And now you are metamorphosed with a mistress, that, when I look on you, I can hardly think you my master.

 

-Speed

The Two Gentlemen of Verona       Act II Scene i, Line 31

Valentine (one of the two titular gentlemen) is talking to Speed, his right-hand man. Valentine asks Speed how he knows that Valentine is in love. Speed answers with a paragraph of reasons, ending with today’s Totally Random line. What’s that? You want to hear all the reasons that Speed has for knowing that Valentine is in love? Okay, here you go.

        Marry, by these special marks: first, you have learned, like Sir Proteus, to wreathe your arms, like a malcontent; to relish a love song, like a robin-redbreast; to walk alone, like one that had the pestilence; to sigh, like a school-boy that had lost his A B C; to weep, like a young wench that had buried her grandam; to fast, like one that takes diet; to watch, like one that fears robbing; to speak puling, like a beggar at Hallowmas. You were wont, when you laughed, to crow like a cock; when you walked, to walk like one of the lions; when you fasted, it was presently after dinner; when you looked sadly, it was for want of money: and now you are metamorphosed with a mistress, that, when I look on you, I can hardly think you my master.

There, how’s that? It’s not all particularly easy to grasp. But perhaps you get the idea? Remember that the first word there, marry, has nothing to do with weddings. In Will’s time marry is just a sort of meaningless exclamatory, intro word that is used all over the place. It doesn’t add any meaning to the sentence. The first part of the paragraph is a list of how Valentine is acting now. Then, after You were wont, Speed lists all the ways Valentine used to act, before he was in love. As you can see, there is a marked difference. Now, in love, he’s walking alone and weeping like a girl. Before he was in love, he walked proudly like a lion and crowed like a rooster when he laughed. Sounds about right? What do you think?

 

And here's how a lion walks. He's not overstating anything, but he definitely looks like he's pretty sure he owns the place. Is that what Speed was going for?

 

Come, come, what need you blush? Shame’s a baby.—Here she is now: swear the oaths now to her that you have sworn to me.  

 

-Pandarus

Troilus and Cressida      Act III Scene ii, Line 41

 

Pandarus is talking about his daughter Cressida to Troilus and telling the latter that he must profess his love to Cressida.

Shame’s a baby. That’s my takeaway for today. Think about it.

Anyway, here’s what Troilus said to Pandarus right before the latter speaks today’s Totally Random line. He’s talking about how much he loves Cressida.

 

Even such a passion doth embrace my bosom:

My heart beats thicker than a feverous pulse;

And all my powers do their bestowing lose,

Like vassalage at unaware encountering

The eye of majesty.

 

‘So tell my daughter that, you knucklehead!’ That’s what Pandarus is saying to Troilus. Of course, he says it a little differently because Will is putting the words in Pandarus's mouth, not Pete. I don't think I'd every come up with shame's a baby. 

Though I wish I could.

 

Thou shalt not be the worse for me: there’s gold.

 

-Duke of Ilyria

Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will          Act V Scene 1, Line 26

 

The duke is talking to Feste, the clown. Feste, who’s listed in the play simply as ‘clown’, is a typical Shakespearean clown in that he is no clown. That is to say, though he plays the fool, he is one of the wiser people in the play. This can be exemplified by the fact that he’s just managed to talk the duke out of some gold, without hardly trying. Oh, to be such a fool!

 

Come to think of it, I may not have people handing me gold, but, I do okay. Call me Feste if you like.

 

My dearest wife was like this maid, and such a one

My daughter might have been:

 

-Pericles

Pericles, Prince of Tyre         Act V Scene i, Line 106

 

Pretty straight forward. Pericles is seeing his daughter Marina as an adult for the first time. He doesn’t know yet that it’s his daughter, he thinks that both his wife and daughter are dead, and he makes this comment. Simple as that.

However, I found another line (it’s actually in the next scene) that I’d like to draw your attention to. Here’s Pericles talking about going to go get ready for his daughter’s wedding:

 

And what this fourteen years no razor touch’d,

To grace thy marriage-day, I’ll beautify.

