Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

God save your Grace!

Bardolph

King Henry the Fourth Part II  Act II, Scene ii, Line 72                

Pretty simple today: it’s just Bardolph saying hello to Hal, aka Prince Henry, aka the future King Henry the Fifth.

Now, it just so happens that I’m reading Huckleberry Finn right now (a book I’ve never read). I would highly recommend this book in terms of readability, with the caveat that it involves the over-usage of a certain six letter word that begins with the letter N. But I didn’t bring it up to discuss that issue. I brought it up to discuss an irony issue. 

Earlier today I was reading the section where Huck and Jim pick up these two guys in the river and one of them claims to be the Duke of Bridgewater and the other the Dauphin and rightful heir to the throne of France. Naturally these two royal wannabes insist on being addressed as the royals they suppose to be (it’s pretty evident that they’re a couple of frauds). In fact, “your Grace” is one of the titles that the phony Duke wants them to use. So that when I saw Today’s Line was God save your Grace, well I found that to be just a little bit ironic. Don’t you?

His Grace, Sir Buster of Mojo surveying his dominion.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

No, I’ll die here. [Drawing his sword]

There’s some among you have beheld me fighting:

Come, try upon  yourselves what you have seen me.

 

Caius Marcius Coriolanus     

Coriolanus                  Act III, Scene i, Line 222

 

The crowd, for the most part being spurred on by the two weaselly tribunes (akin to U. S. Representatives), is calling for Caius Marcius’s head. They’re are yelling that he should be dragged to the cliff at the Tarpeian Rock and thrown off it. That’s when Caius Marcius draws his sword against the crowd with Today’s Line. His buddies Cominius and Meninius talk him down before he can start killing people, but it’s a tense moment brought about by an unruly crowd being led by two unscrupulous tribunes.

This is a complicated play. No one is fully in the right or wrong, though in my opinion the two tribunes are more in the wrong than anyone else. If for no other reason than that it does such a good job of pointing out the complexities of effective government, this is a play that should be taught in high schools today.

But what do I know?  

Now here's a couple of guys who should be in charge. They would keep things running smoothly. Look at them. Sam was about to head off to find a sunbeam or something, and Mojo was just sitting there scratching. 

I said, "Hey, guys, can you give me a nice pose for a pic," and they stopped and sat for me. 

"Nice," I said. "Now, one more for a closeup."

"Perfect!"

No unruly mob here!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

When did the tiger’s young ones teach the dam?

O, do not learn her wrath,--she taught it thee;

The milk thou suck’dst from her did turn to marble;

Even at thy teat thou hadst thy tyranny.

 

Lavinia

Titus Andronicus           Act II, Scene iii, Line 143

 

These are some of the last lines that Lavinia will have in this play. She won’t die until the last act, but a few lines further down from here she’ll be dragged off by Chiron and Demetrius who will rape her and then cut out her tongue and chop off her hands. So she won’t be saying much after this.

Right now though, Lavinia still has her tongue and she’s trying to talk to Tamora, the mother of these two guys, to get her to stop her sons from what they’re about to do. Demetrius responds by saying to his mother,

 

Listen, fair madam: let it be your glory

To see her tears; but be your heart to them

An unrelenting flint to drops of rain.

 

Be your heart to them (Lavinia’s tears)/An unrelenting flint to drops of rain. That's not bad. Anyway, that’s when Lavinia gives us Today’s Lines telling Demetrius not to try to teach his mother how to be cruel, because she’s the one who taught him.

 

These don’t sound like very nice people, Mr. Blagys.

They’re not, Mojo; not very nice at all. And unfortunately, these kinds of people are still with us today. Best to try to avoid them at all costs. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Now sways it (the battle) this way, like a mighty sea,

Forced by the tide to combat with the wind;

Now sways it that way, like the selfsame sea

Forced to retire by fury of the wind:

Sometime the flood prevails, and then the wind;

Now one the better, then another best;

Both tugging to be victors, breast to breast,

Yet neither conqueror nor conquered:

So is the equal poise of this fell war.

 

King Henry

King Henry the Sixth Part III   Act II, Scene v, Line 7

 

There’s that word fell again. Remember, in this case it has nothing to do with falling; it means simply evil.

And what of this passage?

Here we have King Henry pausing, alone, on the sidelines of a great battle. It is a battle that he should be leading, but is not. Whilst his queen and lieutenants run the show, he is left sitting there ruminating about the battle and the war. His musings are interesting and valid, but also a very sad reminder of what an ineffectual leader he is.

