Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

For what doth cherish weeds but gentle air?

 

Lord Clifford

King Henry the Sixth Part III      Act II, Scene vi, Line 21

 

Clifford is lying on the battlefield, wounded and whining about what a poor king Henry has been. Here, I’m going to give you a bit of it.

And, Henry, hadst thou sway’d as kings should do,

Or as the father and his father did,

Giving no ground unto the house of York,

I and ten thousand in this luckless realm

Had left no mourning widows for our death;

And thou this day hadst kept thy chair (throne) in peace.

For what doth cherish weeds but gentle air?

And what makes robbers bold but too much lenity?

So the gentle air in Today’s line is Henry’s gentle treatment of his enemies; and these same enemies, robbers (the Yorks and all those following the Yorks) are nothing but weeds. You gotta be a little bit tough with the weeds or they’re just gonna grow and take over. Right?

There, it’s a gardening metaphor. You can’t go wrong with a gardening metaphor.

 

And speaking of gardens: 

here is our ever vigilant Mojo, guarding against weeds in our garden. 

Go Mojo!

Weeds schmatz!

 I'm just here for the sunbeams. 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Ay, madam: he desires to make atonement

Between the Duke of Gloster and your brothers,

And betwixt them and my lord Chamberlain;

And sent to warn them to his royal presence.

  

Duke of Buckingham

King Richard the Third         Act I, Scene iii, Line 37

 

The ‘he’ in Today’s Lines is King Edward IV, Richard the Third’s brother. Richard starts off in this play as the Duke of Gloster and doesn’t become king until Act Four.

The ‘madam’ in Today’s Line is Queen Elizabeth, King Edward IV’s wife.

This play portrays Richard as a fairly petty and evil little man. History tells us that he wasn’t all that bad, and that whilst his brother Edward was king he was quite faithful to him.

Today’s Lines tell us that Richard (Duke of Gloster) was already making trouble and that King Edward was working on smoothing this trouble out.

That’s what Today’s Lines are about.  

Sometimes when we get into theses scenes that are all about the different royals, Mojo likes to strike his Mojo the First pose to show me that he too could have been a royal,

Yes, your royal highness, that is a truly regal profile. 

Yah, you bethch'a!

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

                                                   But now return,

And with their faint reply, this answer join:

Who bates mine honour shall not know my coin.

 

Sempronius

Timon of Athens           Act III, Scene iii, Line 26

This is the part in the play where Timon realizes that he’s running out of money and starts asking his friends for financial help. Sempronius is one of those friends, and he’s talking to Timon’s servant who’s been sent with the request for funds. As you can see, the answer is no. He’s using the excuse that Timon asked his other friends first, and they all said no. Sempronius is saying that he feels slighted that Timon didn’t ask him first, and therefore he is answering no, just like all the rest. It’s nonsense.

Timon’s servant ends this short scene, alone, with a soliloquy about the nature of man that is reflected in this situation. I’m tempted to put it here, but it’s sixteen lines long, and you probably wouldn’t read it. Oh, what the heck.

Excellent! Your lordship’s a goodly villain. The devil knew not what he did when he made man politic (crafty and self-serving),- he crost himself by’t: and I cannot think but, in the end, the villainies of man will set him clear. How fairly this lord strives to appear foul! Takes virtuous copies to be wicked; like those that, under hot ardent zeal, would set whole realms on fire:

Of such nature is his politic love.

This was my lord’s last hope; now all are fled,

Save the gods only: now his friends are dead,

Doors, that were ne’er acquainted with their wards

Many a bounteous year, must be emploly’d

Now to guard sure their master,

And this is all a liberal course allows;

Who cannot keep his wealth must keep his house.

                                                                    [Exit]

And that’s the end of the scene. Kind of interesting that this little speech begins in prose and ends in verse. What do you think of that?

I think you didn't finish everything on your dinner plate, Mr. Blagys. 

There's no sense wasting that; it would make a tasty little snack for me, that's what I think.  

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

This is the monstruosity in love, lady,- that the will is infinite and the execution confined; that the desire is boundless, and the act a slave to limit.

 

Troilus

Troilus and Cressida             Act III, Scene ii, Line 81

 

Well, we could get into context if we wanted to, but the nature of the line allows us to just take it at face value, and I think that is what we’ll do.

It’s very well put; but of course it’s Shakespeare, isn’t it. Will is infinite. I wonder if Will thought of this use of the word will as a pun? I mean, given the nearly infinite magnificence of the works that he produced (assuming he realized how great his works were), I can see where he was making a pun between will (unlimited desire) and Will (himself). Just a thought.

The second iteration is just as good, if not better: desire is boundless and act a slave to limit. Act a slave to limit. That’s really some awesome word work there, Will, I love it.

And don’t tell me that you couldn’t find a place to use that line. No, not every day; but there are times when it would be perfect. I’m pretty sure that Patrice would say that about half the projects that Pete proposes.

Pete

Look, if we get rid of that wooden deck outside our bedroom, we could build one out of stone. That would last forever, and we could also build a stone fountain into the face of it!

Patrice

You know, buddy, desire is boundless, and the act a slave to limit.

Another perfect example: See that little guy on the right? He'd give anything to be let loose on that squirrel he's eyeing right now. And if we let him loose? What then?

His will is infinite but the execution confined;

the desire is boundless, and the act a slave to limit.

Try telling him that.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Now, my lord, what shall we do, if we perceive

Lord Hastings will not yield to our complot?

 

Duke of Buckingham

King Richard the Third                Act III, Scene i, Line 191

The Duke of Buckingham is asking the Duke of Gloster (Richard). And the answer?

Chop off his head, man.

Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?

Complot, by the way is a plot or conspiracy, and it’s in the online Merriam Webster. Granted, it’s listed as archaic, but it’s there, nonetheless.

Any more questions?

Yes, have you seen my little bone treat? I think I left it up there when I was sitting with you. It might have dropped down the side there.

I meant any more questions about… oh, never mind. Let me take a look.

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Why, there they are both, baked in that pie;

Whereof thier mother daintily hath fed,

Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred.

‘Tis true, ‘tis true; witness my knife’s sharp point.

 

Titus

Titus Andronicus                  Act V, Scene iii, Line 62

 

 

Yes, that’s right, Titus killed Tamora’s two adult sons and baked them in a pie. But don’t worry – Tamora doesn’t have to grieve over it very long, because the next line is Titus stabbing her to death. Then the line after that is Saturninus killing Titus, followed by Lucius killing Saturninus. Oh, and let’s not forget that before this all got started Titus kicked things off by killing his own daughter.

Thankfully though, that’s the end of the killing. The last page and a half of this play is speechifying and commiseration, as the survivors get set to pick up the pieces and carry on.

And there you have it: Titus Andronicus.

Yikes! 

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

I’ll follow, sir. But first, an’t please the gods,

I’ll hide my master from the flies as deep

As these poor pickaxes can dig: and when

With wild wood-leaves and weeds I ha’ strew’d his grave,

And on it said a century of prayers,

Such as I can, twice o’er, I’ll weep and sigh;

And leaving so his service, follow you,

So please you entertain me.

 

Imogen

Cymbeline                             Act IV, Scene ii, Line 391

 

The ‘master’ that Imogen wants to bury and say prayers over is Cloten, but Imogen doesn’t know that. She thinks it’s her love, Posthumous, but she’s telling Caius Lucius that it’s someone named Richard du Champ.

Got that? It’s Cloten, she thinks it’s Posthumous, and she says it’s Richard du Champ.

 

Nothing confusing about that, eh Mojo?

I’m pretty sure he agrees with me.