Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

One way I like this well;

 

-Goneril

 King        Lear       Act IV, Scene ii, Line 84

 

Goneril [aside]

One way I like this well;

But being widow and my Gloster with her,

May all the building in my fancy pluck

Upon my hateful life: another way

The news is not so tart. –I’ll read and answer.    

                                                        [Exits]

 

Goneril has just learned that Gloster had his eyes gouged out by her sister and her sister’s husband, Cornwall, but that Cornwall has been killed in the process. This is what she’s saying to herself:

On the one hand this may be good news, but now my sister is a widow and she’s going to be alone with Edmund. This could ruin my plans. On the other hand, this news is not bad.

She’s a schemer, and she wants Edmund for herself. I'm not sure exactly what she's thinking is the good news here, but she’s definitely hatching some plan. And you can bet she's up to no good.

Two Cordelias: No Goneril. No Regan.

One way I like this well. Actually, I don't see a downside, so no matter which way I look at it, I like this well. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

I’ll bring my action on the proudest he

That stops my way in Padua.

 

-Petruchio

 The Taming of the Shrew                Act III, Scene ii, Line 231

 

This is, of course, our friend Petruchio telling everyone to stand back. He’s just married Kate and now he’s decided that he and Kate are leaving. No, they won’t be staying for the wedding feast even though they are the bride and groom. Most of the group, including Kate, are protesting, but Petruchio is insisting. He is a very insistent fellow. In the end, the two of them leave, and no one tries to stop them.

 

Perhaps we should call this guy Petruchio. I'm pretty sure no one's going to try to stop him, whether he's leaving or staying. He's like Petruchio: he pretty much does what he wants. 

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

Be not acknown on’t; I have use for it.

Go, leave me.

 

-Iago

Othello                            Act III, Scene iii, Line 319

 

Now, knowing what we know about this play, what do you suppose is the it that Iago is referring to as he talks to Emelia here? Well? Of course: it’s that stupid handkerchief! Yes, that’s right, the hanky that Othello originally gave to Desdemona, and the hanky that Iago is going to get into the hands of Michael Cassio in order to prove to Othello that his wife is having an affair. Yes, that hanky!

Jeez, how did you not know that?

Here's a pic of what has pretty much replaced hankies in today's world. But it would be pretty hard to imagine Othello giving a special box of kleenex to Desdemona. And can you imagine that scene yet to come, where Othello keeps repeating The handkerchief! I think it would lose a little cache if he were yelling The box of kleenex damnit, the box of kleenex! It's just not the same.

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

Here’s Decius Brutus, he shall tell them so.

 

-Julius Caesar

 Julius Caesar                      Act II, Scene ii, Line 56

 

Tell what to whom? Tell the senate that I’m not coming today. Decius Brutus will tell the senate that Caesar is staying home today. But why? Because his wife says so. Well, not exactly, but sort of. Calpurnia’s had all sorts of bad dreams about Caesar meeting his end today. And now the priests are also advising Caesar to stay home. And so, he’s decided that is what he will do: stay home.

But wait! Decius Brutus has other ideas and convinces Caesar to go. Well, I guess this is one time that Caesar should have listened to his wife. Ain’t that a real boot in the shorts.

Okay then, here's my Calpurnia, and my young associate's mother. Do we always listen to her? Well, I pretty much do. Do we always do what she says? Actually, on vacation, like here, we usually do, because she does all the planning and she's a pretty good planner. At home, on a day-to-day basis, do we do what she tells us to do? Um....let's just say, not always. Et tu Brute?

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

  

His father and I were soldiers together; to whom I have often been bound for no less than my life.

-Philario

Cymbeline                       Act I, Scene iv, Line 25

 

Okay, there’s a bunch of guys here, and they’re talking about Posthumus, who’s not there. The scene setting is

Rome.      PHILARIO’S house.

Enter   PHILARIO, IACHIMO, a  FRENCHMAN, a  DUTCHMAN, and a  SPANIARD.

Sort of sounds like the setup for an old joke. You know, the kind of joke you could tell before you had to worry that someone was going to be offended. Oh, I know – this woke thing has its place, and we should be worrying about how people feel. It does seem to me, though, that there has to be a way to find a better balance between caring about people and, well, caring about people so much that whatever we say has to take into the accounts the feeling of every human on earth. Wait, does that make sense? I don’t know. I just know it’s complicated. Something to think about, I guess.

So I’m not sure how I got on to that subject when I started with His father and I were soldiers… Oh well, moving on to the day.

I'm not sure what exactly my day is today, so no pic for now. Sorry

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

Y’are welcome, gentlemen.

 

-Countess

All’s Well That Ends Well              Act III, Scene ii, Line 93

 

Will loves his contractions, doesn’t he? As soon as I read this one, I immediately thought of Y’all are welcome. That there would be a Tennessee Y’are welcome. But today’s line is not a Tennessee welcome, it’s just Will combining you and are into y’are. I guess it’s for the metric flow? Whilst it’s not five feet, it is iambic, which it wouldn’t be with You are welcome gentlemen. Right?

Perhaps I’ll see if I can’t use y’are sometime today. I’ll let y’all know how I make out.

 

 Nah, no pic today. Sorry y'all, but I hope y'are not too disappointed.

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

 I’the mire.

-Earl of Kent

King Lear                         Act II, Scene ii, Line 4

 

This is Kent’s answer to Oswald’s question Where may we set our horses? Obviously, it’s not a very gracious reply. No, not at all. This begins Kent’s tirade against Oswald. He has reason for it, though Oswald is completely unaware of what that reason is or even who Kent is. But I’ll tell you who he is.

Kent, who is the most loyal follower of Lear, was with the King a few scenes back when Oswald disrespected Lear. Kent came to Lear’s side and gave Oswald a smack and sent him on his way. However, in the scene we’re looking at today Oswald does not remember or recognize Kent, and he has no idea why Kent is verbally abusing him; and Kent’s just getting warmed up. A few lines further on he goes into an unbroken eleven line slamfest of Oswald. The latter gives him an opening when he asks What dost thou know me for? And Kent lets loose

        A knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound, filthy worsted-stocking knave;

And it goes on and on – lily-livered…son and heir of a mongrel bitch… You get the idea. It’s a really good rant, but I’m not going to type the whole thing out here. Instead, I’ll make it easier on me and you, and give you a more current, clearly Shakespearean inspired version of Kent's rave.

 (186) Clark Griswold's Holiday Rant - YouTube