If this were Henry V, this king’s father, we’d be hearing “Once more into the breach!” and so on as he led the troops to into battle. But with the son, not so much. He’d rather ruminate on the vicissitudes of war than participate in it. 

Honestly, I think I am much more like the son than the father. Not very heroic of me, eh?

 

You’ll always be my hero, Mr. Blagys. Speaking of that, do you think my new hairdo makes me look fierce? 

Take a look at it from the back. What do you think?   Fierce?

Very fierce, Mojo. Very fierce indeed.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

My lord, your sorrow was too sore laid on,

Which sixteen winters cannot blow away,

So many summers dry; scarce any joy

Did ever so long live; no sorrow

But kill’d itself much sooner.

Camillo

The Winter’s Tale             Act V, Scene iii, Line 55

Once again, we’ve arrived at the end of the play. There are only about one hundred lines left in this, the last scene. Leontes and company have been led by Paulina to see a statue of his long dead wife Hermione. They are all marveling at the statue, and Leontes has just been moaning about how it’s all his fault that that his wife died all those years ago. In Today’s Lines Camillo is telling Leontes that he spent sixteen years being sorry, and that’s too long.

Yes, that’s all that he’s saying. Given that bit of context, Camillo’s lines should be pretty easy to understand. 

Yah, yah - easy to understand...never mind about that stuff;  what do you think about my haircut?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

  

The roof of the chamber

With golden cherubins is fretted: her andirons-

I had forgot them- were two winking Cupids

Of silver, each on one foot standing, nicely

depending on their brands.

 

Iachimo

Cymbeline             Act II, Scene iv, Line 88

Iachimo is describing the bedroom of Imogen, Posthumus’s wife. Iachimo made a bet with Posthumus that he, Iachimo, could seduce Imogen and get her to cheat on her husband. All he really did was sneak into Imogen’s bedroom without Imogen. He is describing the bedroom to Posthumus as proof that he slept with Imogen. He did no such thing, but gullible Posthumus believes him.

Iachimo/Posthumus, Iago/Othello; it’s all the same nonsense. One of them gets his hands on a hanky, and the other describes a bedroom. These husbands of Shakespeare need to have a little more faith in their wives! Just wow.

I'm glad I'm not married. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Help, Jupiter; or we appeal,

And from thy justice fly.

 

Both Brothers (of Posthumus)

Cymbeline             Act V, Scene iv, Line 91

 

Okay, here’s the deal: Posthumus has been thrown in prison, though I’m not sure for what. But whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it’s unfair. Now he’s having a dream, so this is a dream sequence. His whole family is here, though they are all dead and gone: his mother and father and his two brothers. They are all begging the gods to let up on Posthumus saying that he’s suffering unjustly. Today’s line is his two brothers asking Jupiter for his help. And that’s about it.

Yes, that's right, it’s a dream sequence.  

It would be great to be able to see this guy's dream sequence...

Treats !

Treats !

Treats !

Treats !

Treats !

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Thou art not holy to belie me so;

I am not mad: this hair I tear is mine;

My name is Constance; I was Geffrey’s wife;

Young Arthur is my son, and he is lost:

I am not mad;-- I would to heaven I were!

 

Constance

King John            Act III, Scene iv, Line 47

Constance is not mad (off her rocker mad: not angry mad), but she wishes she were. If she were mad then maybe she would be able to forget about her murdered son. As it is, young Arthur is all she can think about.

Can you blame her?

 

Can I blame her?!? The nerve of this guy!

 Him and the Missus are constantly taking off on me, disappearing sometimes for days or weeks at a time! I don’t know if they're dead somewhere! 

Of course I don’t blame this poor lady for feeling how she does; I feel the same way half the time!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

  

Nay, I am sure she does. She came to him th’ other day into the compast window, - and, you know, he has not past three or four hairs on his chin-

 

Pandarus

Troilus and Cressida         Act I, Scene ii, Line 111

Pandarus is talking to Cressida. Pandarus is Cressida’s uncle, and he is also friend to Troilus. The latter is in love with Cressida, and Pandarus is doing everything he can to help Troilus. In this scene he is talking up Troilus, and that’s who they’re referring to above. Pandarus has said that he thinks Helen loves Troilus more than Paris, and Cressida answered Then she’s a merry Greek indeed. That’s when Pandarus gives us today’s line. By the way, a compast window is a round one. Yes, I had to look that up.

