I know not, Menas,

How lesser enmities may give way to greater.

Were’t not that we stand up against them all,

‘Twere pregnant they should square between themselves;

For they have entertained cause enough

To draw their swords: but how the fear of us

May cement their division, and bind up

The petty difference, we yet not know.

Be’t as our gods will have’t! It only stands

Our lives upon to use our strongest hands.

Come, Menas.

-Pompey

 Antony and Cleopatra            Act II, Scene i, Line 49

If I’m not mistaken, Pompey is going to be facing a military force made up of the alliance of Octavius Caesar, Antony, and Lepidus. Menas has just remarked to Pompey that Caesar and Antony have reason to be fighting with each other, and today’s Totally Random line is Pompey’s reply. In other words, Pompey is saying  we can’t count on them beating themselves; we’ll have to do our best to beat them.

I guess that’s pretty sound counsel, isn't it? And it can apply to anything, not just battles against other people. We all fight battles every day, often with situations and such. And sometimes situations change, and problems resolve themselves. But if and when that will happen we yet not know. So in the meantime it's best to face those situations using our strongest hands. In fact, our lives really do stand upon using our strongest hands. 

I'm supposed to be using this Resist-A-Band for PT exercises for my bad shoulder, but I"m not. And in fact, there's a bunch of stuff I should be doing, concerning my health, that I'm not doing a very good job at. The truth is that I should be taking Pompey's advice and using my strongest hands to get this stuff done, because my life really does stand on it. And this stuff has been at the very forefront of my thoughts lately.

It's amazing how we manage to find relevance in these Totally Random lines, isn't it?

 

Welcome, my gracious lord: welcome, dread queen;

Welocome, ye warlike Goths; welcome, Lucius;

And welcome, all: although the cheer be poor,

‘Twill fill your stomachs; please you eat of it.

 

-Titus

 Titus Andronicus             Act V, Scene iii, Line 28

 

I’m really not sure where this play came from. Will must certainly have had a darker side. Today’s Totally Random lines precedes a bloodbath that’s about to take place. Before that, though, Titus’s guests are going to be eating the meal served, which contains, unbeknownst to them, the flesh of the dread queen’s two sons who were murdered in a previous scene. It's not a pretty picture.

Perhaps we should be getting Titus his own commemorative postage stamp?

I am invited, sir, to certain merchants,

Of whom I hope to make much benefit;

I crave your pardon.

 

-First Merchant

 

The Comedy of Errors    Act I, Scene ii, Line 24

 

Scene one was Ageon, the father of the Antipholus twins, giving us all the backstory (which I assume you are familiar with by now since you read this blog regularly). So that when we meet Antipholus of Syracuse talking to the First Merchant here in scene two, we pretty much have a sense of what’s going on. And since Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse have just arrived in Ephesus the first case of mistaken identity has yet to happen. The merchant is telling Antipholus that he has to leave, and leave he does. As soon as he does, Dromio of Ephesus will show up, assume that he has found Antipholus of Ephesus, and the fun begins.

And here are the Antipholuses of pencils. They look identical, don't they? Well, they're not. The Staedtler Wopex on the bottom has a thin, rubbery coating that makes it very nice to grip. The one on top does not. They are two different issues of the Staedtleer Wopex that look the same, but in reality are quite different. And yes, they are very easily mistaken for one another!

 

Will you go hear this news, signior?

 -Beatrice

 Much Ado About Nothing              Act V, Scene ii, Line 98

 

Ursula has just rushed in on Beatrice and Benedick with news for Beatrice (something about her uncle, and Hero, and the Prince, and others) and wants her to come with her to go see what’s going on. Beatrice turns to Benedick with today’s Totally Random line and Benedick replies

         I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes; and moreover I will go with thee to thy uncles.

 So, he couldn’t just say, yes, I’ll go to your uncles with you. Leave it to Will, only Will, to say yes in such a manner as this.

 End scene.

 

 

Here's three different versions of the Seuss Oh, the Places You'll Go pencil. Now we know where Beatrice and Benedick are going; they're going to go hear the news. 

So, where are you going to go?

 

 

You are retired,

As if you were a feasted one, and not

The hostess of the meeting: pray you, bid

These unknown friends to’s welcome; for it is

A way to make us better friends, more known.

 -Shepherd

 The Winter’s Tale           Act IV, Scene iii, Line 65

 

This is the shepherd, Perdita’s adopted father, talking to Perdita. There are a bunch of people that have shown up at their cottage and the shepherd is telling his daughter to get moving and be a good hostess, and make them welcome. He starts this section by talking about his wife, and what she would do when she was alive.

 

        Fie, daughter! When my old wife lived, upon

        This day she was both pantler, butler, cook;

        Both dame and servant; welcomed all; served all;

        Would sing her song and dance her turn; now here,

        At upper end o’the table, now i’the middle;

        On his shoulder, and his; her face o’fire

        With labour, and the thing she took to quench it,

        She would to each one sip. You are retired….

I’m not sure exactly what strikes my fancy so, but I like that little passage about what his wife used to do: apparently pretty much everything. And she certainly seemed like a happy hostess.

It seems to me that being a good hostess, or host, is a real talent. I suppose it can be nature, nurture, or a combination, but some people have it and some people don’t. I’ll put myself in the don’t category.

How about MaryAlice Scott? I wonder if she's a good hostess. I really don't know anything about her, other than the fact that she's the oldest with shortest hair, and that's not a lot to go on. So I guess we'll never know if she's a good hostess or not. Oh well. If you're out there MaryAlice you can let us know.

 

Naught rests for me, in this tumultuous strife,

But to make open proclamation:-

Come, officer; as loud as e’er thou canst.

-Mayor of London

 King Henry the Sixth Part I            Act I, Scene iii, Line 107

The Mayor of London has some fairly weighty powers. He’s reading the riot act (pretty much literally) to the Duke of Gloster and the Bishop of Winchester, two guys who are not exactly lightweights. And he’s doing it quite effectively. Yes sir, Mr. Mayor!

This little guy (an old pic; he's not so little any more) is going off to college today, and that's got me a little down in the dumps. Perhaps I need Mr. Mayor to read me the riot act and tell me to buck up!

 

Nay,‘tis most credible; we here receive it

A certainty, voucht from our cousin Austia,

With caution, that the Florentine will move us

For speedy aid; wherein our dearest friend

Prejudicates the business, and would seem

To have us make denial.

 

-King

 

All’s Well That Ends Wel               Act I, Scene ii, Line 8

 

What’s most credible? It’s that the Florentines and the Senoys are continuing a war, and apparently the king’s friend, Austria, is warning the king that the Florentines will be looking to him for aid, and he should not give it. How about that?

Now, how about this word, prejudicates. Austria (in this case a person, not a country) prejudicates the business. Are you familiar with the word. It’s not commonly used. In fact, Word gives it a red underlining, and you know what that means. It looks a lot like prejudice which is a pretty common word. And, in fact, this is a verb form of pretty much the same meaning (I looked it up). It means to form a judgment prematurely, or on the basis of incomplete or imperfect evidence; in other words, to be prejudicial.

I think it’s a good word. That's right, it's worthy of getting more use. Now please don’t prejudicate me on that notion. Give it some thought; don’t form a premature judgement, okay? It's rarely, if ever, a good idea to prejudicate.

This here is my new little friend that I went to visit last week (and the main reason I've not posted in over a week). She's cute as a button; a beautiful little girl. She's also half Asian (an asset, if you ask me), and looks it. I pray to God that no one ever prejudicates her based on that fact.