Today’s Totally Random
Lines
Bear
the boy hence; he shall not come about her;
[Exit Mamillius with some of
the guards]
Away with him!—and let her sport herself
With that she’s big with;--for ‘tis
Polixenes
Has made thee swell thus.
Leontes
The Winter’s Tale
Act II, Scene i,
Line 61
Before you say anything,
let me say that I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking More of this
Shakespeare gobble-de-goop, and What the heck is this guy even saying? But
if you knew what was going on, in other words if I didn’t spring these four
lines of you with no context, you’d have no trouble at all understanding this.
So, yes, you’re going to have to sit through some context. Sorry, but that’s just
the way it is. Here goes, and I'll try to keep it as short as possible.
Leontes is the speaker and he’s interacting with his wife, Hermione. She’s just told him that she’s pregnant, but Leontes is convinced that she’s been cheating on him with Polixenes and that Polixenes is the father of the unborn child. Mamillius, the boy in this scene, is the young son of Leontes and Hermione.
Okay, now go back and read the four lines, and try to tell me that you don’t understand them. Now the lines just become more splendid examples of Will’s mastery of the language, don’t they?
Oh for cryin' out loud; examples of Will's mastery of the language? Where does this guy come up with this stuff?
Enough already, I’m outta here.
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