Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Were I but now the lord of such hot youth

As when brave Gaunt thy father, and myself,

Rescued the Black Prince, that young Mars of men,

From forth the ranks of many thousand French,

O, then, how quickly should this arm of mine,

Now prisoner to the palsy, chastise thee,

And minister correction to thy fault!

 

Duke of York

King Richard The Second Act II, Scene iii, Line 100

The Duke of York is speaking to Henry Bolingbroke. The Duke of York, John of Gaunt (Henry’s father), and Edward the Black Prince (Richard the Second’s father) are all brothers, sons to Edward III. Edward the Black Prince, the eldest brother, died before he could become king, so when Edward III died, the crown passed to the Black Prince’s son who became Richard the Second. Now Henry Bolingbroke has decided to usurp the crown from his first cousin, and his uncle, the Duke of York is telling him that this is not the right thing to do. Unfortunately, the Duke of York is now an old man, and can really do nothing to stop his nephew, Henry. Still, he’s going to let Henry know, in no uncertain terms, that he doesn’t approve of what Henry is doing.

I'm confused, Mr. Blagys; The Duke of York is the uncle of Henry and of King Richard? Doesn't the Duke have any of his own kids? Where are they?

The Duke has one son, but he doesn't play much of a role in this play. 

Just go with it, Mojo.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

My gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine,

Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts,

Calm thee, and bear the faults of  Titus’s age,

Th’effects of sorrow for his valiant sons,

Whose loss hath pierced him deep and scarred his heart;

And rather comfort his distressed polight

Than prosecute the meanest of the best

For these contempts.

 

Tamora

Titus Andronicus                Act IV, Scene iv, Line 27

 

Whilst Tamora appears to be sympathetic to Titus, don’t be fooled. In the next line, in an aside, she talks about killing Titus. Tamora is sympathetic to no one, she is on no one’s side but her own, and in this story she has risen to the role of empress, as the wife of Emperor Saturnine.

Yes, this is a tragedy.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

With a thief to the gallows; for though he go as softly as foot can fall, he thinks himself too soon there.

 

Rosalind      

As You Like It              Act III, Scene ii, Line 333

This line, spoken to Orlando, is prefaced by him asking, Who doth he gallop with?

This conversation starts with a discussion of Time, and Rosalind saying that he/Time travels in divers places with divers persons. She says that sometimes Time ambles, sometimes he trots, sometimes he gallops, and sometimes he stands still.

Today’s Line tells us that he gallops with a thief to the gallows since, for someone about to be hanged, time flies.

And for whom does time stand still? If you recall from a week ago, we were told by Henry Van Dyke, For those who love, Time is not.

Will has a different answer. Rosalind tells us that Time stands still with lawyers in the vacation; for they sleep between term and term, and then they perceive not how Time moves. Terms are court sessions, so I guess she’s saying that lawyers sleep when they’re not in court and so perceive no movement of time. I’m not exactly sure what she’s insinuating about lawyers, but it doesn't sound particularly complimentary. Nevertheless, I kind of like Van Dykes sentiment better: 

Time stands still for lovers.

 

They say you can tell a person’s age by looking at their hands. Well, I don’t think time is standing still for me, because that is not a young man’s hand.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

You cannot show me.

Anne Bullen

King Henry the Eighth   Act I, Scene iv, Line 48

There’s a bit of a party going on at the palace with a bunch of ladies in attendance. One of them is Anne Bullen (that’s Will’s spelling of Boleyn). Today’s Totally Random Line is a part of a back and forth between Anne and Lord Sands. She calls him a merry gamester, to which he replies,

                                      Yes, if I make my play.

Here’s to your ladyship: and pledge it, madam,

For ‘tis to such a thing,--

To which she replies with Today’s Line, You cannot show me.

So, what do you make of that? The confusing part is and pledge it, madam, for ‘tis to such a thing. I’m at a bit of a loss as to what Lord Sands means by this, but I’m afraid I’m a bit entrenched right now, otherwise I might get up try to find some help with this line in one of my other compilations. As it is, getting up would require quite the effort, so you're going to have to take your best guess on this one.

