Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

More direful hap betide that hated wretch,

That makes us wretched by the death of thee,

Than I can wish to adders, spiders, toads,

Or any creeping venom’d thing that lives!

 

Lady Anne

King Richard the Third                 Act I, Scene ii, Line 20

Here we have Lady Anne, the daughter-in-law of Henry VI, mourning over the former’s dead body. Henry, and Henry’s son Edward, who was Lady Anne’s husband, were both killed by Richard, and that’s the hated wretch she’s referring to.

Let me give you Pete’s version of the first two lines.

I hope the most terrible fortunes befall the hated wretch that killed thee, Henry;
More terrible than I could wish on adders…

Anne is just one more in the long line of Richard haters. The funny thing is that she ends up marrying Richard before things are done. Yup; believe it or not.

Wait, what? She marries the guy that killed her husband and her father-in-law?

That’s right Gilligan. What do you think about that?

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Stay, father! For that noble hand of thine,

That hath thrown down so many enemies,

Shall not be sent: my hand will serve the turn:

 

Lucius

Titus Andronicus   Act III, Scene i, Line 110

Lucius is trying to give his father a hand here. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one.

Okay, so Aaron the Moor has come in and told the folks at Titus’s house that Titus’s other two sons are about to be executed for a crime they didn’t commit. But, says Aaron, the emperor has decided to spare them if Titus will send his severed hand in their stead. This, of course, is a complete lie, but they all fall for it.

In Today’s Line, Titus’s son Lucius is trying to convince his father to let him, Lucius, be the one to lose a hand. Ultimately, it will be Titus who loses a hand, and his other two sons lose their heads anyway.

Yes, this is Titus Andronicus. Quite the uplifting piece, isn’t it?

He's going to cut off his hand, and then his two sons' heads get cut off??

This is SOME Bullsh-

MOJO, stop!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

The crown o’the earth doth melt.—My lord!

O, wither’d is the garland of the war,

The soldiers’ pole is faln: young boys and girls

Are level now with men; the odds is gone,

And there is nothing left remarkable

Beneath the visiting moon.

 

Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra    Act IV, Scene iv, Line 67

These are the first words out of the mouth of Cleopatra after Antony dies, admittedly a little hard to understand. Let’s take a shot at a Pete’s version this morning. I’ll enlist the help of G.B. Harrison’s footnotes. 

The crown of the earth melts.

Withered are the glories of war.

The guiding star has fallen.

Children are on the same level as grown men,

and there is nothing left remarkable beneath the visiting moon.

That's a little better, eh? I really like that last part, there is nothing left remarkable beneath the visiting moon. That really drives home the desperate tone of the whole thing, doesn't it?

Mr. Ham-it-Up decided that he wasn't interested in Cleopatra's words this morning, he just wanted to play the part of Antony. 

Yes Mojo, that's a very creditable dead Antony. Bravo. 

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

One score ‘twixt sun and sun,

Madam’s, enough for you , and too much too.

Pisanio

Cymbeline              Act III, Scene ii, Line 70

Today’s Lines are the answer to Imogen’s question

How many score of miles may we ride

Twixt hour and hour?

So Imogen wants to know how many miles they can go per hour, but Pisanio answers how many miles they can go per day. One score; that’s twenty miles. Remember? Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth… Eighty-seven years between 1776 and the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Simple math. A score is twenty. And how far away is Milford-Haven? That’s where Imogen wants to go because she believes her husband is there. I don’t think we know. And in fact, I don’t think her husband is actually there. As usual, a bit confusing.

So rather than spend any more time on this line, let’s take a look at another truly brilliant piece of writing. Yes, there are other brilliant writers out there other than Will.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense, we can not dedicate - we can not consecrate - we can not hallow - this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.   

There: if I can type the whole thing (took about ten minutes), you can read it (should take two or three minutes). Perhaps I should say a few words about it.

As noted within this speech, it was read at the dedication of a cemetery at Gettysburg for the soldiers who died in that battle. Lincoln and another gentlemen, Edward Everett – a noted orater, spoke at that ceremony. The latter spoke at length, great length: about two hours worth. Lincoln got up afterwards and gave this ten sentence speech which lasted only a few minutes. As I said, Lincoln’s short speech is a masterpiece.

This speech was given on November 19, 1863, but the battle of Gettysburg began 161 years ago today, and lasted three long days. So it is altogether fitting that we take a look at the speech today.  

One final note: Abraham Lincoln was known to be a learned man and one of the things he was quite learned about was the works of William Shakespeare. What do you think about that?

Wait a sec, Lincoln was a Shakespearean? Like you?

Well, not exactly like me, Mojo; but yes, Lincoln was a Shakespearean.

And please don't talk with food in your mouth.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

My brother was too careless of his charge.—

 

Earl of Warwick

Henry the Sixth Part III                Act IV, Scene vi, Line 86

So then, who was the Earl’s brother, what was his charge (responsibility), and how did he come up short. Well, I don’t know who the Earl’s brother was, but apparently his charge was to guard Edward. We’re talking about Edward of the Yorks who deposed Henry the Sixth only to be deposed himself. This is the part of the story where the crown goes back and forth between Henry and Edward. The Earl’s brother came up short by allowing Edward to escape. Not good. So the crown will, in short order, go back to Edward, and thence on to Richard the Third. But that’s a story for another day.

Right Mojo?

Earl, Henry, Richard, Eward, Yorks...

Oyyy, enough already!

Somebody get me outta here!

 

 

                     If you please,

Be’t at her father’s.   

 

Duke

Othello                    Act I, Scene iii, Line 240

The question is where Desdemona will go when Othello, her newly-wed husband, goes off to fight the Turks. The Duke suggests that she stay with her father. However, Brabantio (Desdemona’s father), Othello, and Desdemona all say no way Jose! to that.

What on earth was the Duke thinking? Obviously he has no daughters, let alone any married ones.

Mojo's all excited about the going off to fight the Turks part. 

Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war!

No, no Mojo, that's not today's topic; though it's nice to see that you remembered the line. 

 

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."