Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

No, sooth, sir: my determinate voyage is mere extravogancy. But I perceive in you so excellent a touch of modesty, that you will not extort from me what I am willing to keep in; therefore it charges me in manners the rather to express myself.

 

Sebastian

Twelfth Night                 Act II, Scene i, Line 15

Antonio asks Sebastian where he’ll be going,
Let me yet know of you whither you are bound, 

and Today’s Lines are Sebastian’s  answer.
Pete’s version: Honestly, I’m not sure where I’m going, and you’re obviously not going to press me for information, so it behooves me to tell you a little bit about myself.

Lines like this, though beautifully written and well worth reading and spending time with, really make me wonder: did they actually talk like this in 1590’s London? My determinate voyage is mere extravagancy? Really? Perhaps I should try this one the next time Patrice asks me where I’m going as I’m heading out the door.

My determinate voyage is mere extravagancy, dear.

I’ll give you some extravagancy, buddy; now tell me, where the hell are you going?

Ahh, it’s just another one of Will’s lines that I wisht I’d be able to remember. But, alas..

Anyway, Sebastian goes on to get into a bit of his life story for Antonio (and the audience). This is the first time in the play we see him and Antonio, so Will is giving us an introduction to them.

The former is the twin brother of the main character, Viola, and he will go on to play a small but important part in the play. Antonio not so much; he’s a bit superfluous. Sorry Antonio.

What about me, Mr. Blagys. I’m not superfluous, am I? By the way, what does superfluous mean?

It means pretty much unnecessary, Mojo. And no, you are not in any way superfluous.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

O Cassius, if you could

But win the noble Brutus to our party--

 

Cinna

Julius Caesar                 Act I, Scene iii, Line 141

The party to which Cinna refers is that party, of group of guys, which will ultimately assassinate Caesar. Of course, we know that Brutus will be joining that party, as he is noted in probably the most famous line of this play, spoken by Caesar as they are all stabbing him to death.

Et tu Brute?—Then fall, Caesar!     [Dies]

And you, Brutus, even you? Caesar is taken by surprise that his buddy Brutus is one of the assassins. And so it goes. What a perfect example of what Margaret was talking about in yesterday's Totally Random Daily Lines.

They that stand high have many blasts to shake them;

And if they fall, they dash themselves to pieces.

How about that? 

Mojo? How about that?

Zzzzzzzzz....

Well he's pretty jazzed about the whole thing, isn't he? 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Good counsel, marry; -- learn it, learn it, marquess.                             

 

Duke of Gloster

King Richard the Third         Act I, Scene iii, Line 262

Okay, for starters, marry does not mean to wed. The good counsel is not to get married. Marry was a word used for emphasis. I think it was short for by Mary, like by God. Example: Well that’s a good idea by God! Marry, that’s a good idea! Got it?

So this leads to the question of what counsel? What is the good counsel that the marquess should learn? Well, let’s open this up.

 There's a bunch of people here and Margaret is ranting against all of them. She has reason to be ranting because her husband (Henry VI) was deposed and killed by this whole crew in front of her. She goes off on all of them, one by one and finally Marquess of Dorset (no relation to Tony) says

Dispute not with her, -- she is lunatic.

Which is not altogether wrong because Margaret is pretty off-balance if you know what I mean. Margaret replies to Dorset – and this is the counsel that Gloster says is good counsel, so pay attention. 

Peace, master marquess, you are malapert (disrespectful to a person of higher standing)

Your fire-new stamp of hounour is scarce current: (marquess only got to be a marquess lately because his sister married royalty)

O, that your young nobility could judge

What ‘twere to lose it, and be miserable!

They that stand high have many blasts to shake them;

And if they fall, they dash themselves to pieces.

And that’s the part, those last few lines, that Gloster says is good counsel. Let me repeat it,

They that stand high have many blasts to shake them;

And if they fall, they dash themselves to pieces.

What do you think? Good counsel? I mean, it doesn’t really apply too much to folk like you and I, but it is very relevant to the people at the top, and Will’s history plays are all about people at the top. No, I’m not going to get political. I could, but I’m not. In fact, I guess I’ll end it right there.

Phew, that was close! I was sure he was going to launch into one of his Orange Guy tirades. Again, PHEW!

 Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

                              Sir, she’s mortal;

But by immortal Providence she’s mine.

 

Ferdinand

The Tempest                   Act V, Scene i, Line 188

This is Ferdinand’s response to his father, Alonso, when the latter finds Ferdinand and Miranda playing chess. Alonso has asked,

Is she the goddess that hath severed us,
And brought us thus together?

Nope, not a goddess; just a mortal. Pretty good answer by Ferdinand though. 

