Today’s Totally Random Lines

  

Come, come, do you think I do not know you by your excellent wit? Can virtue hide itself? Go to, mum, you are he: graces will appear, and there’s an end.

 

Ursula

Much Ado About Nothing   Act II, Scene vi, Line 117

 

This scene is a masked ball. Ursula, one of Hero’s waiting-women, is dancing with Antonio, Hero’s uncle. Ursula knows that the masked man she is dancing with is Antonio, but Antonio is trying to convince Ursula that it’s not him. To this protestation, Ursula gives us Today’s Line.

A line or two further up, she had told Antonio that she knew it was him by his hands,

Here’s his dry hand up and down: you are he, you are he.

Hands always give away age, don’t they?

He’s right; they do.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Ajax hath ta’en Aeneas: shall it be?

No, by the flame of yonder glorious heaven,

He shall not carry him; I’ll be ta’en too,

Or bring him off:--fate, hear me what I say!

I reck (care) not though I end my life to-day.

 

Troilus 

Troilus and Cressida    Act V, Scene vi, Line 24

 

Note that this is scene six. You might have noticed that when Will has battles in his plays, he tends to have a lot of scenes within those acts, as he switches back and forth between spots on the battlefield. Such is the case here. 

This is the final act of the play, taking place on the battlefield below the walls of Troy, and it has ten scenes. Every one of Will’s plays (as far as I know) is made up of five acts. Usually each act is made up of one to five scenes; with exceptions as I just noted.

I didn’t have anything exciting to say about Today’s Lines, so I thought I'd toss out a little tidbit about Will’s play constructions.

That's the best you could do, huh?

Yes, your highness, that's the best I could do. I'll try harder next time.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I would I were thy bird.

 

Romeo

Romeo and Juliet    Act II, Scene i, Line 226

 

This is Romeo’s response to Juliet. I think it best if we look at the six lines of hers that he is responding to.

‘Tis almost morning; I would have thee gone,--

And yet no further than a wanton’s bird,

Who lets it hop a little from her hand,

Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves,

And with a silk thread plucks it back again,

So loving-jealous of his liberty.

Wanton, used as a noun, can be one given to self-indulgent flirtation or trifling, a lewd or lascivious person, a pampered person or animal, or a frolicsome child or animal (all per MW online). You decide what Will considers Juliet to be.

Gyves are fetters or shackles (again, per MW online).

So Romeo is saying that he wants to be the bird held by Juliet on a silk thread leash. There’s a lot to unpack there, between her six lines and his one.

But you know, like much of Will’s work, these seven lines need no unpacking. That is to say, they’re not going to get any better by me analyzing them for you. They are best left alone by me, and read by you, and experienced by you in whatever way it is that you will experience them.

You now know the meaning of the two words that might have given you trouble, so please read it again: first Juliet’s six lines, and then Romeo’s one line response.

And have your own experience with them.

‘Tis almost morning; I would have thee gone,--

And yet no further than a wanton’s bird,

Who lets it hop a little from her hand,

Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves,

And with a silk thread plucks it back again,

So loving-jealous of his liberty.

I would I were thy bird.

Beautiful.

 

Agreed: Beautiful.

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Look, what is best, that best I wish in thee:

This wish I have; then ten times happy me!

 

Sonnet  37

 

Yes, it’s sonnet time again! And Today’s Lines are the rhyming couplet that finishes this particular sonnet. Shall we take a look at the first twelve lines? Based on this ending, I’m going to assume that it’s fairly upbeat. Let’s hope it’s understandable as well.

 

As a decrepit father takes delight (okay, maybe it’s a little depressing; let’s not give up hope yet.)

To see his active child do deeds of youth (at the very least, easy to understand what he’s saying so far…)

So I, made lame by Fortune’s dearest spite (Fortune’s dearest spite?)

Take all my comfort of thy worth and truth (hmmmm…).

 

For whether beauty, birth, or wealth, or wit (all good things),

Or any of these all, or all, or more (yes, yes…)

Entitled in their parts do crowned sit (getting a little less clear here)

I make my love engrafted to this store: (getting fuzzier)

 

 

So then I am not lame, poor, nor despised

Whilst that this shadow doth such substance give,

That I in thy abundance am sufficed,

And by a part of all thy glory live.

 

Look, what is best, that best I wish in thee:

This wish I have; then ten times happy me!

