Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun, it shines everywhere.  

 

Feste (the Fool)

Twelfth Night              Act III, Scene i, Line 28

 

This is a line I recently ran into that really struck me. This is Feste in Twelfth Night. It’s not actually the line that was picked for Today’s Totally Random Line. That one was from King Lear’s fool,

Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the eels when she put’em i’the paste alive; she knapt ‘em o’the coxcombs with a stick, and cried, ‘Down, wantons, down!’ ‘Twas her brother that, in pure kindness to his horse, butter’d his hay.

Now, granted, that one is good too, and all the fools in Shakespeare are worth listening to, but this line from Feste is much easier (and shorter). Also, it comes with a good personal story. Yes, I can see the eyes rolling from here.

I recently took up the challenge of community theater. I’m working with a player’s group that will be presenting Twelfth Night. I’ve got a small walk-on part (Antonio’s arresting officer) and I’m also the group’s dramaturge for this play. It’s this latter role that I’m excited about.

Anyway, we were working this scene, and this line of Feste’s for some reason jumped out at me,

Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun, it shines everywhere.  

Coincidentally, minutes later the director went back and was trying to work out Feste’s entrance to the scene: was it from stage right, or left? She was trying to make sure it made sense in terms of where Feste had been previously. Just then a light bulb went off in my head: it didn’t matter! Foolery (Feste being the personification of foolery) is everywhere; it just shows up!

Feste has license in this play to be any/every where at any time. He can just show up; stage left, stage right? It doesn’t matter. I made this point, and not only the director, but some of the actors were in complete agreement with me. I love it when that happens to me.

But I was right. Not only that, but this is a pretty important line displaying Shakespeare’s philosophy. This idea shows up in just about all of his plays that have fools: comedy, or tragedy. There’s Feste here, the nameless fool in King Lear, Launcelot Gobo in Merchant, Touchstone in As You Like It… I could go on. And it’s also at the heart of one of his other philosophy’s: things aren’t always what they seem. In other words, it’s the “fool” who often seems to know the most. Good ol’ Will.

Well, that turned out pretty long. Still, it really is a great line, and one worth remembering. So do try to remember it.

One more time,

Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun, it shines everywhere.  

 

If the play titled 341 Radmere Road were written, two things would be certain: one is that it would be a comedy, and two is that Mojo would play the role of the fool. Of course, I’m talking about a Shakespearean fool: one who is taken by the other players for knowing very little, but one who knows more than most of them. In other words, Mojo is no one’s fool.

And don’t you think he knows it.   

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

So please your Grace, my ancient;

A man he is of honesty and trust:

To his conveyance I assign my wife,

With what else needful your good Grace shall think

To be sent after me.

 

Othello

Othello                         Act I, Scene iii, Line 124

 

Classic. This is Othello speaking to the Duke (your Grace) about Iago (my ancient).

I think I may have made this point before, but I’m going to make it again since it bears repeating, and since most of you probably missed that earlier post.

Point: If you read or see this play it is easy to come to the conclusion that Iago is so obviously rotten that it would be impossible for the other people in this play not to realize it. You might think that this play is unrealistic because of this fact. In some respects, I did.

Then came 2024, when half the country decided to put Iago in charge.

Now, all I can do is marvel, all the more, at the genius of William Shakespeare.

Who’s Iago, Mr. Blagys?

Never mind, Mojo; no one you need to worry about.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

By gar, he has save his soul, dat he is no come; he has pray is Pible vell, dat he is no come: by gar, Jack Rugby, he is dead already, if he be come.

 

Doctor Caius

The Merry Wives of Windsor   Act II, Scene iii, Line 7

Yes, this is Shakespeare. Occasionally Will likes to give his players an accent. I don’t know what nationality Caius is supposed to be, but based on how he’s speaking, we can assume that Doctor Caius is not a native Englishman.

