Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back,

Wherein he puts alms for oblivion,

A great-sized monster of ingratitudes:

 

Ulysses

Troilus and Cressida     Act III, Scene iii, Line 145

 

Today’s lines are Ulysses answer to Achilles who is wondering why the generals walked by his tent without saying anything to him. The generals

                                       …neither gave to me

Good word nor look: what, are my deeds forgot?

 

Actually, Ulysses told the generals to do that. It’s all a ploy to try to get Achilles back into the fight. The first part of Ulysses response it this:

        Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back,

Wherein he puts alms for oblivion,

A great-sized monster of ingratitudes:

Those scraps are good deeds past; which are devour’d

As fast as they are made, forgot as soon

As done

Short version: The good deeds you do are forgotten the next minute after you do them. Ulysses goes on and on with this theme for the next twenty or thirty lines. It’s all in a way of trying to coax Achilles back into action because he has been sitting the fight out.  If you want to be recognized, he tells Achilles, you’ve got to stay current. That Ulysses is a wily character. 

 

 Speaking of wily characters...  Here's one for you. I'm talking about that guy sitting on my shoulder. Just look at that shifty look in his eye. You can bet he's up to something, and I can't wait to find out what it is.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

A proper squire! And who, and who? Which way looks he?

Don John

Much Ado About Nothing     Act I, Scene iii, Line 52

Don John has just been informed that Claudio is going to get married, and this is his reaction. And who, and who? Which way looks he is Don John’s way of asking who Claudio is going to marry. And who is he going to marry? Hero. That’s right, he’s going to marry a girl named Hero. There are four women in this play: Beatrice, Margaret, Ursula, and Hero. Claudio's going to marry the one named Hero.

I don’t know about you, but I think Hero is a pretty odd name for a woman. I mean, we don’t even use the word hero when we’re talking about a female hero; we use heroine. So I don’t know what’s up with that. I guess we just have to go with it. 

 

 

I can tell you one person who doesn't care who Claudio marries: it's our little hero named Mojo. He doesn't care at all. In fact, he slept right through Today's Totally Random Line, that's how much he doesn't give a hoot. 

I know,  you're saying he's the smart one, and you wish you could've slept through it too. Better luck next time.
 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

Ay, sir; where lies that? If ‘twere a kibe

‘Twould put me to my slipper: but I feel not

This deity in my bosom.

 

Antonio

The Tempest   Act II, Scene i, Line 273

Antonio is trying to convince Sebastian to murder his own brother so that Sebastian can become king of Naples. Antonio explains that it worked out fine for him when he had his own brother exiled so that he could take over the dukedom of Milan. Sebastian asks Antonio if it didn’t bother his conscience, and that’s what Antonio is replying to above. 

Here’s Pete’s version of Antonio’s reply: Where lies my conscience? If it were a blister on my foot I would wear slippers, but I feel no conscience. Well, that’s a pretty loose paraphrasing, but hopefully you get the picture.

I really like the way Antonio refers to his conscience as a deity in my bosom. That is clearly a line that you could use if someone ever asked you if something bothers your conscience. 

Pete, doesn't it bother your conscience just a little that you hung up on that guy?

I feel not this deity in my bosom. 

Oh, it's a fabulous line; just another little bit of Will’s magic dust. 

 

Will's magic dust? Eyes, I'm rolling my eyes.