Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

For he the night before, in Tarquin’s tent,

Unlocks the treasure of his happy state;

What priceless wealth the heavens had him lent

In the possession of his beauteous mate;

Reckoning his fortune at so high-proud rate,

That kings might be espoused to more fame,

But king nor peer to such a peerless dame.

 

Narrator

Lucrece                   Line 20

Well, today we have a line from neither a play nor a sonnet. Remember, if you will, that Shakespeare wrote plays, sonnets, and also a handful of long poems. And today we have lines from one of the latter, Lucrece, sometimes titled The Rape of Lucrece because it’s about, well, the rape of Lucrece. Yes, the whole poem, all 1,855 lines are about the lead up, the rape, and the aftermath of the rape. So it’s not one of Will’s most up-beat works.

Today’s lines are from the beginning of the poem, and it has a somewhat odd beginning. The very first lines of the poem (previous to the lines above) are about Tarquin (he’s the rapist) hightailing it from Arda and heading for Collatium in haste because he’s hot in desire. What’s got him all fired up? The previous night Collatine (he’s Lucrece’s husband) telling him (in today’s lines) about his wife back home in Collatium and what a babe she is. So that’s today’s lines, Collatine describing his wife.

Well, that was a bit of a long way around, eh?
The ‘he’ in today’s lines is Collatine. So, do today’s lines make sense now? You should read it again, because I’m sure it will make more sense with my brief intro.

 

Zzzzzzzz

Okay, perhaps not quite as brief as it could have been.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Lord, let me never have a cause to sigh,

Till I be brought to such a silly pass!

 

Widow

The Taming of the Shrew      Act V, Scene ii, Line 124

We are at the very end of the play. Katharine, the titular shrew, is displaying actions that would certainly indicate that she has been tamed. In the line previous to today’s, Petruchio told her that he didn’t like the hat she was wearing.

Off with that bauble, throw it under foot.
                                         
And Katharina quickly takes off the hat and steps on it. That’s what the widow is responding to with Today’s Lines. And rightly so? I’m not so sure. Let's open this up.

Katharina started out unmarried and apparently pretty unhappy. She was not a pleasant person to be around, and she certainly wasn’t nice to anyone. Petruchio decided that she would make a good wife, so Katharina’s father gladly gave her to him.

Petruchio didn’t physically or verbally abuse his wife, but he did let her know that he was in charge, and he did insist that she go along with things the way he wanted. Along the way Katharina realized that this whole thing was going to work out better all around if she just went along with Petruchio, and when she did, things started to work out quite well for her. Along with his crazy demands, Petruchio actually did treat her quite well, and I believe he loved her too.

There’s a lot more to it than I can explain in a few lines. Suffice it so say that this is not just a play about men in charge and women being tamed. Unfortunately, it is also a play that might not get past modern sensibilities, partly because of the title, and partly because it needs to be looked at really hard and long to be fully appreciated.

Anyway, there you have it. If you ever get a chance to see this play, I hope you take advantage of it. And when you do, I hope that you go with a very open mind. Then, if you come away feeling that Will was simply an ardent misogynist, well so be it. But I hope not.

Hey, what's a mistogynistist?

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Alack, where are you? Speak, an if you hear;

Speak, of all loves! I swoon almost with fear.

No!—then I well perceive you are not nigh:

Either death or you I’ll find immediately.

Hermia

A Midsummer Night’s Dream       Act II, Scene ii, Line 154

Okay then, Midsummer Night’s Dream. I know I’ve always said that I don’t care for this play (even though it’s one of Will’s more popular comedies), and that’s still true. But I will admit that there are parts of it that are starting to grow on me. However, the scenes with the four lovers running around the in the woods is not one of those parts. Yes, this scene is the lovers in the woods.

Maybe it’s just because, in my laziness, I’ve never bothered to learn the four lovers and who’s in love with who and who isn’t in love with who. There’s Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius. There, at least I know all the names, but it doesn’t make it any easier to remember who loves who when the ones who aren’t in love with each other suddenly are in love because of the love potion that Puck starts spreading around.

Hermia, here, has just woken up alone, calling for Lysander. Does she love Lysander and, if so, does she really love him or is it a love potion spell love. Or is Lysander Helena’s guy? And what about Demetrius? Where's he? 

I guess I’ll just never have these four figured out. Oh well.

I have to tell you, Mr. Blagys, I know how Hermia feels. Some days I wake up and neither of you guys are here and I call out "Alack, where are you." But you guys don’t answer. It’s like you just completely forget about me. And you know, I can't get out of this bed without breaking a leg or two. 

So, what’ up with that?

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I do dine to-day at the father’s of a certain pupil of mine; where, if, before repast, it shall please you to gratify the table with a grace, I will, on my privilege I have with the parent of the foresaid child or pupil, undertake your benvenuto (welcome) ; where I will prove those verses to be very unlearned, neither savouring of poetry, wit, nor invention: I beseech your society.

 

Holofernes

Love’s Labour’s Lost                     Act IV, Scene ii, Line 163

Did you read that whole thing? Did you? Well that's impressive!

I hope you’re not thinking that I’m going to explain it to you, are you? I have to tell you: I listened to the whole scene (this passage is almost at the end of the scene) whilst I was reading it. I even used my copy of the play with the footnotes. It was only ten minutes, but I’m not sure it was the best ten minutes I’ve spent today. In fact, sitting in my chair with Mojo sleeping on my lap whilst I perused the penguin book was a much better ten minutes (actually a bit longer than ten minutes, but who's counting). Meeting my brother Billy for breakfast in Milford was time well spent, as was stopping at Big Y for some groceries. Almost making an online order for a bottle of Okavango Gin was time well spent (I couldn't bring myself to spend $107 on one bottle of gin; maybe at a later date). Yup, just about anything was time better spent.

With this random line stuff, you get some winners and you get some losers. That’s just the way it is; kind a microcosm of life in general, eh?

 

Hold on, Mr. Blagys, that’s it? Nothing else about today's  line? Just some nonsense about penguins, Billy, and Okavango gin?

What’s going on here?

And what's Okavango gin, anyway? 

 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!