So, this is not one of those occasions where I’ll suggest that you appreciate the beauty of the language. In fact, I’m not sure what to suggest in regards to this line. We can’t just ignore it because this is the line that was randomly picked, like it or not. I’m not going to get into context because I still don’t have much of an appreciation for this particular play.

I suppose I’ll just let you figure out what you want to do with Today’s Line, even if that’s… nothing. And we all know what will come of nothing, don’t we Cordelia?

On second thought, rather than simply giving you nothing, I’ll give you a link to a previous, more interesting, and slightly related post. Hmmm, this may be a first, a link to a previous post. Oh well, enjoy.

Totally Random Daily Shakespeare

 

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Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

That you are well restored, my lord, I’m glad:

Let the rest go.

 

Helena

All’s Well That Ends Well         Act II, Scene iii, Line 149

Helena, the daughter of the deceased physician, has just cured the king. In gratitude, the king has granted Helen, who is a commoner, that she can choose any man in the court to be her husband. She chooses Bertram, but he objects that he does not want to marry her because she’s not worthy of him,

A poor physician’s daughter my wife!—Disdain

Rather corrupt me ever!

The king gives Bertram a long speech about why Bertram should take Helena, but he still refuses. At this point Helena gives us Today’s Line, in response to the king. She’s gonna cut her losses. However, now the king’s pretty pissed off at Bertram for going against him, so he insists and Bertram acquiesces to take Helena for his wife.

But he’s not happy about it.

So what do we take from Today’s Line?

Let the rest go.

Words of wisdom that are often so very useful when we are upset about things. Let it go. We get upset about so many things that don’t really matter. Helena says that the king’s recovery is the important thing here.

Let the rest go.

We could all take a lesson from my little friend here. He's getting a belly rub. That's all that really matters; so...

Let the rest go. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I found him under a tree, like a dropped acorn.

Celia

As You Like It             Act III, Scene ii, Line 240

This is Celia talking to Rosalind, and the acorn she’s talking about is Orlando. Yes, Orlando is being referred to as an acorn.

Now let me think: isn’t there someone around here that we refer to as an acorn. Who was that? Hmmmm… don't worry, it'll come to me.

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

He will not fight with me, Domitius?

 

Mark Antony     

Antony and Cleopatra       Act IV, Scene iii, Line 1

 

Antony is talking to his right-hand man Domitius Enobarbus. They’re discussing the fact that Caesar refuses to fight with Antony. Why should he when he stands a chance of losing to Antony; especially since Caesar’s army is sure to defeat Antony’s. Caesar is no dummy.

Somehow or another in all the time of doing this blog I seem to have missed that Enobarbus had a first name: Domitius. How’d I miss that? And this is a character that I’ve paid a lot of attention to over the years because I like both his name, Enobarbus, and his character, the grizzled war veteran.

So okay, Enobarbus’s first name is Domitius. 

Once more, a pic that is neither Mojo, nor relevant to Today's Totally Random Line. No, this is not Domitius Enobarbus, though he is a grizzled war veteran, of both WWII, and the eternal war of parenting. This is the original Papa Bear (believe it or not, some people think I resemble him). Why this pic? Well, though Papa Bear shuffled off his mortal coil many years ago, today is the one hundredth anniversary of his birth. Yup, born July 10, 1926. How's about that. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Your knowledge has through Ephesus poured forth

Your charity, and hundreds call themselves

Your creatures, who by you have been restored:

And not your knowledge, your personal pain, but even

Your purse, still open, hath built Lord Cerimon

Such strong renown as time shall never—

       Enter two or three servants with a chest.

 

Second Gentleman

Pericles                               Act III, Scene ii, Line 49

Apparently the two servants entering with a chest interrupt Second Gentleman, so that I don’t think we’re ever going to find out what such strong renown as time shall never do.

Cerimon (that’s the guy that Second Gentleman is talking to and about above; and I believe it’s pronounced Saruman, believe it or not) is being introduced as an amazing doctor – that’s the first three lines above. Apparently he’s also a pretty fabulous all around guy – that’s the next three. And what’s Cerimon’s purpose in this play? Oh, not much; he’s just got to bring Pericles’s wife back to life. She’s in the chest that the two or three servants are entering with.

