Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Why, he will look upon his boot, and sing; mend the ruff, and sing; ask questions, and sing; pick his teeth, and sing. I know a man that had this trick of melancholy sold a goodly manor for a song.

 

Clown

All’s Well That Ends Well         Act III, Scene ii, Line 7

It sounds like the guy that Clown is talking about just likes to sing. Hey, wait a minute, that sounds like me!

Holy Crow, you're right, Mr. Blagys; it is you!

Alrightee then, if you’re only in it for the pic and the caption, you can stop here. The rest of this is just gonna be analysis and thoughts – no more pics. And it’s gonna be a little long, so sayonara.

 

Now that we’ve cleared that up, there’s a bit to unpack here.

First off, a bit of context. This is the very beginning of the scene. It’s the clown talking with the countess. The countess has succeeded in setting up Helena (a young woman that she likes very much) with Bertram (her son). The two are now married but the Countess senses that all is not well. The clown asserts that the problem is that Bertram is melancholy, and the Countess asks why he thinks that is so. Today’s lines is the clown’s reply to this question: He knows that Bertram is melancholy because he’s always singing.

Apparently, the clown once knew a man who was so melancholy that he sang all the time and ended up selling his home for a song. I’m not quite sure what that means, but I’ll going to pass on that last part. You can apply to that whatever meaning you wish to it.

I just like the first part: Bertram is melancholy because he’s always singing. A ruff, by the way, is the flap of a top boot, whatever that is. So Bertram is singing when he looks at his boot, when he fixes his boot, when he asks questions, and when he picks his teeth. In other words, he’s always singing.

Regardless of the singing, Clown is right about the melancholy. Bertram is melancholy and it’s because he’s been forced into a marriage with Helena. So Clown is assuming that Bertram’s way of dealing with this unwanted marriage is to constantly sing.

Well, that’s a little odd, and I’m not exactly sure what to make of it, but Mojo’s right - I do sing a lot. Still, I’m pretty sure it’s not because I’m melancholy. In fact, I really feel as though I’ve never been happier. And yet, Will is so often right about the way he depicts the human psyche. Wow, he’s got me thinking, and a little bit worried. But I’m not breaking out in song right now, so that’s good? Or…wait a minute…is it?

Now, I’m just confused. 

You should have quit while you were ahead, Mr. Blagys.

Uggghhh!

Sorry about that; I didn't realize the little guy had more to say.