Okay, granted that the pc balanced on the books and the blanket keeping me warm wouldn't be the hardest things to move, but see that lump in the red blanket in the bottom center of the picture? That lump is named Mojo, and you know what they say about sleeping dogs: something about letting them lie.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I brought High Hereford, if you call him so,

But to the next highway, and there I left him.

Duke of Aumerle

King Richard the Second   Act I, Scene iv, Line 3

We did observe. --Cousin Aumerle,

How far brought you high Hereford on his way?

There; that’s lines one and two of the scene, spoken by King Richard, and that’s what the Duke of Aumerle is responding to with Today’s Totally Random Lines which are lines three and four. High Hereford is Harry Hereford, aka Henry Bolingbroke.

One of the things that can make Will’s works hard to read, particularly the histories, is the fact that many of the royal characters go by more than one name. Take Harry Hereford/Henry Bolingbroke for example. As if he wasn’t already confusing enough, by the end of this play he will be known as King Henry IV. 

It's way too confusing, Mr. Blagys. It’s one of the reasons I tend to favour the tragedies. Besides, if I'm being candid, I find the histories a bit pedestrian. 

Is that right, Mojo? Pedestrian?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Thy thoughts I cleave to. What’s thy pleasure?

 

Ariel

The Tempest           Act IV, Scene i, Line 165

This is Ariel appearing at Prospero’s command:

Come with a thought!—I thank thee, Ariel, come!

Pretty good, eh? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a servant show up at your command, especially with Ariel’s words and attitude? He cleaves to Prospero’s thoughts. My goodness!

Let's just leave it at that for today.

Sometimes I feel like this guy is cleaving to my thoughts. Lord knows he gets physically close enough to them.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

For competence of life I will allow you,

That lack of means enforce you not to evil:

And, as we hear you do reform yourselves,

We will, according to your strength and qualities,

Give you advancement.- Be it your charge, my lord,

To see perform’d the tenour of our word.—

Set on.

                           [Exeunt KING and his TRAIN]

 

King Henry the Fifth

King Henry the Fourth Part II   Act V, Scene v, Line 71

This is at the very end of the play. Recall that much of the two Henry the Fourth plays were about Henry the Fourth’s son, Prince Henry, aka Hal. Now, here at the end of the play, Henry IV has died, and Hal has become Henry the Fifth. Recall also that during much of the two Henry IV plays Prince Henry/Hal spent much of his time carousing with Falstaff and the boys. Finally, recall that on Henry IV’s deathbed Prince Henry/Hal promised his father, the king, that he would become a Henry the Fifth that his father would be proud of.

Okay, got that?  

Now, here in this final scene the new King Henry the Fifth is processing through the streets, and Falstaff in in the crowd. Falstaff cries out,

God save thy Grace, King Hal! My royal Hal!

Hal/King Henry V stops and addresses Falstaff as the commoner that he is,

I know thee not, old man: fall to thy prayers;

How ill white hairs become a fool and jester!

That’s gotta hurt Old Falstaff. The king goes on to say that he’s dreamed of an old man like Falstaff, but that now that he’s awake, he despises that dream. He tells Falstaff to shape up and that he, King Henry the Fifth, has turned away from what he was, and who he hung out with, when he was Hal. Further, he banishes Falstaff and his buddies, and on pain of death tells him not to come within ten miles of him, the king. Then he finishes up with Today’s Totally Random Lines, in which King Henry is saying that if Falstaff shapes up, he might be treated a bit better.

And that’s about it. Falstaff tries to tell everyone around him that the king doesn’t mean what he’s saying, and that he just has to talk like that in public. He maintains that King Henry will send for him in private. Unfortunately for Falstaff, Henry does mean what he’s saying, and he won’t send for the old man in private; and everyone knows that. It’s a little bit of a sad ending for Falstaff, but it’s necessary to set Hal up as the heroic King Henry the Fifth that he’s going to be in the next play.

Oh well, I guess it can't be helped.

Disown you like Falstaff got disowned by Hal? 

Of course not, Mojo! I would never abandon you. 

Don't be ridiculous!

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

A traveler! By my faith, you have great reason to be sad: I fear you have sold your own lands, to see other men’s; then, to have seen much, and to have nothing, is to have rich eyes and poor hands.

