He has no equal.

-Junius Brutus

Coriolanus                               Act I, scene i, line 49

This is Junius Brutus talking and he is the stereotypical politician. In other words, he’s a jerk and Will wants us to see that he’s a jerk. Apparently politicians four hundred years ago were held in the same contempt that they are today. Junius is talking about Coriolanus and he is being facetious and cynical here. But in truth, he’s also right. Though I’m not sure he realizes it.

Now, since I’ve decided to try my hardest to stay off the news today, especially political news which is really upsetting me lately, and since a further discussion of this play will inevitably lead me to a discussion of the current political situation, I’m afraid I’m going to have cut today’s discussion short. Let me end by saying that this is a really good play and that the 2011 movie starring Ralph Fiennes is also really good. If you have a chance to see it please don’t pass it up. I won’t say that Ralph has no equal, but he’s quite good.

 These are some ruins of a Roman aqueduct somewhere in Spain. Relevance? Well, Coriolanus is a play set in Rome. 

Sorry, that's the best I could do.

What men are you?

-King John

King John                                  Act I, scene i, line 49

Nothing fancy here. Two guys show up wanting to see the king and he wants to know who they are. Not a lot going on with today’s Totally Random line. But I guess that’s all right.

 Okay, this picture addresses at least two issues from today's post. For one thing, it makes up a little for the lack of anything interesting in the post. If I'm not mistaken, these two guys are cooking pigs feet on the sidewalk with a blowtorch. So that's at least a little bit interesting. And for another thing, they are certainly deserving of the question 'What men are you?' And just when you thought I had a Totally Random line for which I wouldn't be able to come up with a pic!

No, I am promised forth.

-Casca

Julius Caesar                               Act I, scene ii, line 291

It’s a short and pretty simple little line. Casca’s been asked to stay for dinner and he says No, I am promised forth. ‘No, I’ve got a previous commitment’, he’s saying. In the meantime though, I went back and read most of this act and there’s a lot of really interesting stuff here. A few very famous lines. There’s It’s Greek to me, and also Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look. However, it was a much less than famous line that really caught my eye. Casca is describing what he saw happening. He saw Caesar faint and

When he came to himself again, he said, if he had done or said anything amiss, he desired their worships to think it was his infirmity. Three or four wenches, where I stood, cried, ‘Alas, good soul!’ and forgave him with all their hearts: but there’s no heed to be taken of them; If Caesar had stabb’d their mothers, they would have done no less.

So the thing is, if you’re not familiar with Julius Caesar, the whole reason that the conspirators are getting ready to assassinate Caesar is that they believe that he’s going to be crowning himself king. They want to prevent this because they don’t want a king, they want the representative government that they have. And when I read that passage I could not help but think of a current politician’s words about being able to shoot someone in broad daylight on Fifth Avenue and not lose any votes over it. And then I thought of this self-same politician being used as the model for Caesar in a modern production of Julius Caesar and the hub bub that was raised about him being assassinated in the production. 

So, there’s the genius of Shakespeare. He’s more prescient and more relevant now than he ever was.