Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

My poor body, madam, requires it: I am driven on by the flesh; and he must needs go that the devil drives.   

 

Lavache

All’s Well That Ends Well     Act I, Scene iii, Line 30

Okay. Lavache, a servant of the Countess, is talking to the Countess and asking her permission to marry Isabel, another servant of the Countess. Today’s Lines are Lavache’s reply to the Countess’s question of why Lavache wants to marry.

The answer above makes Lavache sound like a bit of a cad. However, just previous to this Lavache had said

I think I shall never have the blessing of God till I have issue of my body; for they say barnes are blessings.

By issue and barnes he’s talking about offspring, and children.

So I don’t understand how in one breath he talking about God’s blessing and the next about what the devil drives. And in fact, in both cases he’s talking pretty much about the same thing.

Confused? Well, it's a Shakespearean comedy, so welcome to the club.

Though he hasn't come right out and said it, I'm pretty sure that Mojo's had about enough of the comedies. Today, as soon as he heard the words All's Well That End's Well he hopped down and scooted over to the window. There, he did his best Meerkat impersonation, whilst muttering, 

"End's Well, Schmends Well." 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

--odours savours sweet:

    So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear.—

But hark, a voice! Stay thou but here awile,

    And by and by I will to thee appear.    [Exit.

 

Bottom

A Midsummer Night’s Dream       Act III, Scene i, Line 83

Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hmm. Well this is the guys practicing the play that they’re going to be presenting later in this play. Bottom had started off with

Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet,--

and was interrupted and corrected by Quince from odious to odours. Today’s lines is Bottom continuing with the correction.

I suppose there is a significant difference. Lets go to MW online.

Odious: arousing or deserving hatred or repugnance: hateful

Odours: the qualities of something that stimulate the olfactory organ: scent.

Wow. I had no idea. I thought odious had something to do with bad smell. These two words have nothing to do with each other. Good thing Bottom got corrected. I hope he remembers the right word when they present their play.

Okay, I looked forward to the end of this play, where they present this play that they’re practicing. I can’t find this line being used. What’s up with that? I told you this was a screwy play.

Don't be so down, Mojo. We'll have a better line tomorrow.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

The obligation of our blood forbids

A gory emulation ‘twixt us twain:

 

Hector

Troilus and Cressida                      Act IV, Scene v, Line 22

Let’s see; what’s going on here.
Hector, the Greek, is fighting Ajax, a Trojan. They stop fighting for a moment to talk, and Hector decides that they can’t fight anymore because they’re related; first cousins no less - my father’s sister’s son.
I didn’t see that coming.

I did, however, learn that the number one definition of emulation in the MW online dictionary is an ambition or endeavor to equal or excel others. I thought it just meant copying something or someone, didn’t you? The Shakespeare glossary says it can mean conflict. So Hector is saying that because they’re related they can’t have a bloody conflict between the two of them. I guess that makes sense.

First cousins? Again, where’d that come from?

Did you know they were first cousins, Mojo?

First what?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

   Hail, King of Scotland!       [flourish]

 

All

Macbeth                      Act V, Scene viii, Line 59

Macduff has just brought in the head of Macbeth, and everyone is satisfied that Malcom will now be king. Malcom gives us about fifteen lines of a speech, and that’s that. Curtain falls to thunderous applause.

So, what do we think of that? Malcom is one of the sons of Duncan (remember Duncan? The guy murdered in his bed back in the second act?), so now that Macbeth is gone it seems perfectly proper that Malcom become king. But wait: what about the witches’ prediction that Banquo’s offspring would be king? The recent production of Macbeth with Denzel Washington in the lead addresses the Banquo question by adding a scene to Will’s script that shows Banquo’s son Fleance in the last scene. It doesn’t tell how, but reminds us that there is more to come.

I wonder if anyone’s ever written the story of Fleance? If they hadn’t, someone probably will now after that production.

Fleance the King 

Keep an eye out for it.

Mojo always takes me literally.

He's keeping an eye out for Fleance the King. He has no idea who or what Fleance the King is, but he's keeping an eye out for it.

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

But, I beseech you, what’s become of Katherine,

The princess dowager? How goes her business?

 

Second Gentleman

King Henry the Eighth          Act IV, Scene i, Line 24

We’ve run into these two unnamed gentlemen before. We’re at the coronation of Anne Boleyn and these two are discussing what’s going on. Today’s Second Gentleman’s question relates to Queen Katherine of Aragon who has been very reluctant to grant Henry the divorce he needs to be able to marry Anne. In fact, much of this play has been about this struggle between Henry and her.

Would you like to know what happened to her? The First Gentleman knows.

That I can tell you too. The archbishop
Of Canterbury, accompanied with the other
Learned and reverend fathers of his order,
Held a late court at Dunstable, six miles off
From Ampthill, where the princess lay; to which
She was often cited by them, but appear’d not:
And, to be short, for not appearance and
The king’s late scruple, by the main assent
Of all these learned men she was divorced,
And the late marriage made of none effect:
Since which she was removed to Kimbolton,
Where she remains now sick.

So, basically, Henry divorced her after all, and shipped her off. I guess it didn’t pay to fall out of the king's favor. No worries: Anne will fall out of favor in time as well. She, however, will not be so lucky as Katherine. The latter, at least, go shipped off in one piece. Anne will not be so lucky.

Wait, what does that mean that she's not going to get shipped off in one piece?

Never mind, Mojo. You don't want to know.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Better ten thousand base-born Cades miscarry

Than you should stoop to unto a Frenchman’s mercy.

 

Old Clifford

King Henry the Sixth Part II         Act IV, Scene viii, Line 49

 

Jack Cade is leading his rebel crowd in the streets of London when Buckingham and Old Clifford catch up with them. Old Clifford is telling the crowd that they’d best ditch Cade and follow the king into France if they don’t want the Frenchies invading England.
The fickle crowd listens to Old Clifford. I'm not sure whether that’s a good thing in this case or not.
Crowds. Am I right?

I feel as though we have a crowd running the show a lot lately in this country. The Greek philosophers warned us about the dangers of crowds being able to take over in a democratic state. Of course, they were right. The great twentieth century writer Isaac Asimov also had something to say about crowd mentality.

There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is as good as your knowledge.

Well, I’ve gone a bit far afield today. Nonetheless, food for thought, eh?

Did someone say 'food'?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I’ll bear thee hence; and let them fight that will,

For I have murder’d where I should not kill.

 

Father

King Henry the Sixth Part III       Act II, Scene v, Line 121

 

Well this is a sad scene. King Henry is standing alone on the battlefield whilst the battle rages. He’s lamenting that he’s king and wishes that he were a simple peasant, because they don't have to deal with the stuff that a king does. Then a young man comes up with a dead body, someone he just killed in battle. He suddenly realizes that the guy he killed is his own father. Then an older guy comes up, also with a dead body of someone he killed in battle. He soon realizes that it’s his own son.

So these two guys lament life, war, and pretty much everything whilst Henry looks on. Today’s lines are the last lines of the Father before he leaves the scene carrying his son’s body.

I listened to the scene this morning. As I said, pretty sad, and a pretty good commentary on the absolute misery and wastefulness of war.

Ayyyyyy! He killed his own son!?!

Yes Mojo; I told you it was sad.