Rosalind

As You Like It         Act IV, Scene i, Line 23

This is part of an exchange between Rosalind and Jacques that opens this scene. I’m going to do something a little different here; I’m going to give you the whole exchange. It’s a couple of pages long, but only a small part of the scene. It’s very easy to understand and quite interesting, and if I can get you to read a bit of Shakespeare than I feel I will have accomplished something for the day. I need the typing practice anyway, and if I can type the whole thing, the least you can do is read it.

Jaques -       I prithee, pretty youth, let me be better acquainted with thee.

Rosalind -   They say you are a melancholy fellow.

J -    I am so; I do love it better than laughing.

R -  Those that are in extremity of either are abominable fellows, and betray themselves to every modern censure worse than drunkards.

J -    Why, ‘tis good to be sad and say nothing.

R -  Why, then ‘tis good to be a post.

J -   I have neither the scholar’s melancholy, which is emulation; nor the musician’s, which is fantastical; nor the courtier’s, which is proud; nor the soldier’s, which is ambitious; nor the lawyer’s, which is politic; nor the lady’s, which is nice; nor the lover’s, which is all these;- but it is a melancholy of mine own, compounded of many simples, extracted from many objects, and, indeed, the sundry contemplation of my travels, which, by often rumination, wraps me in a most humorous sadness.

R -  A traveler! By my faith, you have great reason to be sad: I fear you have sold your own lands, to see other men’s; then, to have seen much, and to have nothing, is to have rich eyes and poor hands.

J -   Yes, I have gain’d my experience.

R -  And your experience makes you sad: I had rather have a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad; and to travel for it too!

And then Orlando enters, and Rosiland finishes the discussion.

Orlando -  Good day and happiness, dear Rosalind!

Jaques -    Nay, then, God b’wi’you, and you talk in blank verse!

Exit Jaques

Rosiland -  Farewell, Monsieur Traveller: look you lisp, and wear strange suits; disable all the benefits of your own country; be out of love with your nativity, and almost chide God for making you that countenance you are; or I will scarce think you have swam in gondola. Why, how now, Orlando!

Now then, other than getting you to read a bit of Shakespeare (which is always a good thing), I thought it quite ironic that I would come up with this passage having just returned from some significant travels of mine own (see the post from two days ago on 11/4). 

So, I’m not going to get into an in-depth analysis of this passage, my travels, or how one relates to the other. I would rather you just read it carefully and give it due thought. Enjoy the beauty of Will’s language, and consider what meaning the words might have for you.

Who knows, it might be the best thing you do all day. 

Mojo and I both like to travel. 

This is us waiting for our plane to begin boarding at JFK. 

Or was it MSP? 

Maybe LAX?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

But, soft you, let me be: pluck up, my heart, and be sad! Did he not say, my brother was fled?

 

Don Pedro

Much Ado About Nothing    Act V, Scene i, Line 200

This line is a bit of a poser, even when you know exactly what’s going on in the scene. I know this play, and I listened to this particular scene this morning, just to be clear about what’s going on. So I’ll tell you, but I have to warn you that it’s going to be a bit long.

At the center of what’s going on is the fact that Claudio’s fiancé, Hero (a funny name for a woman, isn’t it?) has killed herself (well, not really; but everyone thinks she has). She did this because Don Pedro’s brother, Don John (he’s the bad guy in this story, and played by Keanu Reeves in the Branagh movie, if you can believe it), tricked everyone into believing that Hero had been unfaithful to Claudio, and so she was disgraced. Now Benedick has come to tell Claudio and Don Pedro that Hero was innocent. He left in a huff, after challenging Claudio to fight. Claudio and Don Pedro, are now discussing what to make of Benedick. They still believe that Hero is guilty of being unfaithful, but now Don Pedro is trying to make sense of the news that his brother, Don John, has fled.

But, soft you, let me be:

He’s telling Claudio to shut up because he’s thinking

Pluck up, my heart, and be sad!

Buck up, buddy, and be sad about your dead fiancé! I’m not sure why he’s telling him to be sad about his dead fiancé.