So today’s six Totally Random lines are spoken by an anonymous henchman who’s only job in the play is to give us a description of a heretofore unknown character who’s also got just one job to do in the play (albeit, this latter character’s job of bringing someone back to life is a little more important than Second Gentleman's job. Or is it?).

Since we're talking about bringing to life, and since this is the anniversary of me being brought to life (out of vitro), we're going with a pic of.... ME!

I don't have a picture of the day I was brought to life (out of vitro), but this is about 64 years closer to that day than today.

 

Sorry, no Mojo today; his birthday is in March.

Today’s Totally Random Lines

This royal hand and mine are newly knit,

And the conjunction of our inward souls

Married in league, coupled and linkt together

With all religious strength and sacred vows;

The latest breath that gave the sound of words

The deep-sworn faith, peace, amity, true love

Between our kingdoms and our royal selves;

And even before this truce, but new before,-

No longer than we well could wash our hands,

To clap this royal bargain up of peace,-

Heaven knows, they were besmear’d and overstain’d

With slaughter’s pencil, where revenge did paint

The fearful difference of incensed kings:

And shall these hands, so lately purged of blood,

So newly join’d in love, so strong in both,

Unyoke this seizure and this kind of regret?

 

King Philip 

King John                 Act III, Scene i, Line 240

That’s a really long line. I decided to work with the punctuated sentence. It’s all commas and semicolons up to that final question mark, and therefore one sentence.

So, what’s King Philip saying with this really long sentence? He’s saying that he and King John just consummated a treaty, so do they really want to throw that out and go back to warring with each other. I’m not exactly sure who is pushing to throw the treaty out, or why, but the king is using sixteen lines to question that idea. Now if you look at it closely, and take a little time with the lines you can see that they're pretty clear and, of course, quite expressive, to say the least. 

Go back and take a look

The first seven lines talk about the positivity of their relationship with the new treaty.

the conjunction of our inward souls Married in league... religious strength and sacred vows... deep-sworn faith, peace, amity, true love

The next six talk about the horrible situation of war that existed before the treaty.

besmear’d and overstain’d With slaughter’s pencil, where revenge did paint The fearful difference of incensed kings:

And the last three lines question why they would want to go back to that.

And shall these hands, so lately purged of blood,

So newly join’d in love, so strong in both,

Unyoke this seizure and this kind of regret?

Good for King Philip!  

My little buddy's getting in some much deserved and much needed pool time. 

There'll be no worrying about being besmear’d and overstain’d with slaughter’s pencil for this fellow!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

You come hither, my lord, to marry this lady?

Friar Francis

Much Ado About Nothing    Act IV, Scene i, Line 4

The answer to this question is a flat “No”.

This is the wedding scene. Claudio, the groom, has been fooled into believing that Hero, the bride, has been unfaithful to him. So he shows up for the wedding and when the priest asks him if he’s ready to marry, he says ‘no’. Then, somehow, the ceremony proceeds as if no one heard his answer, until twenty lines down he goes off into his speech about how Hero has cheated on him and how he wants nothing to do with her.

Give not this rotten orange to your friend;  he says to Hero’s father. He calls the bride a ‘rotten orange.’

How’s that!?

Okay, here's a Totally Random picture that has absolutely nothing to do with Today's Totally Random line; but I couldn't pass it up. 

Look at the shirt on this guy! He knows how to celebrate a holiday!

Bravo, Jon!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Ah,  ha!—Come, some music! Come, the recorders!—

For if the king like not the comedy,

Why, then, belike,--he likes it not, perdy.--

Come, some music!

Hamlet

Hamlet               Act III, Scene ii, Line 311

 

The word perdy means assuredly. It’s a bastardization of the French per Dieu, or, per God. Anyway. 

