Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I accuse them not.

 

Marina

Pericles                   Act IV, Scene ii, Line 70

For the second day in a row we’re in a spot that we’ve covered in a previous post, but since we didn’t touch on this particular line, we’ll carry on today.

So, Marina’s just been sold into a whorehouse. First, she laments, wishing that the pirates had thrown her overboard instead of saving her. Then she’s wishing that she wasn’t pretty, with the woman in charge of the bordello agreeing she is, saying, the gods have done their part in you. That’s where Marina replies with today’s line. She’s not blaming the gods for anything, and that’s probably a smart thing to do.

It's interesting that this scene is made up of a bunch of different bordello characters and Marina. All the bordello people's lines are written in prose, but Marina's are written in blank verse. 

Well, it's a little bit interesting. 

I think that's all I can come up with today.

Would you care to guess what this is a picture of?

It's the inside of a birdhouse. 

Nope, it has nothing to do with nothing. And you know what will come of nothing. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

You are right, justice, and you weigh this well;

Therefore still bear the balance and the sword:

And I do wish your honours may increase,

Till you do live to see a son of m ine

Offend you, and obey you, as I did.

 

 

Henry the Fifth

 

King Henry the Fourth Part II       Act V, Scene ii, Line 106

Well, we covered this part of this scene fairly well in September 2019. Here’s the link where you can take a look at that post.  Totally Random Daily Shakespeare   

In fact, I just read that post and it explains everything quite well. So I’ll suggest that you read that post, and I’ll take the rest of the day off.

Cheers!

No pic. Didn't you hear? I'm taking the rest of the day off.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

So great a weight in his lightness. If he fill’d

 

 

Octavius Caesar

Antony and Cleopatra       Act I, Scene iv, Line 25

Okay, so what the heck is this? This, my friend is the 37^th line of print on page 929 of my book. It is line 25, of scene four in the first act of Antony and Cleopatra.

Now, this is a perfect example of what I deal with in this Totally Random Daily Line nonsense. Today’s line has the end of one sentence and the beginning of another. The sentence ending with So great… begins on the 27^th line of print. The sentence beginning with If he filled ends on 45^th line of print. There are 18 lines in this response of Octavius to Lepidus. Those 18 lines are comprised of 3 sentences. The first is You are too indulgent. The other 2 make up the rest of the response. They are peppered with semi-colons and dashes, and they intersect on the 37^th line of print.

So, what to do? Well, first I’m going to give you background and context, and then I’m going to summarize. Then I'll give you the full passage. Finally, I’ll give you a picture that will hopefully wake you up, because you’ll definitely be asleep by the time you finish reading this.

Rome is being ruled by a triumvirate: Octavius (Caesar’s pick), Lepidus (some old dude), and Antony (smooth talker). Antony has been in Egypt for a while having a good time with Cleopatra (that’s what smooth talking can get you). Octavius and Lepidus are in Rome in this scene discussing Antony. Octavius begins by pointing out that Antony is in Alexandria whooping it up, giving no thought to these two guys back in Rome doing all the work. Lepidus points out that Antony’s got good qualities too, and Octavius responds with today’s three sentence speech. 1. You, Lepidus, give him too much credit. 2. There’s nothing wrong with having a good time, if that’s what he enjoys doing, but we can’t excuse these excesses when we’re stuck here doing all the work in his absence. 3. If he did something (I can’t figure out what) we’d call him out on it, but to do something else (I can’t figure out what), well then he deserves to be scolded as we would scold boys who act poorly when they should know better.

Yes, that’s right, I can’t figure out exactly what Octavius is saying. Get over it. 

Now, I had originally thought to give you the whole speech by Octavius here. Yes, I can hear you from here – “Don’t bother!” But now that I’ve given you (mostly) the Pete Version, well, here goes anyway. Since you know the meaning (or most of it), read the passage and see if it doesn’t make some sense for you. Go ahead, it won’t kill you.

You are too indulgent. Let us grant, it is not

Amiss to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy;

To give a kingdom for a mirth; to sit

And keep the turn of tippling with a slave;

To reel the streets and noon, and stand the buffet

With knaves that smell of sweat: say this becomes him,-

As his composure must be rare indeed

Whom these things cannot blemish,- yet must Antony

No way excuse his soils, when we do bear

So great weight in his lightness. If he fill’d

His vacancy with his voluptuousness,

Full surfeits, and the dryness of his bones,

Call on him for’t: but to confound such time,

That drums him from his sport, and speaks as loud

As his own state and ours, - ‘tis to be chid

As we rate boys, who, being mature in knowledge,

Pawn their experience to their present pleasure,

And so rebel to judgement.

 

There: three periods - three sentences. I guess it’s fair to say that the second and third sentences would qualify as run-on sentences, but who am I to question Will.

So then, anyone care to take a crack at If he fill’d….his own state and ours? No? I can’t say I blame you.

Okay, here's your wake up picture.