Did he not say, my brother was fled?

He’s coming back to the thought of why his brother fled. We know why he fled: because he’s guilty of Hero’s death.

And that’s today’s line. I told you it would be a bit long.

A bit? 

How about, waaayyy too long?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

To heave the traitor Somerset from hence;

And fight against the monstrous rebel Cade,

Who since I heard to be discomfited.

 

Duke of York

King Henry the Sixth Part II    Act V, Scene i, Line 61

Well now, per MW online, the word discomfited means to put in a state of perplexity, or to frustrate the plans of. However, MW gives the archaic meaning as to defeat in battle. I would suspect that Will is going for that latter meaning, since these lines are followed immediately by the stage direction

        Enter IDEN, with CADE’s head.

So, I won’t bother getting into who is Cade, or Iden, or Somerset, or even the Duke of York. Suffice to say that the three Henry the Sixth plays are full of civil strife and fighting twixt the factions of the royal family, and also that Cade has been sufficiently discomfited. 

We’re almost to the end of Henry VI Part II with this line, but the strife just continues into Part III and then into Richard the Third. It more or less ends in that latter play with Richard’s death, the last British Monarch to die in battle, if I’m not mistaken.   

Now, I'll bet you're wondering where I've been, seeing as this is the first Totally Random Daily Shakespeare post since mid-October? Well, I’ll tell you where I've been: I just returned yesterday from a three-week tour of Portugal. Yes, that’s right, Portugal.

Lovely Country! Wonderful people, stunning vistas, great wine and food… and the history! Castles, Cathedrals, Roman ruins, medieval town centers and walled cities. Fabulous! And, of course, I found Shakespeare, or at least his name, and it was in the most unlikeliest of places. 

Our last three nights in Portugal were spent in a fairly modern and very, very quirky place on the coast, north of Lisbon. The rooms didn’t have numbers, they had names. Ours was No Set Schedule. It was written in Portuguese, but I’m not going to try to remember that. You’ll have to settle for the English. Every time we wanted to charge something to the room we had to say No Set Schedule, and they understood. In addition, all the doors had different quotes or words of wisdom written on them. Ours had a quote from, believe it or not, William Shakespeare. If that’s just not amazing, what is?

To attest to the quirkiness of the place (as if Shakespeare on the door wasn’t enough), here are a few pics.

Here's Patrice walking down the stairs to our room. That's the Atlantic straight out above her. She was not fond of those stairs.

This is our bathroom. Yes, that's a fireplace at the end of a jacuzzi tub. This room reminded me a little of the Turkish prison in Midnight Express.

And this isn't quirky, but I had to include it. Patrice and I spent the better part of a late afternoon sitting on that bench and taking in the view of the Portuguese shoreline. Again, fabulous.

And here is the door to our room, No Set Schedule. I was able to find the English for this quote.

Time is too slow for those who wait, 

Too swift for those who fear, 

Too long for those who grieve, 

Too short for those who rejoice; 

But for those who love, 

Time is not.

Now here's the thing: It's not Shakespeare. Yes, I had to google it. Turns out that it's a quote from a fellow named Henry Van Dyke, written in Saratoga Springs, NY in 1904, and inspired by a sundial. Apparently it is often misattributed to Will. Some think it was inspired by a line from Richard II, a play that has a lot to do with time. 

In any event, I didn't have the heart to tell them at the hotel that it wasn't Will's lines. Besides, it's a really good quote, and the perfect words to sum up our vacation, and especially the afternoon spent on the bench looking out on the Portuguese Coast.

For those who love, Time is not.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

                I am sure,

Though you can guess what temperance should be,

You know not what it is.

 

                                               Wherefore is this?

 

Mark Antony/Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra        Act III, Scene xiii, Line 122

 

That’s Mark Antony with the first part, and Cleopatra answering Wherefore is this? Remember, wherefore is why, it has nothing to do with where. I’m not quite sure if Cleopatra is talking to Antony, asking why she doesn’t know what temperance is, or whether she’s talking to herself and saying why is he ranting? I’m pretty sure it’s the former because Antony does answer her, though I’m not quite clear what he’s saying in that answer. It’s for sure that he’s ranting, though, and pretty much telling her what a whore she is, so it would make perfect sense that she would be talking to herself.