This is the scene with the play within the play. Hamlet has had the visiting group of players (not the Cheshire Town Players) stage a play that had a scene which mimics how he believed that Claudius killed King Hamlet (Hamlet’s father). Claudius, upon watching the scene, has just stormed out, after which Hamlet concluded with Horatio that Claudius must indeed be guilty. And with this done, Hamlet says “Bring on the music.”

Interesting.

 

The scene…

Within the play…

With the players…

Staging a play…

That had a scene…

 

I believe the word is “confusing”, not “interesting”.

And I agree with Hamlet, just bring on the music.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

All this I see; and I see that the fashion wears out more apparel than the man. But art not thou thyself giddy with the fashion too, that thou hast shifted out of thy tale into telling me of the fashion?

Conrade

Much Ado About Nothing     Act III, Scene iii, Line 140

Conrade is speaking with his buddy Borachio. The latter is about to explain to Conrade how he was involved with the scheme to make Claudio think that his fiancé, Hero, was unfaithful to him. However, he begins the tale with this long winded thing about fashion. Honestly, it’s a bit much. It’s fashion this, and fashion that. I think there’s supposed to be humor here, but it’s a bit hard to flesh out; at least for me it is.

Anyway, it seems like Conrade is of the same mind as me since he seems to be telling Borachio just that, …thou hast shifted out of thy tale into telling me of the fashion.

In any event, Borachio apparently takes the hint, and after this line he goes into the tale of what he did concerning Hero.

Now that’s a funny name for a woman: Hero. Don’t you think?

 Oy! Mr. B.!

Are you trying to get us killed?

Maybe you could just let me drive, instead of distracting me with this nonsense? 

Hero, Shmero!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Her hair, nor loose nor tied in formal plat,

Proclaim’d in her a careless hand of pride;

For some, untuckt, descended her sheaved hat,

Hanging her pale and pined cheek beside;

Some in threaden fillet still did bide,

And, true to bondage, would not break from thence,

Though slackly braided in loose negligence.

 

Narrator

A Lover’s Complaint         Stanza 5

And now, for something completely different. It’s not a play, or a sonnet; it’s one of Will’s poems. The two long poems he’s most well known for are Venus and Adonis, and Lucrece. This one is a bit shorter, and considered by some to be doubtful as to whether or not it is truly Will’s work. But we’ll assume that it is.

It’s a poem about a maiden lamenting the fact that she’s been abandoned by her lover. Without going into all that, this stanza is completely about her hair. Yes, her hair; it’s all about her hair.

It’s neither loose, nor tied;

It’s proclaimed;

Some of it’s untuckt, descended, and hanging,

And some is true to bondage, albeit slackly braided.

Yes, that’s her hair.

Comments?

This guy wants hair comments.

Are you kidding me?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Ah, Gaunt, his blood was thine! That bed, that womb,

That metal , that self-mould, that fashion’d thee

Made him a man; and though thou livest and breathest,

Yet art thou slain in him: thou dost consent

In some large measure to thy father’s death,

In that thou seest thy wretched brother die,

Who was the model of thy father’s life. 

 

Duchess of Gloster

King Richard the Second   Act I, Scene ii, Line 25

Okay then; here's where we're at: The Duchess of Gloster is the widow of Thomas, the latter being Gaunt’s brother. She’s talking to Gaunt about Thomas. Gaunt and Thomas were son’s of Edward III. The current king, Richard II is the grandson of Edward III. There are some, including Thomas of Gloster, who think/thought Richard to be doing a lousy job as king. Thomas has been eliminated by Richard’s people, and his widow wants Gaunt, her brother-in-law, to avenge Gloster’s death. Gaunt says, no; leave it to God.

Gloster’s widow is not particularly happy with that answer and leaves. She ends the scene with a farewell rhyming couplet.

Desolate, desolate, will I hence and die:

The last leave of thee takes my weeping eye.

Just a little bit maudlin, eh? A bit of a Debbie Downer.

