The tyrannous and bloody act is done,-

The most arch deed of piteous massacre

That ever yet this land was guilty of.

-Sir James Tyrrel

                                   

Richard The Third                              Act IV, Scene iii, Line 1

Well this line has certainly piqued my interest. How about you? I mean, that is a pretty strong statement. 'That ever yet this land was guilty of'? That's saying a lot. And who is this Tyrrel guy anyway?

So here's the thing: I have a basic familiarity with this play, but I don't know all the details. I know that Richard was not a very nice guy and that he was probably responsible for the death of his two nephews, but I think that happens early on, if not at the end of Henry VI Part III. So I don't think that's what this is referring to. I could be wrong about that. In any case, I didn't read on this morning. I stopped right here with these three lines to write this post. Now I suppose I'll be going back to the book to see what this tyrannous,  bloody act is. However, I've decided to let this post sit where it is for today. Nope, not gonna tell you what the act is. As of right now, I don't know what it is. So you're on your own. 

Maybe I'll post the results of my further reading tomorrow. Or maybe not.
 

 

Okay, if you don't know what the tyrannous act is, do you know where these guys are standing? Maybe I'll tell you that tomorrow too.

Myself will straight aboard, and to the state

This heavy act with heavy heart relate.

-Lodovico

                                   

Othello                                            Act V, Scene ii, Line 372

This is the rhyming couplet that ends the play. There’s a few things worth mentioning here, without actually getting into the specifics of the words used.

First off, let’s talk about rhyme and rhyming couplets. Will likes to end scenes, long speeches and almost always plays with a rhyming couplet. I’m not sure why, but he does. It’s kind of a weird little thing. And, of course, there are some plays where he goes into extended rhyme. Again, I’m not quite sure why he does this. It’s interesting, but sometimes a bit perplexing. And whilst people don’t usually talk in rhyme, you have to remember that this is first and foremost written as a stage production. And it’s safe to say that whole groups of people don’t suddenly break into a choreographed song and dance production. And yet that’s what you’ll see in a Broadway musical. So, keep that in mind: it’s a stage production.

Secondly, about these two lines. It occurs to me as I read them that they could be used as the ending rhyming couplet for any number of Will’s tragedies. Don’t you think? There’s always a bunch of dead people and some survivor or other with the last words. Hmm.

One last thing: perfect iambic pentameter. I’m just saying.

 

We took a pic of this guy right before we went straight aboard. We weren't going to the state, nor did we have heavy hearts (we were on vacation!). Either way, this guy wasn't coming with us no matter where we were going. And I'm pretty sure that his name wasn't Othello, and that he was still alive. Also, I don't remember if we left him with a rhyming couplet, but I'm thinking probably not.

No more words, we beseech you.

-First Senator

                                   

Coriolanus                                                 Act III, Scene i, Line 74

I’ll say it again, I just don’t know why this play is not taught more in schools. Or maybe it is and I just don’t know about it. In any event, it’s a fabulous thing. There’s just a lot to look at here regarding politics and mobs and leadership and democracy and  more. And just about all of it is so relevant to today’s world.

Today’s line is one of the senators telling Coriolanus to stop talking, and it’s not going to work as the general is going to do quite the opposite. Yes, Coriolanus is going to keep talking and keep getting  himself in trouble.

Now I have to say that what struck me this morning was the words themselves: No more words, we beseech you. With my habit of picking a few words to meditate on every day, coming up with the words No more words, was a little startling. Perhaps upsetting? Should I take it as a sign? Don’t worry, I won’t.

Actions speak louder than words. A picture’s worth a thousand words. Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me. All these sayings seek to minimize the importance of words. And yet it’s words that separate us from the beasts. Do you think that when Will wrote this line he looked down and it and said to himself

“No more words?!? Insanity! Must have words!!”

 

Must have words!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Why then we kill all our women. We see how mortal an unkindness is to them, if they suffer our departure, death's the word.

-Enobarbus

                                   

Antony And Cleopatra                               Act I, Scene ii, Line 134

Well now this is a line that's a bit hard to make out. We're early on in the play, and we're in Egypt. Antony has just received word from Rome that his wife, Fulvia, has died. Now Enobarbus enters and the first thing Antony says to him is I must with haste from hence. And Enobarbus replies with today's Totally Random line. And it really does seem totally random. Enobarbus does not know of Fulvia's death yet, so what is he flapping about? Is he speaking figuratively or literally? About the women in Egypt or Rome (seems like it's Egypt)? Or maybe all women? Well, rather than try to figure it out, why don't we leave it alone and take a look at a couple of other interesting things from today's line. 

First off, and I'm not sure if I've mentioned this in the past, I really like the name Enobarbus. Maybe I'll use that for a pet if I ever get a male dog or cat or pig or whatever in the future. This guy's name is Domitius Enobarbus, but most of the time people just call him Enobarbus. He's the epitome of the old soldier. The guy who's the right hand man of the general. The grizzled veteran who's spent his life in the military. I've no idea what he's talking about here, but he nonetheless has some really good stuff to say elsewhere in the play.

Another thing, and on a separate issue. I didn't feel quite sure about the punctuation in this line, and so I did what I always do when uncertain: I went back to my copy of the First Folio. Right or wrong, I consider this my most reliable source. I know, I know, there are questions even about the First Folio and there are inconsistencies even within different copies of the First Folio. But it's the best I've got. And I can tell you that there were less commas and more periods in the Folio version. But unfortunately nothing that helped me to clarify the meaning. 

Now what? Well, I guess I'll just move on to the rest of my day and if anyone thinks they have some insight on this line you can let me know.

This is my old friend Ron, whom I haven't seen in quite a few years. He's the closest I can find to a grizzled old veteran. He served in the marines, but he didn't make a career of it. I think I might have used his picture in a previous post. I'll bet it was a post about Enobarbus.