Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

‘Had I no eyes but ears, my ears would love

That inward beauty and invisible;

Or were I deaf, thy outward parts would move

Each part in me that were but sensible:

Though neither eyes nor ears to hear or see,

Yet should I be in love by touching thee.'

 

 

Venus

Venus and Adonis                  Line 433 - 438

This is a stanza in the middle of this long poem about Venus and Adonis. The poem is 1,194 lines long, so this is about a third of the way through.

Venus it telling Adonis how enraptured she is with him. Unfortunately for her, he doesn’t seem to be the least bit interested.

This is an interesting dichotomy, isn’t it: the woman in love with the man, and the man being completely not in love with her. In fact, it’s an interesting dichotomy irrespective of whether it’s the man or woman who is the disinterested one. I suppose we’ve seen tons of this in literature, in media, and in real life. And it can be a very problematic situation.

In the case of Venus and Adonis, Adonis gets killed in an unrelated situation before the love/no-love problem can run its full course. Unfortunately (it’s odd to use the word unfortunately when speaking about not dying), in most cases of the love/no-love problem, a completely unrelated cause of death is not the resolution. More unfortunately, a related cause of death is in some cases also the resolution.

Whilst the ideal is, of course, love/love, there’s also the many in-between cases of love/not-the-same-amount-of-love. In fact, arguably, this might be the most prevalent situation. Oh, I suppose there are plenty of love/love’s out there, but being the realist that I am, I think the love/not-the-same-amount-of-loves are the majority.

I’m not sure how I got going down this road today. I think it’s partly because yesterday I ran into a case of love/no-love-but-just-going-along-with-it-for-now. This is a serious in-betweener, leaning dangerously in the direction of love/no-love. I can’t help but wonder how this one's going to turn out. I’ll keep you posted.

A group shot. This famous group got together yesterday for Big Bro's 70th, the first one of us to reach that milestone.

Happy Birthday Dave!

 

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.