Well, I listened to this scene, and I’m still not one hundred per cent sure if she’s talking to Antony or to herself. Wherefore is this? Well, it’s because…um…I’m not sure; I just don’t know.

The lighting on this elephant that's marching across the window sill on the other side of the room from where I was sitting this morning, really struck me.

 Wherefore is this? Again, I'm not sure; I just don't know. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Why, here walk I, in the black brow of night,

To find you out.

 

Hubert De Burgh

King John                Act V, Scene vi, Line 17

This is a short scene, the second to last scene of the play. Hubert Du Burgh and Bastard (the guy’s name is Philip Faulconbridge, but since he is supposedly the bastard son of King Richard the Lionhearted he is simply referred to as Bastard in the text) are roaming around alone in the dark in an open place near Swinstead Abbey. I took that last part from the notes at the beginning of the scene.

I believe that Hubert is saying to Bastard, in reply to the latter’s question of what he’s up to, that he was actually looking for him. So they end up having a little chat about what’s going on, but it seems absolutely pointless to fill you in on what’s happening because, as I said, there’s only one more, relatively short scene left in the play. So what am I going to do? Sum up all that’s happened so far? I don’t think so.

I will say that I like the phrase black brow of night: very poetic. I think it’s mostly the word brow. It’s giving a human feature to night. I’ve really gotta find a way to remember this one so I can use it. But I'm pretty sure I won’t.

I'll help you, Mr. Blagys. 

Look! There's the black brow of night outside the window behind me!

Thank you, Mojo.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

 

King Henry

King Henry the Fifth    Act IV, Scene iii, Line 61

Yes, that’s right, we randomly picked this line. Actually, it was my second choice because I just did not feel like dealing with the first line I picked. It was from All’s Well That Ends Well. It was the scene where Parolles gets tricked into proving what a coward he is, and we’ve done that scene a few times before. I very rarely refuse a line, but I did this morning, and so we’ve ended up here.

This is one line in Henry’s famous speech before the battle that’s over fifty lines long. Of course, you recognize it for the Band of Brothers show about WWII. It’s probably also the genesis of the USMC tagline, The Few, The Proud, The Marines. It’s just a really famous line.

Though you’re probably familiar with the show and the USMC usage, you may not be familiar with Shakespeare’s use of it. This is part of Henry’s pep talk to his troops before the battle of Agincourt. It’s pretty much the denouement of the play. The Brits are outnumbered by the Frenchies by a lot (I forget the actual numbers. I could look it up but…). Henry is telling them all…well, heck, here’s the YouTube link. You can listen to the speech yourself. It’s less than five minutes. I’m a little disappointed that Branagh actually cut a few lines of the speech; he’s usually one for being a Shakespeare purist, but it’s still well worth the watch. Yes, here’s how Shakespeare is meant to be enjoyed: he wrote it to be performed, to be seen and heard, not read.

Enjoy!

Henry V - Speech - Eve of Saint Crispin's Day - HD

BTW, just in case you didn’t know, or were in doubt, the Brits do win the battle, and with amazingly few losses. It had to do with the use of the long bow, but that’s a story for another time.

Ahh, yes, the long bow. I know it well.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Did ever Dian so become a grove,

As Kate this chamber with her princely gait?

O, be thou Dian, and let her be Kate;

And then let Kate be chaste, and Dian sportful!

 

Petruchio

The Taming of the Shrew     Act II, Scene i, Line 252

 

This is Petruchio at his first meeting of Kate (the titular shrew). Everyone else thinks Kate is the worst, the shrewest woman in town. They don’t really talk so much about her appearance as they do her temperament, so I don’t know what they think of her looks. Petruchio meets her and immediately decides that she is beautiful in and out. In this first scene together they go back and forth quite a lot, he telling her how beautiful she is, and she telling him that he’s crazy.

This is a bit of a tough play for 2026, because Petruchio dominates, and ultimately can be said to tame, Kate. Still, I think there’s more to it than meets the eye. In the same way that The Merchant of Venice can be viewed as an antisemitic play, this one can be viewed as wholly misogynistic; but I think both assumptions are too simplistic and basically wrong. On the other hand, what do I know.

