Then, I am sure, you know how much the gross sum of deuce-ace amounts to.

 

-Moth

Love’s Labour’s Lost              Act I, Scene ii, Line 44

Wordplay. Well, I suppose you could argue that Will’s works in their entirety are all wordplay? No, let’s not go down that road. But today’s selection, and indeed most of this scene is a bunch of wordplay. Anyway, the answer is It doth amount to one more than two.

This is Armado talking to his page named Moth. Armado is listed as a fantastical Spaniard and in this scene he and his page are talking a lot about nothing and using a lot of puns and other nonsense to create what should amount to, when presented on the stage, comedy. These two don’t have much to do with the main plot of this play; they’re just there to be funny. And they are. I listened to this scene this morning, and it’s pretty funny when you hear it (more so, I imagine when you see it). I’m not sure you would get that from reading this script, but it is. I guess you’ll have to take my word for it.

I think if I had to say which of my siblings seemed to be playing the comedy part in the script of my early life, it would be the guy here in the baggy checkered pants. And he played the part quite well.

 

Truly, I would not hang a dog by my will, much more a man who hath any honesty in him.

 

-Dogberry

Much Ado About Nothing               Act III, Scene iii, Line 64

I quite literally don’t know what to say about this line. Context? Forget about it; I got nothing. The speaker? I like the name, but that’s about all I’ve got on that subject. Perhaps we just take the line as it is and look at the words, forgetting about the play.

Oh wait, Dogberry is talking about dogs. I like that. How about we just end with that and keep it short and sweet for today.

Speaking of sweet; I decided to go down to the vending machine for a snickers bar. I loaded up the change I had in my desk drawer and when I got down there I realized that one of the coins that I thought was a dime was actually an Australian five something or other. Luckily I had a little more than I needed because I'm pretty sure the machine wouldn't have taken this. Now, how I ended up with an Australian coin is beyond me. I've traveled a bit, but never down under. Anyway, now that you know where the coin is from, you should be able to figure out what the picture is of on the coin. Hint: it's not a dog (or a dingo). 

 

            Alas, she has no speech.

 -Desdemona

Othello                            Act II, Scene i, Line 103

Sometimes when I read Will’s stuff I feel like his writing is so far beyond my ability to understand all that’s packed in there. If you haven’t spent some time with his works, you probably can’t fully appreciate what it is that I’m talking about. On the other hand, if you have spent some time with it, you’d probably be nodding your head right now in understanding of what I’m saying. Anyway…

Today’s line is part of a conversation that’s going on between Cassio, Emilia, Desdemona, and Iago. I read part of it this morning so far, and the truth is that I don’t have the time this morning to spend with it that I would like to. Ahhh, how can that be. What could be more important that this? And it’s only one page. The problem is that there’s so much packed into that one page, and I feel like I’d need to see everything that he put there, if that’s even humanly possible. 

You know, it’s becoming more and more obvious to me what a genius, if that’s even the right word, Will was. Again, there are people out there who know what I’m talking about, and there are those who don’t. 

I think that most would say that I’m obsessed,

But some, who know, would know that I am blessed.

Oi, now I'm ending my blogpost with a rhyming couplet? Have I been doing this blog too long? Is it starting to affect me? 

Nah, that can't be.

 

 

O, mickle is the powerful grace that lies

In herbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities:

For not so vile that on the earth doth live,

But to the earth some special good doth give;

Nor aught so good, but, strain’d from that fair use,

Revolts from true birth, stumbling on abuse:

Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied;

And vice sometime’s by action dignified.

 

-Friar Laurence

Romeo and Juliet            Act II, Scene ii, Line 19

Well that’s eight long lines that I gave you there, isn’t it. Too much? Oh, I don’t think so. Mickle, by the way, whether you look up the current or old usage, means great, much, or large.

There’s just so much to talk about, and what a great scene! It’s less than a hundred lines, but it’s packed with good stuff. Today’s lines come from the opening of the scene where Friar Laurence is alone in the garden, gathering plants and reflecting on life. It’s thirty lines of reflection that we’ve looked at before, but is most assuredly worth looking at again.  

The eight lines we have today speak about the powers and qualities of plants (and stones?), but it’s for certain that these observations are meant to be applicable to men and women as well: Goodness itself can be a bad thing, and badness at times good.

This takes some thinking about, don’t it?

Here's a pretty good example, something to consider: Frodo and Gollum. 

Give it some thought.

 

I’ll show you how t’observe a strange event.

Your lord sends now for money.

 

-Titus

Timon of Athens              Act III, Scene iv, Line 18

Titus is one of several servants waiting to talk to Timon. They are all servants of Timon’s friends who have come to collect money that Timon borrowed. Timon is hiding inside his house because he is broke and has no money to pay them. These fellows know that. One says

        ‘Tis deepest winter in Lord Timon’s purse;

        That is, one may reach deep enough, and yet

        Find little.

But when Titus talks about a strange event in Today’s Totally Random Line he is alluding to the fact that Hortensius, one of the other fellows there, is looking to collect a debt for his lord, whilst his lord wears jewelry that Timon gave him.

That’s the story of Timon of Athens: Timon is generous to a fault to all his friends. In the process of being so generous, he borrows from some of his friends, and now they don’t care about his generosity, they just want their money back. Great friends, eh?

When will people learn that there are things in life more important than money. Well, okay, some of them do cost a little bit of money, but you get the picture.

 

The exile of her minion is too new;

 

-Cymbeline

Cymbeline                       Act II, Scene iii, Line 45

Cymbeline is talking to Cloten, his stepson, about his daughter Imogen, and no, Imogen did not have a little yellow guy in overalls (though that is pretty funny to imagine that she did). In this context, minion means darling, favourite, or select one (this is before Disney got a hold of the word), and it refers to Imogen’s huband Posthumus. Imogen has married Posthumus, a fellow that her father didn’t select, so Posthumus has been banished. Meanwhile Cloten, Imogen’s stepbrother and all around ne’er-do-well, is working on nabbing Imogen for himself. Not gonna happen.

Here's a pic of Patrice with two of her minions. It's early in the day, so they haven't gotten into their blue overalls yet. As you can see, they're intent on helping her out with drinking her coffee. Very helpful the minions can be.

 

Dost thou believe, Orlando, that the boy

Can do all this that he hath promised?

 

-Duke Senior

As You Like It                 Act V, Scene iv, Line 1

I like Orlando’s answer, probably more so than the question. 

 I sometimes do believe, and sometimes do not;

As those that fear they hope, and know they fear. 

What do you think of that? Actually, that does take a little bit of thought, doesn’t it? Well then, I suppose we should meditate on it.

This boy promised that he could get enough height on this watermelon toss and I did believe him. I had no fear that he could do it.