 

 

I think he’s saying is:

Q1 I’m happy just watching you, even though I don’t have you.

Q2 I’m happy with whatever good things you/I? have?

Q3 I’m happy living in the shadow of your glory?

Concl.  If you’re happy, I’m happy.

 

Well, if that’s a valid interpretation, then it’s not such an upbeat poem after all, is it?

Here’s the summary of this sonnet from the Katherine Duncan-Jones book.

Extending the notion (from the previous sonnets) that he partakes vicariously of the young man’s good parts, the poet finds consolation, perhaps delusory, for his own unlucky and inferior status in his young friend’s talents and good fortune.

Yeah, that’s pretty much what I said. And yeah, that’s not particularly upbeat, if you ask me. Oh well, what can you do?

 

 What can I do? I can sit here and be a lot happier than that guy, that’s what I can do.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Who calls?

 

Calchas

Troilus and Cressida             Act V, Scene ii, Line 2

 

Simple as that. Who calls? So, who calls? I’ve no idea. 

There’s not much to this line, is there. We could go into the context; it is, after all, just the second line of the scene, so there’s not much has taken place yet. But that would lead us into a need to understand where we are in the play, and since it’s in the fifth act, we could be setting ourselves up for quite a bit of context.

No thank you. Not today.

Who calls? Nina, Jeff, and Sam will be calling on us today. 

There: that’s who calls.

 

I like Jeff. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

You know his nature,

That he’s revengeful; and I know his sword

Hath a sharp edge: it’s long, and, ‘t may be said,

It reaches far; and where ‘twill not extend,

Thither he darts it.  

 

Duke of Norfolk

King Henry the Eighth         Act I, Scene i, Line 110

 

The Duke of Norfolk is talking about Cardinal Wolsey. He is warning the Duke of Buckingham to be wary of the Cardinal. Wolsey has pulled a Grima Wormtongue on the king, and whilst Henry has not been incapacitated the way Theoden was, Wolsey nonetheless has a very strong hold on him. The only difference between the cardinal and Grima Wormtongue is that, unlike Grima, Cardinal Wolsey serves only himself. Unfortunately for Buckingham, it serves Wolsey's interests to have the Duke taken out of the picture.

Be careful Buckingham, Gandalf’s not going to be showing up to save you!

  

Uh oh, batten down the hatches!

 He’s started mixing in his crazy Tolkien references again!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Here comes his mother

                                         Let’s not meet her

                                             Why?

They say she’s mad.

 

Junius Brutus and Sicinius Veletus

Coriolanus              Act IV, Scene ii, Line 7

This is a short back and forth between the two tribunes who turned the crowds against Coriolanus and had him banished. Now they’re about to meet up with Coriolanus’s mother, Volumnia.

The scene starts with the two congratulating themselves for the job they did in convincing the mob to turn against Coriolanus.

The nobility are vext, whom we see have sided

In his behalf.

Now we have shown our power,

Let us seem humbler after it is done.

It continues with Volumnia and Menenius entering and the former giving the tribunes a piece of her mind.

                        ‘Twas you incensed the rabble;--

Rats, that can judge as fitly of his worth

As I can of those mysteries which heaven

Will not have earth to know.

Once the tribunes leave, Menenius tries to settle Volumnia down, inviting her to dinner. He’s always the one trying to play the peacemaker, but she’ll have none of it.

Anger’s my meat; I sup upon myself,

And so shall starve with feeding.

It’s a great scene, quite short, and perhaps best summed up by the last six words of it:

Volumnia leaves saying, Come, come, come.  

Menenius, left alone mutters simply, Fie, fie, fie!

Come, come come and Fie, fie, fie. Hmm, I'm not quite sure what to make of that, Mr. Blagys. Are you sure that's a good representation of the entire scene? I mean really, is that the best you can do?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

This last old man,

Whom with a crackt heart I have sent to Rome,

Loved me above the measure of a father;

Nay, godded me, indeed. Their latest refuge

Was to send him; for whose old love I have,

Though I show’d sourly to him, once more offer’d

The first conditions, which they did refuse,

And cannot now accept; to grace him only

That thought he could do more, a very little

I have yielded to: fresh embassies and suits,

Nor from the state nor private friends, hereafter

Will I lend ear to. –Ha! What shout is this?

 

Caius Marcius Coriolanus

Coriolanus                  Act V, Scene iii, Line 11

 

Well, that's a bit of a mouthful, isn't it? What can we say about Today's Lines? 