 

He’s going to go beautify himself! I love it. I use that phrase all the time; had no idea I was quoting Shakespeare. Don’t believe me? Just ask Patrice. She’ll tell you.

Here's a pic of pre-beautified Pete. So you can see why I need to beautify.

 

Now, fair one, does your business follow us?

-King

All’s Well That Ends Well      Act II Scene i, Line 100

 

The king is speaking to Helena who has just walked into the king’s room in the palace. He’s just asking her what’s up, or what can we do for you? That’s an interesting way of putting things: does your business follow us.

Now, there’s a couple of ways of looking at Shakespeare’s use of language. One way, perhaps most prevalent in the student, is that it’s impossible to understand. And I can see how someone would feel that way. Does your business follow us: what does that even mean? But another way to look at Shakespeare’s language is to marvel at all the different, interesting, and beautiful ways he can say things. Now, is does your business follow us simply a common expression of Will’s times that he’s sharing with us? I don’t know. But whether he’s creating it, or just sharing it, I guess I would say that it doesn’t really matter to me. Either way, it’s an example of marvelous language that we wouldn’t otherwise have.

Having said all of that, I think we can also say that this is the crux of Will's works in toto. When reading or hearing Shakespeare, you simply must embrace the language. You can't hold it at arms- length and expect to get a full appreciation. You can't. Take it in. Immerse yourself and roll around in it. Surrender yourself to it. It's the only way you're ever going to fully appreciate Shakespeare. 

 

Yet you are curb’d from that enlargement by

The consequence o’the crown; and must not foil

The precious note of it with a base slave,

A hilding for a livery, a squire’s cloth,

A pantler, not so eminent.

 

-Cloten

Cymbeline                               Act II Scene iii, Line 125

 

Just to be clear who’s who: Cymbeline is the king. The queen (and she has no other name than ‘the queen’) is Cymbeline’s second wife (pretty sure the first one died). Imogen (and that’s who Cloten is talking to here) is Cymbeline’s daughter from his first queen, and Cloten is the current queen’s son from a previous marriage. So we’ve got the whole blended (or unblended) family thing going on here.

The current queen is trying to get Cloten married to his stepsister Imogen, just to make sure that her son Cloten will eventually become king. Meantime, Imogen has already got her guy, Posthumus Leonatus, and he’s not a royal. So that’s what Cloten is talking about here, telling Imogen that she can’t marry Posthumus because he’s a base slave. FYI, a hilding is a worthless individual, and a pantler is a servant  (and for the record, both those words are in the current online MW, though, to be fair, both are noted as being archaic).

Anyway and naturally, Posthumus is a pretty good guy, and Cloten is a creep. Furthermore, Imogen wants absolutely nothing to do with Cloten and tells him so. Good for her! However, Cloten doesn’t take rejection very well, and that might not be good for her.

So that’s where we’re at. Comments?

 

If she be.

Hold your peaces.

Good my lord,--

-Antigonus, Leontes, First Lord

The Winter’s Tale                   Act II Scene i, Line 138

 

Okay, the first part of today’s line is Antigonus talking about Hermione, Leontes’s wife. Leontes has just had his wife taken away for being unfaithful to him. Antigonus and this anonymous First Lord are trying to convince Leontes that he’s making a mistake. Antigonus says

For every inch of woman in the world,

Ay, every dram of woman’s flesh, is false,

If she be.

Leontes responds

Hold your peaces.

And the First Lord starts in

Good my lord,--

But then he is interrupted by Antigonus who goes on with his argument.

 

So there’s three different guys who make up today’s one Totally Random line. And this line, as well as the one preceding and following, are in iambic pentameter. That’s why these three guys are making up one line. Here’s these three lines written together, without breaking them up between the different speakers.

        Ay, every dram of woman’s flesh is false,

If she be. Hold your peaces. Good my lord,--

It is for you we speak, not for ourselves.

        

Da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum.

 

So, what do you think of that?

I couldn't find anything relevant today, so I'm giving you this. I'm not sure why it's so funny, but it made me laugh.