A bit maudlin?!? Her husband was "eliminated" by her nephew, and her brother-in-law's not going to do a thing about it! 

Maudlin???

 

Oooh, go easy on that one, Mrs. B; that's the one you drew blood on last time.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

They shall be satisfied: I’ll read enough,

When I do see the very book indeed

Where all my sins are writ, and that’s myself.  

 

King Richard

King Richard the Second   Act IV, Scene i, Line 273

Bolingbroke has won. They are in Westminster Hall and everyone is present. King Richard has been brought forth and is being asked to read aloud a list of his wrong doings as a way of justifying Bolingbroke’s usurpation of the throne. Richard is quibbling about doing this, and Bolingbroke says he doesn’t have to. Northumberland remarks that the masses will not be satisfied unless Richard reads the list of his sins, and this is what Richard is responding to above. 

So that took me eight and a half lines to set up today’s three lines. Oh, and Richard has already requested a mirror, so that’s what he’s referring to when he says, When I do see the very book. He’s talking about his face. He has a nice little speech when he looks in the mirror. It’s thirteen lines. Oh what the heck.

Give me the glass, and therein will I read.-

No deeper wrinkles yet? Hath sorrow struck

So many blows upon this face of mine,

And made no deeper wounds! – O flattering glass,

Like to my followers in prosperity,

Thou dost beguile me! Was this face the face

That every day under his household roof

Did keep ten thousand men? Was this the face

That, like the sun, did make beholders wink:

Was this the face that faced so many follies,

And was at last out-faced by Bolingbroke?

A brittle glory shineth in this face:

As brittle as the glory is the face;

                       [dashes the glass against the ground]

For there it is, crackt in a hundred shivers.—

Mark, silent king, the moral of this sport,--

How soon my sorrow hath destroy’d my face.

 

And Bolingbroke replies,

The shadow of your sorrow hath destroy’d

The shadow of your face.

 

Richard seems surprised,

                                      Say that again.

The shadow of my sorrow? Ha, let’s see:--

‘Tis very true, my grief lies all within;

And then he goes on, but we won't.

I’m not sure why I felt the need to give you all that. There’s a lot of what Richard has to say in this play that’s really great. I guess I just felt that here’s some of that, so that I wanted to make sure you got it. It’s pretty great just reading it, the beauty of the language; and of course there’s all sorts of meaning that can be mined out of it should you decide to put on your miners helmet with the light and dive on in.

But let’s face it: that's up to you. 

 

He doesn’t think I noticed that he snuck the word ‘face’ into that last sentence just because the whole thing was about faces and facing. 

I noticed. 

This face notices everything!

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

That book in many’s eyes doth share the glory,

That in gold clasps locks in the golden story;

So shall you share all that he doth possess,

By having him, making yourself no less.

 

Lady Capulet

Romeo and Juliet       Act I, Scene iii, Line 95

This is early on in the play. Romeo and Juliet have yet to lay eyes on each other. Here, Juliet’s mother is telling the young girl about Paris, who has expressed an interest in Juliet. The mother is asking the daughter how she feels about marrying Paris. Juliet’s reply?

I’ll look to like, if looking liking move:

But no more deep will I endart mine eye

Then your consent gives a strength to make it fly.

That’s a little confusing, but I think it sounds like she’s game for Paris, doesn’t it? But what the heck is that first line? I’ll look to like, if looking liking move: I’ll take a look at him with the hope of liking what I see? Is that it? I think that’s it. Then she’s saying that she’ll go no further with Paris than her mother gives her consent to. But it sounds like her mother is already giving that consent, and more. I think she’s referred to Paris as a golden story, hasn’t she? Juliet’s just trying to hedge her bets. And good thing, too, because her golden story’s not going to be named Paris.

The best laid plans of mice and Lady Capulet go oft awry.

Mice?  Did somebody say Mice?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

The villain is much lighter-heel’d than I:

I follow’d fast, but faster he did fly;

That fall’n am I in dark uneven way,

And here will rest me. [Lies down] Come, thou

gentle day!