No, this one’s not a goddess either, but by immortal Providence, this one’s mine (I’m talking about the one on the left: though, King Julian…not a bad catch).  

Sorry Mojo, I had to bump you this morning because I couldn’t pass up this pic for Today’s Lines.

No worries, Mr. Blagys, perfectly understandable. And besides, I've got one of my own.

Um, Mojo, I don’t think that one’s yours. I think Evan might have something to say about that.

Evan who?

Oh, never mind.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Here is such patchery, such juggling, and such knavery! All the argument is a cuckold and a whore; a good quarrel to draw emulous (rival) factions and bleed to death upon. Now, the dry serpigo (spreading skin disease) on the subject! And war and lechery confound all!

 

Thersites

Troilus and Cressida      Act II, Scene iii, Line 75

I added some help in the parentheses above, but these lines are still difficult to pick through. The speaker, Thersites, is listed in the cast of characters as a deform’d and scurrilous Grecian. He more or less plays the part of one of Will’s fools, and in today’s passage he’s just ranting about the war that’s going on and the people involved. That’s really it in a nutshell.

So you’re not going to wear us out with some scurrilous three page explanation of what the real meaning of this whole serpigo is?

No Mojo, I’m not. But I will point out that I don’t think you used either of those words, scurrilous or serpigo, properly. 

Nice try though.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Vouch with me, heaven, I therefore beg it not,

To please the palate of my appetite;

 

Othello

Othello            Act I Scene iii, Line 263

Okay, this is a juicy bit, and I’m going to give you the whole speech, but not until I give you the set up so that you’ll have a chance to understand what Othello’s talking about. There’s quite a bit transpired already, but I’ll give you the Reader’s Digest Condensed Version (you’ll need to be as old as me to get that reference).

Othello, the war hero general, has just been assigned to lead the troops to Cyprus in order to engage the invading Turks. Othello, same guy, has just eloped with Desdemona, the daughter of Brabantio, a rich white guy. Othello is a black military man.

In this scene we are in front of the duke and the senators. It started out with Brabantio claiming that Othello stole his daughter, but that’s been settled. Now the question has become where does Desdemona go when Othello sails off to Cyprus to lead the fight against the Turks. The duke says that she’s to go back to her father’s house, but both Brabantio and Othello say no to this. So the duke asks Desdemona, and she says she wants to go with Othello to Cyprus.

And that’s where Othello comes in with Today’s Lines. Here’s the whole thing, which should make sense to you if you read it carefully, now that you have context. And remember, this is Denzel's role on Broadway right now, so you can picture him delivering these lines if you like.

Let her have your voice.

Vouch with me Heaven, I therefore beg it not,

To please the palate of my appetite;

Nor to comply with heat – the young affects

In me defunct – and proper satisfaction,

But to be free and bounteous to her mind:

And heaven defend your good souls, that you think

I will your serious and great business scant

For she is with me. No, when light-wing’d toys

Of feather’d Cupid, seel with wanton dullness

My speculative and officed instruments,

That my disports corrupt and taint my business,

Let housewives make a skillet of my helm,

And all indign and base adverstities

Make head against my estimation!

 

In brief,  Let her have her way. I not asking for myself, I’m too old to be driven by the need for sex. And don’t think that my duties as general will be impeded by her presence. No, when that happens you can let the housewives use my helmet for a kitchen skillet.

Yup, that’s what he’s saying. It was worth the read, wasn’t it?

 

It sure was, Mr. Blagys, and I think they should let her go with him. Does she get to go?

 Yes she does Mojo. But sadly, in the end, she probably wishes she didn’t.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

To visit you, my lord; no other occasion.

 

Rosencrantz

Hamlet            Act II Scene ii, Line 74

Our good friend Rosencrantz is replying to Hamlet’s question,

But in the beaten way of friendship, what make you at Elsinore?

Essentially, what are you doing here?

Just visiting you.

Ah, but is that the truth? Well, I’m not sure what brought Rosencrantz and his buddy Guildenstern to Elsinore, but I do know that the king has enlisted the two of them to try to find out what’s up with crazy Hamlet. And crazy Hamlet is on to them. These guys are old friends of Hamlet, but I think that friendship has waned a bit. Remember how this thing ends up for Mssrs. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: they end up unwittingly going to England to have themselves executed, thanks to Hamlet. 

Well, at least Rosencrantz gets a street named after him.

Seriously? If you're talking about Rosencrans Ave in Redondo, it's Rosencrans, not Rosencrantz. And if you don't mind my saying so, Mr. Blagys, to say that their friendship has "waned a  bit" is somewhat of an understatement, don't you think? He sent them to get themselves executed? How does that even work?

Wow, Mojo, you've got this blue light aura around you; it's almost mystical looking.

 Don't try to change the subject. Ugh!