Awake?

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

A withered hermit, five-score winters worn,

      Might shake off fifty, looking in her eye:

Beauty doth varnish age, as if new-born,

      And gives the crutch the cradle’s infancy:

O, ‘tis the sun that makes all things shine.

 

 

Berowne

Love’s Labour’s Lost       Act IV, Scene iii, Line 239

This is the scene where the four guys all confess to breaking their oath to stay away from women. Berowne is describing the beauty of Rosaline in today’s lines. I like these lines. A hermit one hundred years old would turn fifty just by looking at her beauty. Beauty gives old age the look of youth
Beauty doth varnish age, as if new-born,
  And gives the crutch the cradles infancy.

Perhaps a little too much credit give to beauty? Something to think about.

Certainly, some very good lines for today, no matter how you choose to take them.

Beauty

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

What is the matter,

That being past for consul with full voice,

I am so dishonour’d, that the very hour

You take it off again?

 

Caius Marcius Coriolanus

Coriolanus       Act III, Scene iii, Line 99

Ahhh, Coriolanus. What a great play.

This is the scene where the people are going to banish Coriolanus from Rome. Today’s lines are a little hard to understand, but basically he’s asking what is the matter? Why, he says, on the same day that you voted no (you passed me up) to me being  consul (consul is the head of state), and now you’re dishonoring me as you take it off again. I’m not exactly sure what those last words mean, but it’s something to do with the fact that hours ago he was good enough to be voted on for consul, and now he’s good for nothing.

Ain’t that the truth. Zero to hero in minutes, and then right back to where you started faster than you can say Bob’s your uncle.

Anyway, it goes from bad to worse after this. They accuse him of being a traitor and Coriolanus completely loses it. The fires in the lowest hell fold-in the people, he seethes. And he’s just getting warmed up.

So, as noted, by the end of the scene Coriolanus is banished. And that’s not going to work out well for anyone, is it?

 

Well, I couldn't find a picture of Uncle Bob (the fact that I don't know any Uncle Bobs probably had something to do with that), but here's the next best thing. It's a pic of Caleb (aka Karl), with his Uncle Pete. Yes, that's me. Yes, it's a very old picture. Yes, I'm now grayer and fatter, but I'm still Uncle Pete. And for the record, I haven't been banished yet. Unless you count...nah, let's not count that. 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Are you not Signior Benedick?

 

Don Juan

Much Ado About Nothing                  Act II, Scene i, Line 153

 

And the answer?

You know me well, I am.

And there you have it: question answered. Isn't it nice when we get nice simple questions that have nice simple answers. Life would be grand with more of these.

Is this me standing in front of a tower made up of naked people? 

Why, yes, it is actually. 

Simple question. 

Simple answer.

Life is grand.

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

True; who bears hard

His brother’s death at Bristol, the Lord Scroop.
I speak not this in estimation,
As what I think might be, but what I know
Is ruminated, plotted, and set down,

And only stays but to behold the face

Of that ovation that shall bring it on

 

Worcester

King Henry the Fourth Part I       Act I, Scene iii, Line 282

Before I forget - Lord Scroop, what a great name! But let’s not spend time on that.

So, Worcester, Northumberland, and the latter’s son, Hotspur are discussing rebellion against Henry IV. In Today’s Totally Random Lines Worcester is talking about the Archbishop of York who, he says, is just waiting for the right opportunity to rebel against Henry as well.

If you recall, on Monday we had a line from later in this saga (actually, Monday’s line was from Henry IV Part Two, but it's just a continuation of the same story). At that point these rebels had lost a battle and were talking about getting the Archbishop to join them. So apparently, regardless of what’s being said here, they started the rebellion without the archbishop and came up with this idea of getting him in on it again in Part Two.
I wonder what happened. Based on today’s lines it looks like they were ready to get this guy in on it. Well, this is Act I of Henry IV Part One. That line from Monday is Act I of Henry IV Part Two. So basically, a whole play happened, that’s what.

I did some perusing through Part One, and I can’t seem to find any mention of them deciding that they didn’t need the archbishop in order to get the rebellion started. Well, that’s going to turn out to be a miscalculation for them.

It’s interesting to note that the crew talking about getting the help of the archbishop in Part Two is a different set of guys, except for Northumberland, from the crew talking about it here, in Part One. I don’t know about Worcester, but Hotspur was killed in the battle at the end of Part One, so that’s why he’s not there in Part Two.

That’s a pretty fool-proof excuse for not showing up at a meeting.

“Where the heck is Jenkins! He’s supposed to be presenting on the new sales initiative.”

“He’s dead sir.”

“Oh. Well who’s going to present then!?”

And the show goes on; with or without Hotspur, with or without Jenkins.

A sticker that my wife got me.

 No, it's got nothing to do with Hotspur, or the archbishop, or Scroop, or Jenkins. But it's a good sticker, and I think it was made specifically for me.