Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

 Make that demand to the Creator. It suffices me thou art.

 

-Thersites

Troilus and Cressida              Act II, Scene iii, Line 68

 

I’m not sure what they were discussing, but Thersites suddenly decides that pretty much everyone, including himself, a fool.

        Agamemnon is a fool to offer to command Achilles;

        Achilles is a fool to be commanded of Agamemnon;

        Thersites is a fool to serve such a fool, and

        Patroclus is a fool positive.

To which Patroclus replies,

Why am I a fool?

And that’s where Thersites comes in with Today’s Totally Random Line,

        Make that demand to the Creator. It suffices me thou art.

Sounds like Thersites is fed up with the whole lot and Patroclus is just collateral damage. But what do I know? At least we’ve moved on from eyes!

Two heavy thinkers in Barren Plains.

Another one of those pics that just showed up, all on its own. Sort of. 

No, it's got no relevance. But I couldn't go three days in a row without a pic. Could I?

 Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

  

O your sweet queen!

That the strict fates had pleas’d you had brought her hither

To have blest mine eyes with her!

 

-Dionyza

Pericles                   Act III, Scene iii, Line 8

 

Pericles is leaving his infant daughter with King Cleon and his wife Dionyza whilst he goes off on more adventures. They promise to care for her as if she were their own, Dionyza declaring how blest her eyes are just to have seen the baby. But of course, it’s not going to work out quite as well as Pericles may have hoped for.

This is one of Will’s plays that doesn’t really fit into the Comedy or Drama category. It’s mostly an adventure with a little romance, and it’s got a happy ending. This play wasn’t included in the First Folio, where all the plays were categorized as Comedy, History, or Drama. I believe the Shakespeare scholars already have a fourth category that they use. I’ve heard the term Problem Plays, and also Romance Plays.

I’m not sure either of these works for Pericles. Perhaps we’ll have to come up with our own category name. Pericles starts with incest, includes betrayal and adventure, and has a happy ending. Anyone? I’m open to suggestions.

Okay, so yesterday it was wagging eyelids, and today it's blest eyes. Seems like the eyes have it. And yet, I've got no good eye pics. I promise, if there's eyes again tomorrow we'll have a pic. 

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

 Good my lord, be quiet.

 

-Horatio

Hamlet                    Act V, Scene i, Line 272

  

Laertes and Hamlet are fighting and arguing in Ophelia’s grave and everyone is trying to get them to stop. Horatio, Hamlets best bud, is the last one to speak before the two separate and climb out of the grave. Then Hamlet says

        Why, I will fight with him upon this theme

        Until my eyelids will no longer wag.

That’s right, until his eyelids will no longer wag. One more time, until those eyelids stop wagging.

I’m just having a really hard time with that visual: wagging eyelids. How about you?

Well, I've heard of tongues wagging, and there's wagging tails. But wagging eyelids? I just couldn't come up with pic of wagging eyelids. Sorry, no pic today. 

 

1/28/23

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

                                     O Griffith, sick to death!

My legs, like loaden branches, bow to the earth,

Willing to leave their burden. Reach a chair:-

  

-Katherine

 King Henry the Eighth          Act IV, Scene ii, Line 3

 

 

The Queen is replying to Griffith’s query, How does your Grace? Apparently, her Grace does not so well.

I guess we all have those sort of days, don’t we?

I'm not sure this helps, but at the very least, it's an interesting idea. And I thought those Chinese folks were all about the tea?

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

 He is a man, setting his faults aside,

Of comely virtue.

  

-Alcibiades

Timon of Athens                    Act III, Scene v, Line 15

 

Unfortunately, the fault that needs to be set aside is murder. The man, whose name we never learn, killed someone, apparently in a drunken brawl. He is a soldier and Alcibiades, his captain, has come to plead his case in front of the senate. Ultimately, the senate banishes Alcibiades for his efforts.

This scene reminds me of The Merchant of Venice and of Coriolanus; the former for its talk of pity (mercy), and the latter for the way Alcibiades gets banished and immediately begins plans to revenge his banishment by coming back to attack the city.