To be brief, Coriolanus, the former Roman hero now sided with the Volscians, is at Rome’s gates, ready to sack the city. He is speaking with Volscian Tullus Aufidius, telling him that he, Coriolanus, has spoken with Menenius Agrippa who was sent by the Romans to plead with Coriolanus. But he sent Menenius away, and now will hear no more from any Roman embassies.

Well, not really. Coriolanus’s mother, wife, and young son are next on the list of people to show up pleading for mercy for Rome, and (spoiler alert) he will be unable to say no to them. That will be the undoing of Coriolanus.

So yes, Today’s Lines are a difficult twelve lines to work with. As such, let’s just leave it at that.  

I'll tell you what's also difficult: trying to access what this young lad is concentrating on. No, he's not concentrating on Coriolanus, Aufidius, or anything else in Today's Lines, that's for sure. But look at that stare: he's certainly concentrating on something. Most likely it's got something to do with treats. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Good morrow, and well met. How have ye done

Since last we saw in France?

 

Duke of Buckingham

King Henry the Eighth      Act I, Scene i, Line 1

Well, well, well. We have the first line of the play- sort of. King Henry the Eighth starts with a Prologue, so I guess that’s the first lines of the play. But this is the first line of Act One, Scene One. Buckingham is speaking with Norfolk and they’re here to do a little table setting for us- give us an idea of what’s going on. You might have thought that the Prologue could have taken care of that for us, but I guess not.

In any event, since we’re not going to be proceeding any further into the play this morning, I don’t think we need to get into the info that these two are going to give us. Rather, I thought I’d say a few words about the word morrow.

Morrow, in 1600’s England could mean either tomorrow or morning. In Today’s Line it’s obviously the latter. Good morning, and well met. This double usage most likely comes to us from the German morgen, which means (you guessed it) tomorrow or morning -  morgen fruh: tomorrow morning, and guten morgen: good morning. As you know, Old English is primarily a Germanic language, so there you have it.

So, today’s takeaway? When reading or listening to Shakespeare morrow might mean morning. Yup, that’s it.  

 

My little Pikachu does not seem to be buying into my explanation of morrow; I see a significant amount of doubt written on that cute little face. Her friend Mojo, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to give a hoot. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d think he wasn’t even listening. But I know that can’t be; he finds my posts riveting.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Now with the drops of this most balmy time

My love looks fresh, and Death to me subscribes,

Since, spite of him, I’ll live in this poor rhyme,

While he insults o’er dull and speechless tribes.

Sonnet 107

Lines 9-12

Here we have the third quatrain of Sonnet 107. As I’ve pointed out many times in the past (but it’s been a while since we looked at a sonnet) the sonnets are made up of three quatrains (lines of four) and one final couplet (two lines). Each quatrain is best understood taken as a whole (as opposed to looking at one single line), and further, it’s easier to understand this quatrain if we look at the two that precede it, and/or the sonnet as a whole. So here we go…

Not mine own fears, nor the prophet’s soul

Of the wide, world, dreaming on things to come,

Can yet the lease of my true love control,

Supposed as forfeit to a confined doom.

Nothing (Not mine own fears, nor the prophet’s soul/Of the wide, world, dreaming on things to come,) can control my true love (for you).

The mortal moon hath her eclipse endured,

And the sad augers mock their own presage;

Uncertainties now crown themselves assured,

And peace proclaims olives of endless age.

Things have come and gone (The mortal moon hath her eclipse endured, And the sad augers mock their own presage) but now we can be assured that we’ve come to a peaceful age.

 

Now with the drops of this most balmy time

My love looks fresh, and Death to me subscribes,

Since, spite of him, I’ll live in this poor rhyme,

While he insults o’er dull and speechless tribes.

And in this peaceful time my love looks fresh, and death submits to me, since in spite of him I’ll live on in this sonnet while he just goes on killing.

 

And thou in this shalt find thy monument,

When tyrants’ crests and tombs of brass are spent.

And this sonnet will be my monument to you long after tyrants, and the monuments they create, have crumbled to dust.

 

Well there, taken as a whole it’s pretty darn easy to understand Today’s Lines and the whole sonnet, isn’t it?

 

Yessiree Mr. B., easy peasy. Just about as easy as it will be for you to put those covers back, eh? I wasn't quite ready to get up yet, comprendez?