Where I have learn’d me to repent the sin

Of disobedient opposition

To you and your behests, and am enjoin’d

By holy Laurence to fall prostrate here,

And beg your pardon: pardon, I beseech you!

Henceforward I am ever ruled by you.

 

-Juliet

Romeo and Juliet            Act IV, Scene ii, Line 20

 

This is Juliet’s response to her father’s question, Where have you been gadding? Which naturally leads to our question, what the heck is gadding?

Well I looked in my Shakespeare app and there’s nothing for gad or gadding, but the online dictionary has it: go around from one place or another, in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment.

So that is supposedly a modern definition, and it appears to work perfectly. Okay then, there’s a word to add to our vocabulary. 

 

 

What's this a picture of, you ask? Well it's just my two Cordelias. We were gadding about the Tennessee state capital when we decided we needed a pic of this Geodesic Survey Marker. Go figure. 

 

To the celestial and my soul’s idol, the most beautified Ophelia,-

Doubt thou the stars are fire;

Doubt that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt I love.

O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers; I have not art to reckon my groans: but that I love thee best, O most best, believe it. Adieu.

Thine evermore, most dear lady, whilst this machine is to him,                

HAMLET

 

-Polonius reading Hamlet’s letter aloud to Gertrude

Hamlet                        Act II, Scene ii, Line 164

 

So, as it says, this is Hamlet’s letter to Ophelia. There’s a little bit of Gertrude and Polonius back and forth that interrupts some of the reading, but for the sake of clarity I’ve left that out and given you just the pure letter. And what do we think? Does it sound like a typical love letter? Does it sound like a love letter period?

My opinion? It’s about as cryptic as any of Hamlet’s words in this play. The little four line poem about doubts leaves off the word ‘you’ at the end, just to maintain a sense of, well, doubt. Though, to be fair, he’s pretty clear towards the end about loving her: but that I love thee best, O most best, believe it. And yet, he can’t resist the curveball with whilst this machine is to him. What the heck is that all about? What machine? The human body? Who’s him? God? No wait, him is Hamlet. He's speaking in third person and he's saying Thine evermore while this body is still mine, that is to say, while I still live.  Yeah, that’s probably right. I'm glad we got that settled. Machine indeed.

 

Now here's a machine. Whilst you may not think of an organ as a machine, take a look at the close-up below of one of the side panels...

 

This organ can re-create every sound from soup to nuts. It's a sound making machine!

 

 

His foes are so enrooted with his friends

That, plucking to unfix an enemy,

He doth unfasten so and shake a friend:

 

-Archbishop of York

The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth

Act IV, Scene i, Line 209

 

Okay, a lot going on. Let us give you a little bit of context.

The archbishop here is among the group that has rebelled against the crown. They are discussing amongst themselves whether or not it is worthwhile to go into battle against the king’s forces, or whether they should bother to parley with, and try to come to terms with, the king. Hastings says that any peace made will stand, and Mowbray says that’s not true and that the king will lash out at them again at the slightest provocation. The archbishop, agreeing with Hastings, has this to say to Mowbray:

No, no, my lord. Note this; the king is weary

Of dainty and such pricking grievances:

For he hath found to end one doubt by death

Revives two greater in the heirs of life,

Ant therefore will he wipe his tables clean

And keep no tell-tale to his memory

That may repeat and history his loss

To new remembrance; for full well he knows

He cannot so precisely weed this land

As his misdoubts present occasion:

His foes are so enrooted with his friends

That, plucking to unfix an enemy,

He doth unfasten so and shake a friend:

So that this land, like an offensive wife

That hath enraged him on to offer strokes,

As he is striking, holds his infant up

And hangs resolved correction in the arm

That was uprear’d to execution.

 

I particularly like the five lines that follow todays Totally Random lines and end the passage. …this land, like an offensive wife,/ that hath enraged him on to offer strokes,/ as he is striking, holds his infant up/ and hangs resolved correction in the arm/ that was uprear’d to execution.

I like the imagery- a wife, having poked the bear, is holding the baby up to protect herself. And I like the phraseology combined with imagery- hangs resolved correction in the arm.

It’s marvelous language, it’s timeless and timely, and it’s a part of the reason people fall in love with Shakespeare.

 

No pic today. The passage is too good. Spend the time you would have spent looking at the pic, by re-reading the passage. You can do it!