Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Ay, springes to catch woodcocks. I do know,

When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul

Lends the tongue vows: these blazes, daughter,

Giving more light than heat - extinct in both,

Even in their promise, as it is a-making, -

You must not take for fire.

Polonius

Hamlet                           Act I, Scene iii, Line 117

 

It’s amazing that I taught this play to a high school class and I can still go back to it and not recall having read so very much of it. I guess, to be fair, that class was over twenty years ago, so…

Anyway, this is a scene with brother, sister, and father. Brother Laertes has already left the scene, on his way to France, but not before telling his sister Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet. He gave her a good talking to about how Hamlet was no good for her. Now father Polonius is talking to daughter Ophelia and telling her pretty much the same thing. Today’s lines are the beginning of Polonius’s lecture to his daughter, in response to her lines

My lord, he hat importuned me with love

In honourable fashion…

…And hath given countenance to his speech, my lord,

With almost all the holy vows of heaven.

Polonius is referring to Hamlet’s holy vows of heaven as springes to catch woodcocks.

In any event, after telling her in his very wordy way, to stay away from Hamlet, Ophelia ends the scene with the words,

I shall obey, my lord.

So that’s the end of that. Well, not really.

But that springes to catch woodcocks reminds me of something. What was it?

Oh yeah, I gotta put out mouse traps!

  

 There goes another one, Mr. Blagys!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Give me thy torch, boy; hence, and stand aloof:-

Yet put it out, for I would not be seen.

 

Paris

Romeo and Juliet            Act V, Scene iii, Line 1

 

These are the first lines of the last scene of the play. A lot is going to happen in the three hundred lines of this scene. Paris will die, Romeo will die, and Juliet will die. So then, as Paris speaks these lines all of these three are still alive, and, if you think about it, as this scene starts, the play could still have a fairly happy ending. Interesting. 

 

 

Wait, does it? Does this play have a happy ending? I thought it was a tragedy?

Well, I woke sleepy head up with that one.

No Mojeo, sadly it does not.

I always call him Mojeo when we’re doing Romeo and Juliet. That was his idea.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Nay, that’s certain.

Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra             Act V, Scene ii, Line 221

 

So, are we interested in what’s certain? Are we? Well, I’m a little interested, so I guess I’ll take a look.

It turns out that Cleopatra is talking to Iras about what will happen to them if Caesar takes them prisoner.

Nay, ‘tis most certain, Iras: saucy lictors (Roman officers)

Will catch at us, like strumpets; and scald rimers (contemptible balladeers)

Ballad us our o’tune: the quick comedians

Extemporally (without any preparation) will stage us, and present

Our Alexandrian revels; Antony

Shall be brought drunken forth, and I shall see

Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness

I’the posture of a whore.

It doesn’t sound all that appealing, does it?

By the way, I got those definitions that I added in parentheses on a modern search engine. They’re not from some ancient language!

Shakespeare translation indeed!

 This Shakespeare nut I’ve got here is always getting his knickers in a twist.

He needs to just CALM DOWN.

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

The poor, lame, blind, halt, creep, cry out for thee;

But they ne’er meet with Opportunity.

 

Lucrece

Lucrece                                 Line 902

 

Lucrece is lying in her bed. She has been raped by Tarquin, he has fled, and now she is having all sorts of thoughts: none of them particularly good.

In this particular stanza, and several that go before it, she is blaming Opportunity for what happened to her. That’s right, she’s personifying Opportunity (hence the capital O). She’s spent the previous four stanzas talking about all the troubles that different people get themselves into, and how it wouldn’t have happened if they’d not had the Opportunity. Now, in these last two lines that we have today, she’s noting that the people who could use Opportunity to help them out of troubles never see Opportunity.

Interesting.

Opportunity. Today’s line is all about Opportunity and the lack thereof. But it puts a really bad spin on Opportunity. I think generally we use Opportunity in a more positive sense.

For instance: 

We recently had the Opportunity to take a fantastic trip (see previous post).

And Mojo had the Opportunity to make a new friend. Yes, he has a somewhat apprehensive look on his face, but I can assure you that Mojo and Dave got along famously. 

Opportunity. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I can live no longer by thinking.

 

Orlando

As You Like It        Act V, Scene ii, Line 52

Well how about that for a restart line! I think I feel this way after a week in Malta having the best time of my life. It feels a little bit like I should just enjoy life and stop doing so much thinking! I think (dare I use that expression) that Orlando’s got it right!

This is the crew, our crew, that traveled all the way to Malta to celebrate our 25 year vow renewals with us. 

A dream come true! 

No more thinking needed.

No, Mojo couldn't make this trip with us, but he's happy to have us back home.

 

Today’s Totally Random Line

 

If ever I live to see it, I will challenge it.

 

King Henry

King Henry the Fifth                     Act IV, Scene i, Line 220

 

This is the scene that takes place the night before the Battle of Agincourt. King Henry is wandering about the camp disguised as a common soldier talking with the troops.

Todays’ Line is spoken to a soldier named Michael Williams. The King and Michael have gotten into an argument because the latter is disputing that the King would be willing to die with them in battle. Michael has said that the King has only said he would to make us fight cheerfully: but when our throats are cut, he may be ransom’d, and we ne’er the wiser.

By ransom’d he means that the French will take Henry captive and sell him back to British. It's what them did back then with all the high ranking soldiers. The commoners got killed in battle, whilst the officers got taken captive to be ransom’d.

That’s right, the one percenters lived and the ninety-nine percenters died. Sound familiar?

I'm not sure I like where this is going. It might be time to PULL UP!

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Line

 

‘Art thou ashamed to kiss? Then wink again,

And I will wink; so shall the day seem night;

Love keeps his revels where there are but twain;

Be bold to play, our sport is not in sight:

These blue-vein’d violets whereon we lean

Never can blab, nor know not what we mean.

 

Venus

Venus and Adonis                         Line 121

This is one verse from the poem. It’s the second page of an eleven-page poem, and Venus is trying to get some action from Adonis; trying and failing. She’s telling him that no one’s going to see them, and that the violets that they’re sitting on aren’t going to blab.

Can you believe it: Blab is a Shakespearean word? Blab? Who would’ve thunk it?  

Blab?

Yes, Mojo: Blab.