This play is confusing. I’ve never read, seen, or listened to it in its entirety. It’s loosely based on Homers Iliad. Remember in that story that Paris of Troy kidnapped Helen of Greece. Now the Greeks are at the walls of Troy besieging the city to rescue Helen. This play takes place partly in the Greek camp outside the city, partly inside the walls of Troy, and partly on the battlefield outside the walls. Pandarus, Cressida, and Troilus are Trojans, the latter being Paris’s brother. Somehow, and I'm not sure of the details, Cressida will be getting sent over to the Greeks in some sort of trade. It's confusing. 

This is the play that's in the First Folio without being in the table of contents of the First Folio. No kidding; there are thirty-six plays in the First Folio and only thirty-five in the table of contents. This one just shows up, unannounced, right before Coriolanus. How's that for confusing. 

Got all that?

I think so: Pandarus likes Cressida, and Troilus is a traitor for the Greeks, and nobody wrote this play. 

No, no, no: Troilus is... um... and Pandarus and Cress... uh....

Yeah, I think you've got it Mojo. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Let us withdraw into the other room.

 

Clarence

King Henry the Fourth Part II Act IV, Scene iv, Line 88

Clarence is Prince Henry’s brother, Thomas of Clarence, so why we’re not referring to him as Prince Thomas I’m not sure. Lots of people in the history plays have several names, like Clarence. His name is Thomas, but he’s the Duke of Clarence, so mostly he gets referred to as simply Clarence. I know, it’s a bit confusing. 

Anyway, Clarence, Gloster, Warwick, and Prince Henry are in King Henry’s bedroom, and Clarence is suggesting that they all get out of there and let the sleeping King Henry alone. How all these guys ended up in the king’s bedroom in the first place is beyond me, but there they are. 

It reminds me of that time that I was having back problems and I couldn’t move without intense pain. Patrice had to call an ambulance to take me into the hospital, and I found myself in my own bedroom with a couple of EMTs and a Cheshire cop: in my bedroom! With all the pain I was in it was still crossing my mind at the time, “what are all these people doing in my bedroom?”

Now, in the king’s case, he’s asleep. I have no idea if he’s suffering any back pain, but he’s asleep. Meantime, all these other guys are convinced that the king is on his deathbed. If I’m not mistaken, they’re right. Luckily for me, I was not on my deathbed. Also luckily for me, since I’ve been doing exercises since then to build up my core, my back has been a lot better. Knock on wood.

 

Hey, Mr. Blagys, I think you should stick to the Shakespeare stuff; nobody’s going to want to hear about the Cheshire cop in your bedroom.

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

So to the laws at large I write my name:

[Subscribes]

And he that breaks them in the least degree

Stands in the attainder of eternal shame:

 

Berowne

Love’s Labour’s Lost         Act I, Scene i, Line 55

 

Berowne, Dumaine, and Longaville are going to spend the next three years studying with the king. Dumaine and Longaville have agreed to the specifics of the king’s provisions for these three years: no women, limited eating, and limited sleeping. They have signed the contract. Dumaine has agreed to the three years of studying, but has objected to the lack of women, food, and sleep, and at length tells why. Nevertheless, in the end he agrees to sign, as we see in Today’s Lines.

And so, the stage is now set for the action of the play.

I said, "And so, the stage is now set for the action of the play." Any comments?

Action, Schmaction. 

You want a comment? Don't bother me with your Shakespeare nonsense when I'm trying to sleep; how's that for a comment.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

What’s he comes here?

 King

All’s Well That Ends Well         Act I, Scene ii, Line 18

Well, there are several answers I could give to What’s he comes here?

Considering that it’s just about seven a.m., and Walker Peter’s got to be in to work at seven, I believe this is he that I hear coming down the hall.

Or, considering that it’s just about seven a.m., and the electronic picture frame turns on automatically at seven, I can see that it’s nephews John and Caleb showing up on the frame here in my living room all the way from Japan.

Or, more to the point, seeing that it’s the king asking the question, I can read ahead and tell you that the answer is Betram, Lafeu, and Parolles.

Which leads me to another discussion.

I went to Whitlock’s Book Barn yesterday, and I picked up yet one more book on Shakespeare; this one entitled Discovering Shakespeare by Edward Holmes. It’s a book about the conjecture that a fellow named Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford wrote Shakespeare, and it’s based on the premise that de Vere had all these different experiences that the fellow who wrote these plays might have had: experiences that fit in very neatly to the plays, and experiences that Will never could have had.

The first play discussed in the book is, you guessed it, All’s Well That Ends Well. It explains who all these people in the play were in real life and the experiences that de Vere had with them (Bertram, by the way, is Edward de Vere according to Mr. Holmes).

