Totally Random Daily Shakespeare

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

Since death of my dear’st mother

It did not speak before. All solemn things

Should answer solemn accidents.

Guiderius

Cymbeline               Act IV, Scene ii, Line 191

I’ll give you Guiderius’s full speech in a minute, it’s only six lines, but first I’ll give you some context.

Without going into the full story, Guiderius is talking to his father Belarius. These two, and Guiderius’s brother Arviragus, live in a cave. The two young men are actually sons of the king, and they ended up being raised by this guy Belarius in a cave. Don’t ask me how, I don’t remember the full story; just go with it. Anyway, as I said, Guiderius and his father are standing outside the cave, and they begin to hear solemn music being played in the cave where Arviragus is. When Guiderius says It did not speak before, he’s talking about the musical instrument (no, I don’t know what kind of instrument). Now, here’s the full six lines. 

What does he mean? Since death of my dear’st mother

It did not speak before. All solemn things

Should answer solemn accidents. The matter?

Triumphs for nothing, and lamenting toys,

Is jollity for apes, and grief for boys.

Is Caldwell mad?

Oh, one other thing: Guiderius and Arviragus are their original, real names. Belarius renamed then Polydore and Cadwal, and that’s the names these two guys know themselves as. Yeah, it’s a little confusing. Again, just go with it.

So, does it make sense now? Obviously Guiderius is saying he hasn’t heard solemn music since his mother died (Apparently these two guys weren’t infants when Belarius stole them and brought them to the cave; but that’s a separate issue). Then he says that there shouldn’t be solemn music without a solemn occasion (accident). What he doesn’t know is that his brother has discovered the dead body of Imogen in the cave (also a separate issue). Why should there not be solemn music? Only monkeys celebrate triumphs without a victory, and lamenting toys are grief for boys. The monkey part I understand; the lamenting toys not so much.

Boy, we’re spending a lot of time on these few lines. I'm not sure I'm getting anything out of this. How about you?

Boy, there are some days where this Shakespeare stuff just doesn't work for me.

And I think this is one of them.