 

Lysander

A Midsummer Night’s Dream  Act III, Scene ii, Line 418

The villain noted in the first line above is Puck, and he’s leading Lysander on a chase through the woods. Well, he was leading him, but now Lysander’s done chasing and he’s going to lie down to sleep.

I forget exactly what’s going on here, as far as who’s doing what to who. But I think it’s enough to know that this is the main part of the play where everyone’s in the forest at night doing something. Lysander’s something right now is sleeping, and considering that dream is in the title of the play, one might expect that there’ll be a bit of sleeping.

And there you have it.

Playing the part of Lysander (and perfectly cast, I might add)...

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

There is no malice in this burning coal;

The breath of heaven hath blown his spirit out,

And strew’d repentant ashes on his head.

 

Arthur

King John                Act IV, Scene i, Line 110

Arthur, a child, is talking to Hubert de Burgh. The latter has been sent to burn Arthur’s eyes out. The former is doing his best to talk Huburt out of doing it. Arthur has noted that the fire has gone out and that the red hot poker in Huburt's hand is now cold. Huburt replies that he can heat it. No, says Arthur,

No, in good sooth; the fire is dead with grief,

Being create for comfort, to be used

In undeserved extrement: see else yourself;

There is no malice in this burning coal;

The breath of heaven hath blown his spirit out,

And strew’d repentant ashes on his head.

Arthur is giving quite a bit of life and conscience to the fire. Will is great at doing that: giving life to inanimate objects. As usual, he does it with some really great language. Again, the poet playwright.

Speaking of inanimate objects...

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

O, why should wrath be mute, and fury dumb?

Aaron

Titus Andronicus               Act V, Scene iii, Line 185

This is actually the line before Today’s actual Totally Random Line, but the TTRL runs for six lines (which I’ll give you in a moment), so I’m giving you this easier line up front.

Aaron has just been sentenced to be buried breast-deep and to be left to starve to death. That’s what he’s reacting to above. He goes on, since he’s already said that wrath and fury should be verbalized, and here is that verbalization: 

I am no baby, I, that with base prayers

I should repent the evils I have done:

Ten thousand worse than ever yet I did

Would I perform, if I might have my will:

If one good deed in all my life I did,

I do repent it from my very soul.

There, how’s that for wrath and fury; he's not a nice fellow at all. Luckily, Lucius, Titus’s son, get’s the last words of the play after Aaron speaks. He’s not terribly nice either, talking about tossing Tamora’s body forth to beasts and birds of prey. But, thankfully, he ends this whole torrid affair on a little bit  more of an upbeat note:

Then, afterwards, to order well the state,

That like events may ne’er it ruinate.

Yeah, I don’t think anyone would want events like those that took place in this play (murder, rape, mutilation, cannibalization, etc, etc) to ever repeat. That could very definitely ruinate the state.

Of course, there are other types of actions that could ruinate the state as well, but I'm not gonna go there today.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

Signior Benedick, no; for then were you a child.

Leonato

Much Ado About Nothing    Act I, Scene i, Line xxx

I can’t believe it took me so long to figure this line out. Here’s the setup: Don Pedro asks Leonato if the young woman with him is his daughter. Leonato replies, Her mother hath many times told me so. Wise-ass Benedick chimes in, Were you in doubt, sir, that you asked her? That's when Leonato replies with Today’s Line, no; for then you were a child.

How did I not get that? In case you’re as dull witted as myself, Leonato is saying that he wasn’t in doubt because Benedick was too young then to have fathered her. In other words, Leonato is saying that Benedick is a lady’s man, to put it nicely, and since he was just a child when this girl was born, he (Leonato), does not have to worry about his wife having cheated on him with Benedick. How hard is that? How did I not get that right away?

I'll bet old sleepy head over there wouldn't have got it either. I think all of this stuff is over his head anyway. 

Just kidding, buddy. Just kidding. I'm sure you got it the first time you heard it.