Let us seek out some desolate shade, and there

Weep our sad bosoms empty.

-Malcolm

Macbeth                                        Act IV, scene iii, line 2

These are the opening lines of the scene. Malcolm and Macduff are in England where they are looking for English support to help get rid of Macbeth. Remember that Malcolm is the exiled son of Duncan, and that Duncan was the king of Scotland before Macbeth murdered him, made himself king, and then began a murderous and treacherous reign.

So Malcolm is starting the scene with a ‘Oh, woe are we!’ lament. Macduff tells him to buck up, and then the scene goes on from there.

 

What about this? Does this qualify as desolate shade? Clearly it's shade. And, well, is that even a tree? Or maybe the better question is what makes shade desolate? Personally, I think that shade looks at least a little bit desolate. What do you think?

And for your brother, he was lately sent

From your kind aunt, Duchess of Burgundy,

With aid of soldiers to this needful war.



-Earl of Warwick



King Henry The Sixth Part III           Act II, scene i, line 145





I don’t know if it’s just me (and it probably is), but it sounds a little funny to have these two soldiers talking about how one of their aunts has sent reinforcements. Perhaps this sounds sexist, and in this ‘me too’ world it seems like I can’t say much of anything without being sexist, but it just sounds a little silly to have these guys at war hearing about how auntie has sent some help. 

It reminds me of that scene from Out Of Africa where Meryl Streep’s husband goes off to fight, and then sends a note back to Meryl to send more supplies. Instead of sending supplies she brings the supplies to her husband at the front. She shows up with the supplies and everyone is staring at this woman who riding on an elephant or camel, -or maybe it’s just a horse, I can’t remember for sure- and leading the supply train. Her husband is not there, so one guy turns to another and says, with just the right amount of derision in his voice ‘Got tell Dieter his wife is here.’ Perhaps you’ve got to see it, but trust me, it’s funny.

I couldn't find a clip from the movie, so here's a picture of my wife on a camel. I know, it's not the same, but it's the best I could do.

-an I had been a man of any occupation, if I had not taken him at a word, I would I might go to hell among the rogues;-

-Casca

Julius Caesar                                Act I, scene ii, line 268

This is part of the same speech that we looked at a few weeks ago. It was the post where I was equating ‘if Caesar had stabb’d their mothers’ to ‘I could shoot someone in broad daylight on Fifth Avenue’. This is Casca, one of the conspirators, describing what had happened with Caesar earlier in the day.  Now right before this line, Casca is describing how Caesar offered to let the crowd cut his throat, and I believe that’s what he’s referring to when he mentions taking him at a word. However, I’m not sure what he’s saying above. I think it’s one of those lines that I’ll live with a while and then when I do come to understand what it means I will wonder how I ever misunderstood it. Yeah, one of those. 

Since I couldn't really figure today's line out, I thought I could give you a picture that we can't really figure out either. Actually, I know what's going on in this picture: this was when Spike was getting old and senile, and he didn't really know what he was doing. What I can't figure out is the relevance of the picture to today's line. Or perhaps that is the relevance: the fact that I can't figure it out. Yeah, that sounds about right. Let's go with that.

As you from crimes would pardon’d be,

Let your indulgence set me free.

-Prospero

The Tempest                                Epilogue, line 20

These are the last two lines of The Tempest in the epilogue spoken by Prospero. Since we wrote the whole book on a retelling of The Tempest, I’ve decided to give you our full retelling of the epilogue. Here you go.