen.
Will is the
best; so good that he helps me to pull back up to 30,000 feet. Most of the time.
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