Now, this is the second book I’ve got that works this same premise. Each of them go into the historical facts and characters of de Vere’s life (a life, unlike Will’s, that was quite well documented), but here’s the thing: neither of the books explains how de Vere’s words ended up with William Shakespeare as the listed author (granted that I’m only in chapter two of this new book, but I’ll keep you posted). They both seem to assume that it must’ve been de Vere as the author. But then, what about William Shakespeare? Who was he?

Whilst, as we well know, there is very little documented detail of Will’s life, we do in fact know that he existed and that he was given credit as the author. It is, however, the exponentially more documented detail of de Vere’s life that makes the arguments of these two authors so persuasive. Edward de Vere’s life fits so very well into the detail of the plays. But again, how do de Vere’s words end up credited as Shakespeare’s?

I’m hoping that Mr. Holmes comes up with some viable answer to this question. Perhaps Edward de Vere and William Shakespeare were friends who would meet and share stories of their lives over glasses of ale? And perhaps de Vere did a lot more sharing? This, at least, would still give Will authorship. 

Or perhaps, unlike Severus Snape, we’ll just

never

knooowwww.

 

The heck with this Snape guy, how about when my next treat will be showing up? 

Do we know that?  

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

Sir John, I prithee, leave the prince and me alone: I will lay him down such reasons for this adventure, that he shall go.

Pointz

King Henry the Fourth Part I Act I, Scene ii, Line 153

All I’m going to look at this morning is I prithee. What does it mean? It’s a bastardization of I pray thee, and so it means, very simply, please. That’s right: please.

Sir John, please, leave the prince and me alone.

Perhaps you already knew that? If you did, I apologize for wasting your time. And if you didn’t, well, now you do. 

I prithee, Mojo, a penny for your thoughts. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Now, Signior Petruchio, how speed you with

My daughter?

Baptista

The Taming of the Shrew         Act II, Scene i, Line 18

This scene is the first meeting of Petruchio (the Tamer) and Katharina (the Shrew). Petruchio has come to tell Baptista (Katharina’s father) that he plans to marry her, so Baptista brings her in and then leaves to two alone to get acquainted. They’ve just spent a page going back and forth, and now Baptista comes back in to see how they’ve gotten along. How speed you simply means how’d you make out? Even though Katharina has given Petruchio nothing but sass, he replies, How but well, sir? How but well? It were impossible I should speed amiss. 

This Petruchio is indeed an interesting fellow.

Hey Mr. Blagys, I think this guy could play Petruchio; he's pretty interesting.

That guy has a name, Mojo: it's Jeff. And yes, he is very interesting. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Thrice-noble Suffolk, ‘tis resolutely spoke.

Queen Margaret

 

King Henry the Sixth Part II  Act III, Scene i, Line 266

Suffolk is not just noble, he’s three times noble. That’s a lot of noble. Yes, quite a bit of noble. She couldn’t have gotten by with just noble Suffolk? Though, I guess if you’re going to amplify it, thrice noble Suffolk sounds better than doubly noble Suffolk. Right?

And how about resolutely, do we want to get into resolutely. 

NO!!

Okay, I guess not.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Pat, pat; and here’s a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal.

Peter Quince

A Midsummer Night’s Dream   Act III, Scene i, Line 2

Pat, pat is a relatively meaningless expression here. It could be replaced with Okay, or Now then, or absolutely nothing. And marvellous with two L’s, well that’s the way it’s spelt in my book. I suppose I should check my Folio, and perhaps I’ll do that later when I’m downstairs.

So here we have Peter Quince (yes, it only has Quince without a first name in my book, but, well, his name is Peter) talking to the rest of the guys as they meet in the forest to rehearse. The first line of the scene is Bottom asking Are we all here. Bottom likes to get as many lines as he can in this play and in the play within the play.

And, yes, it’s snowing again (here in Cheshire, not in the play). And it snowed, and it snowed…and it snowed.

That’s a Donner party reference. I don’t think that we’re quite at Donner party status yet. 

In any event (another fairly meaningless sentence starter), I’m downstairs now, and the FF has it as marvailous. Well, that’s interesting. I’m thinking that my book is just a typo. And now I've checked my E.G. Harrison Shakespeare compilation and it’s marvelous, as it should be. So I’m going to take this morning’s marvellous as a garden variety typo. What the heck.

  

Ahh, this guy is just going on and on. I'm thinking about going outside for a smoke, Mrs. Blagys. Care to join me?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

 

Come, come, you froward and unable worms!