Wait, was that a rhetorical question?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Prepare there,

The duke is coming: see the barge is ready;

And fit it with such furniture as suits

The greatness of his person.

 

Sir Nicholas Vaux

King Henry the Eighth           ActII, Scene i, Line 97

 

The duke referred to above is the Duke of Buckingham, and he has just been sentenced to death. The barge they’re talking about is the barge that will take him to his execution, presumably at the Tower of London. The duke is still well loved, and Sir Nicholas is trying to make sure he is still being treated as befitting his state, but the duke will have none of it.

 

                                      Nay, Sir Nicholas,

Let it alone; my state now will but mock me.

When I came hither, I was lord high constable

And Duke of Buckingham; now, poor Edward Bohun.

 

Edward Bohun: that name certainly does not have the regal ring to it that the Duke of Buckingham does. But Edward/the duke is being realistic; he knows that his goose is cooked. It’s hard to imagine being so accepting of one’s fate as he is. What’s even harder a lot of the time, at least I think it is, is knowing when to accept, and when to fight to change it. It gets back to that saying: Give me the strength to change what I can, the patience to accept what I can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference. Gotta have the wisdom. I guess Edward Bohum’s wisdom tells him his fate is sealed. Poor guy.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Shall I be tempted of the devil thus?

 

Queen Elizabeth

King Richard the Third          Act IV, Scene iv, Line 419

 

Elizabeth is talking to Richard, and the devil she is referencing is Richard himself. I’ve lost track of who Richard has killed, but I know that right now he is trying to talk Elizabeth into helping him woo her daughter. This is in spite of the fact that he’s already killed one or two of her kids. Elizabeth is understandably reluctant as is evidenced by her words above. I’m pretty sure, at least I hope, that I would be more than reluctant. Here’s the next few lines of the exchange Between Elizabeth and Richard,

Elizabeth-      Shall I be tempted of the devil thus?

Richard-        Ay, if the devil tempt thee to do good.

E-      Shall I forget myself to be myself?

R-      Ay, if your self’s remembrance wrong yourself.

E-      But thou didst kill my children.

R-      But in your daughter’s womb I’ll bury them;

          Where, in that nest of spicery, they shall breed

          Selves of themselves, to your recomforture.

E-     Shall I go win my daughter to thy will?

R-     And be a happy mother by the deed.

E-     I go.-Write to me very shortly,

        And you shall understand from me her mind.

R-    Bear her my true love’s kiss; and so, farewell.

                              [Exit Queen Elizabeth]

R-   Relenting fool, and shallow, changing woman!

Oh my goodness! How about that last line; two seconds after the woman leaves the room.

        Relenting fool, and shallow, changing woman!

I’m sorry, but I’m going to go current on you, just to show you how timeless this behavior (both Queen Elizabeth’s and Richard’s) is, and how relevant Will’s works are to current time. Here goes…

I can’t help but see the parallel here between Elizabeth and the supporters of the Orange Guy, especially, especially those supporters who were so adamant about the absolute lack of any positive aspects (to say the very least) of the Orange Guy a few years ago. Did they ask themselves, in the interim, the question, Shall I forget myself to be myself? Did they decide that it was okay to go ahead because by not doing so their self’s remembrance would wrong themselves? REALLY!?!

I just can’t buy it. I’ve long ago moved past my disgust for Richard, the one in 1590 as well as the one we seem to be stuck with in 2026. But I cannot, I cannot, understand Elizabeth and all the other supporters. I can’t understand them in 1590, and I certainly can’t understand them in 2026. And yet, as improbable as they are in 1590, they’re there. And if you read or see the play and say to yourself that it’s not realistic, just take a look at what we’ve got in 2026. It stretches credulity, and yet, there it is.

I’m not sure if Will gives us any answers to the questions of how this can be; probably not, since he is better at posing questions than he is at providing answers. But I would sure love an answer...if there is one.

The same world that brings us those kind of impossible questions also brings us the beauty of this sunset.

Ain't that a kick in the head.