It were a tedious difficulty, I think,

To bring them to that prospect: damn them, then,

If ever mortal eyes do see them bolster

More than their own!

 

-Iago

Othello                            Act III, Scene iii, Line 398

 

Good ol’ honest Iago. He’s busy here stoking Othello’s jealousy. Othello talks about being satisfied; that is to say, given irrefutable proof of Desdemona’s infidelity.

 

Iago-        You would be satisfied?

Othello-   Would! Nay, I will.

Iago-        And may: but, how? How satisfied, my lord?

                Would you, the supervisor, grossly gape on,--

                Behold her topt?

Othello-                           Death and damnation! O!

Iago-        It were a tedious difficulty, I think,

To bring them to that prospect: damn them, then,

If ever mortal eyes do see them bolster

More than their own!

 

Good ol’ honest Iago, indeed!

There’s one of those Shakespearean words for you, topt, or topped. I think you should be able to glean the meaning from the context. Austin Powers might say shagged, but I’ve never heard topt before. Well, you learn something new every day.

Given the nature of today's subject matter, I thought it might be best to forego a pic for today.

 

 

 

        Go, and say

We purpose her no shame: give her what comforts

The quality of her passion shall require,

Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke

She do defeat us:

 

-Octavius Caesar

Antony and Cleopatra                    Act V, Scene i, Line 62

 

I guess you could say that Cleopatra does, in a way, defeat them by a mortal stroke; the mortal stroke being dealt to herself. I think they had hoped to parade her through Rome. That's not gonna happen.

BTW, I like the purpose her no shame. I'm sure we would say mean her no shame, but purpose her sounds so much cooler. Don't you agree?

Here you go. Today's pic is in no way relevant to Today's Totally Random Line. It is relevant, however, in that it is a pic of me (on the right) with my big sister Jean. Yesterday was Jeannie's birthday. I had meant to post this pic yesterday, but never got the post done. There you go Jean. I hope you had a great birthday!

 

You cannot call it love; for at your age

The hey-day in the blood is tame, it's humble,

And waits upon the judgment: and what judgment

Would step from this to this?

-Hamlet

Hamlet                            Act III, Scene iv, Line 70

 

Well hopefully you’re all familiar enough with the play to know that Hamlet is talking to his mother about her marriage to the brother of Hamlet’s dead father. There are pictures of the two men in Gertrude’s room where they are, and Hamlet is pointing to the pictures when he says from this to this. 

I like the line at your age the hey-day in the blood is tame. That’s a wonderful line. Nowadays we use hey-day by itself. When I was in my hey-day…. Like that. 

I guess we could get into a bit of a discussion about how it feels to get old and whether or not older people have tame hey-day in the blood, or not. How much about this did Will really understand, because he wasn't all that old when he wrote this. It would be an interesting thing to discuss, but best left to older people. So I'll pass on that for now. 

I had thought to give you a pic of me in my hey-day, but looking through my pics I came across this one. It's a pic from my hey-day all right, but not of me. These are my two best buds from my hey-day, and they're both gone now.

Hey-day. 

 

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?