My mind hath been as big as one of yours,

My heart as great; my reason, haply, more,

To bandy word for word and frown for frown:

But now I see our lances are but straws;

Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,-

That seeming to be, most , which we indeed least are.  

 

Katharina

 

The Taming Of The Shrew   Act V, Scene ii, Line 76

Katharina is the titular shrew in the play. We are at the very end of the play, and it certainly appears that she has been tamed. But has she?

I think that this is a much more complicated play than it appears to be. Taken on face value it appears that Kate has become completely subservient to her husband. Today’s Line is taken from Kate’s speech, here near the very end of the play. I might say that you should read the whole speech before passing judgement, but in fact I think you’d have to read/hear/see the entire play.

And I don’t see that happening right now. Even so, I’m tempted to give you Katharina’s whole speech, because it might open your mind a little bit. Oh, what the heck; here you go.

There are three couples in this scene and Petruchio, Katharina’s husband, has bade her tell the other two women what duty they owe their lords and husbands. Katharina is addressing the women when she speaks.

Fie, fie! Unknit that threatening and unkind brow:

And dart not scornful glances from those eyes,

To wound thy lord, thy kind, thy governor:

(okay, this isn’t sounding good)

It blots thy beauty, as frosts do bite the meads;

Confounds thy fame, as whirlwinds shake fair buds;

And in no sense is meet or amiable.

(that’s a little better?)

A woman moved is like a fountain troubled,

Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty;

And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty

Will deign to sip, or touch one drop of it.

(interesting)

Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,

Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,

And for thy maintenance, commits his body

To painful labour both by sea and land,

To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,

Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe;

(sounding a little better, a little more reasonable)

And craves no other tribute at thy hands

But love, fair looks, and true obedience,-

Too little for such great a debt.

(again, not too unreasonable; you can’t forget the times that this takes place in)

Such duty as the subject owes the prince,

Even such a woman oweth to her husband;

And when she is forward, peevish, sullen, sour,

And not obedient to his honest will,

What is she but a contending rebel,

And graceless traitor to his loving lord?

I am ashamed that women are so simple

To offer war, where they should kneel for peace;

Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway,

When they are bound to serve, love, and obey.

Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth

Unapt to toil and trouble in the world,

But that our soft conditions and our hearts

Should well agree with our external parts?

Come, come, you froward and unable worms!

My mind hath been as big as one of yours,

My heart as great; my reason, haply, more,

To bandy word for word and frown for frown:

But now I see our lances are but straws;

Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,-

That seeming to be, most , which we indeed least are. 

Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,

And place your hands below your husbands foot:

In token of which duty, if he please,

My hand is ready, may it do him ease.

 

And Petruchio’s response to Katharina’s speech?

Why, there’s a wench!- Come on and kiss me, Kate.

So, is your mind open enough to view this as something deserving of discussion, or am I just a jingoistic rogue to think that it even deserves a second look?

You tell me.

From the looks on their faces, I believe it's gonna be jingoistic rogue, Mr. Blagys.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

They say he is already in the forest of Arden, and a many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of England: they say many young gentlemen flock to him every day, and fleet the time carelessly, as thy did in the golden world.

 

Charles

As You Like It        Act I, Scene i, Line 119

Who is Charles talking about? He’s talking about the old duke who has been banished by his younger brother, the new duke. Like many of Will’s plays, we have two parallel stories/relationships going on. The first is brothers Olando and Oliver who open this scene in disagreement, and the second is these two dukes that Charles is talking about in Today’s Lines.

I suppose there are a few things we could take note of in Charles’s lines, the forest of Arden or perhaps the reference to Robin Hood, but I’m going to key in on his last line about the men who flock to the duke. Apparently they like to 

fleet the time carelessly, as thy did in the golden world.

First of all, fleet? Well, fleet is a common noun and/or adjective, but you don’t see it used much as a verb these days. MW Online has three meanings of the verb fleet: to fade away, vanish, or flow (that last one is labeled as archaic); to fly swiftly (like fleeting across the sky – that one is not so uncommon); or to drift (that one is considered obsolete). And my Shakespeare online glossary tells me that fleet here means to idle away or while away. That last one seems to be most like the MW Online first one.

And what about the golden world? I guess you can imagine that to be whatever you want it to, but any way you look at it, it seems good since we’re calling it golden.

I think I’ll leave you with that thought about whiling away the time (in a good sense, of course):

Fleeting the time carelessly, as they did in the golden world.

For me, it brings to mind the Scarecrow, whiling away the hours, conferring with the flowers...

 The Wizard Of Oz (1939) If I only had a Brain

 

 

Mojo really enjoyed watching the Scarecrow’s song.