I pray thee, tell me, then, that he is well.

-Hermia

A Midsummer Night’s Dream           Act III, scene ii, line 77

I’d like to dwell on the fact that this one line, ten-word sentence has four pieces of punctuation in it. And Bravo to that! The comma is a very undervalued little dot with a tail. It can do so much to add to the clarity of a sentence. And after all, what good is a sentence if the meaning of it is not clear? Why bother writing it at all? In many ways, an idea would be better left unwritten as opposed to being written in such a way as to promote ambiguity.

Now, keeping with our theme of song week, here’s today’s song about the comma, comma, comma, comma….

Comma Song

 

What, what, what? let’s partake.

-First and Second Serving-Men

Coriolanus                         Act IV, scene v, line 171

This is the reply to the Third Serving-Man who just said,

            O slaves, I can tell you news—news, you rascals!

And of course they want to hear the news. Wouldn’t you? The Third Serving-Man is going to tell them that Aufidius, their leader, has decided to go attack Rome. And they’re pretty excited about that. Wouldn’t you be?

And by the way, I hope you’re not mixing up today’s line of What, what, what with the first lines of Macklemore’s Thrift Shop-

What, what, what, what.  

What, what, what, what.  

What, what, what, what….

Although, this is clearly where, where, where, Macklemore got his inspiration.

Warning: Language!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK8mJJJvaes

O, could this kiss be printed in thy hand,

 [Kisses his hand.

That thou mightiest think upon these by     the seal,

Through whom a thousand sighs are breath’d for thee!

-Queen Margaret

King Henry The Sixth Part II             Act III, scene ii, line 345

This is Suffolk and Queen Margaret saying goodbye to each other after the former has just been banished by Henry. Now I don’t know all the particulars of this play and the other two Henry The Sixes, but I do know that Suffolk is a bit of a weasel. And I’m not sure exactly how close Suffolk and the Queen, have actually gotten, but I’m pretty sure it's been more than just a little bit. 

Remember the old Groucho Marx line when Margaret Dumont tells him to hold her closer, and Groucho replies ‘If I was any closer I’d be behind you.’ Well, I think Suffolk has been behind the Queen, if you know what I mean. 

 

I thought this was a pretty cool picture. In it I'm standing behind my shadow. Of course, if I turned to face the other direction my shadow would be behind me. Either way, may shadow and I are pretty close. You might say we're inter-connected. Now, I'm not sure what that has to do with anything, but I still think it's a cool picture.

 

I have already deliver’d him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even so much, that joy could not show itself modest enough without a badge of bitterness.

-Messenger

Much Ado About Nothing                 Act I, scene i, line 20

Act one, scene one, line twenty. I feel like I should give you the whole first twenty lines so then you would know as much as I about this play so far. But no, I probably won’t do that.

The messenger is talking about a father that he had delivered a message to from his son. The son had been away at war, and the father was so happy to hear from him, and know that the son was alive, that he cried: joy could not show itself modest enough without a badge of bitterness. At least I think that’s what the badge of bitterness is.  

It’s funny, isn’t it, that crying is the default show of extreme emotion. I can laugh so hard that I cry. And I can be so happy about something that I will cry. And of course I can be sad enough or upset enough about something that I cry. 

People cry all the time at weddings, don't they? I think it's out of happiness. Or maybe bittersweet happiness?

 I'm crying with laughter right now looking at those goggles Dave is wearing.

 But mostly I'm crying looking at how skinny we all no longer are.