It’s a good scene and, whilst it fits in perfectly with the play (of course it does), it also stands on its own. It’s worth a read, in that there are some really meaty propositions put forth in it that are food for thought and prime for further discussion (I think I just made myself hungry). The meatiest one is the idea of the acceptance of murder in war vs the unacceptability of murder in peacetime. Perhaps that’s an oversimplification, but there is a valid question buried in there. If nothing else, Will’s gonna make you think. And thinking is a good thing. We should all spend a little more time thinking and a little less time just being entertained.

What do you think of that?

'And what,' I can hear you saying, 'do we have here? It looks like a slightly blurry, poorly taken picture of your IPhone, Pete. Surely this must be a mistake?'

No, my friend, it is not. It is indeed a slightly blurry, poorly taken picture of my IPhone. Why?

 BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE YOU ALL TO GET OFF YOUR DAMNED PHONES AND DO SOME THINKING!!!!

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

  

A damned saint!, an honourable villain!—

  

-Juliet

 Romeo and Juliet                           Act III, Scene ii, Line 76

 

Juliet just found out from her nurse that Romeo has killed her cousin Tybalt. So she goes into a rant where she comes up with a whole bunch of opposites that Romeo is. Beautiful tyrant! Fiend angelical! etc, etc. At this point she loves him, but also hates him for killing her cousin. Is that true? Does she hate him? I’m not so sure about that.

I guess Prof. Johnston would take this opportunity to point out the theme of opposites in this play: two lovers from opposite sides of the tracks for starters. And you can take it from there.

Go ahead!

How about these two? Are they opposites? And do opposites attract?

You tell me. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

  

Arm me, audacity, from head to foot!

-Iachimo

Cymbeline                      Act I, Scene vi, Line 19

 

Here’s Iachimo’s full seven lines.

All of her that is out of door most rich!

If she be furnish with a mind so rare,

She is alone the Arabian bird; and I

Have lost the wager. Boldness be my friend!

Arm me, audacity, from head to foot!

Or, like the Parthian, I shall flying fight;

Rather, directly fly.

 

So, a little context: This is Iachamo talking to himself when he first sets eyes on Imogen. A bit earlier in the play Iachamo was talking to Imogen’s husband, Posthumus Leonatus, in Italy. Posthumus was bragging about the beauty and the fidelity of his wife back home in Britain. Iachimo, having never met Imogen, claimed that on his upcoming travels to Britain he would easily be able to sleep with Imogen. So, being the sensible husband (sarcasm), Posthumus made a wager out of it.

Now Iachimo is in Britain meeting Imogen for the first time. He’s remarking to himself what a beauty Imogen is and realizing that bedding her is not going to be easy.

I think when he say’s out of door, he’s talking about her outsides, her appearance. The Arabian bird is a reference to the Phoenix, a rare and precious bird. And the Parthian were a cavalry famous for turning in the saddle as they retreated, shooting arrows at their enemy (Asimov’s Guide To Shakespeare, of course).

There, now you know as much about these lines as I do; which, let’s face it, isn’t all that much.

But how about we go back to Today’s Totally Random Line, 

Arm me, audacity, from head to foot! 

Not bad. And eminently useful if, like me, you tend to talk to yourself as Iachimo is doing here. In his case he’s being quite audacious in that his intent is to bed this married woman. But audacious behavior can be good behavior too. Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks - that’s MW’s online definition, and it talks about bold risks, not the intent behind taking them.

There are lots of times when audacity can be our friend: when we’re afraid to ask that girl out, when we’re nervous about asking for that raise. There are a million examples like that, when saying to yourself Arm me, audacity, from head to foot!  can be a good thing to say to yourself.

Of course, if you’re going to say this to yourself, well then you’ve got to listen yourself too!

 

Arm me, audacity, from head to foot!

As is often the case, I was about to give up on finding a pic for today. Then, like mana from heaven...well, here you go. If that's not an audacious choice of sport coat I'm wearing on the right, then I don't know what is. 

Thanks Jim!