‘This deed will make thee only loved for fear;’

 -Lucrece

 Lucrece                                   Line 610

 

Today we have Lucrece trying to talk Tarquin out of raping her. Well, since this poem is sometimes titled The Rape of Lucrece we can pretty much assume that she's not going to be talking him out of anything.

So,what can we do with today’s line, 'This deed will make thee only loved for fear'? It’s in the middle of a few stanzas of her argument (it’s a pretty long argument) where she’s trying to appeal to him with the fact that he’s going to be the king and this is not the way a king should be acting. I like the last two lines of this stanza:

         For princes are the glass, the school, the book,

            Where subjects' eyes do learn, do read, do look.

           I think that’s a good couple of lines for our times. When she mentions ‘glass’ she’s talking about a mirror. We don’t have princes these days, but we do have leaders, and it is so refreshing to know that we will soon have one that we can look up to. Sorry, I didn’t mean to get political, but that’s all I could come up with today.  

 

 

Okay, forget about politics. Here's a pic of someone I was lucky enough to have that I was able to use as the glass, the school, the book. 

 

Not for that neither: Here’s the pang that             pinches:-

 

-Anne Bullen

King Henry The Eighth                     Act II, Scene iii, Line 1

 

For the second day in a row we’ve got the first line in a scene. It’s interesting, too, that this line appears to be the continuation of a conversation. We don’t know what was said previously so we’ve no idea what ‘that neither’ Anne is referring to. Unless we can assume that Anne is saying Not for nothin’, in which case she’s not really referring to anything in particular, and she’s just introducing her next thought. We can, however, find out specifically what is the ‘pang that pinches.’ Here’s the next lines.

             His highness having lived so long with her, and she

            So good a lady that no tongue could ever

            Pronounce dishonour of her, -by my life,

            She never knew harm-doing; -O, now, after

            So many courses of the sun enthroned,

            Still growing in a majesty and pomp,- the which

            To leave a thousand-fold more bitter than

            ‘Tis sweet at first t’acquire,-after this process,

            To give her the avaunt! It is a pity

            Would move a monster.

 So, what’s the pang that pinches? The 'she' being referred to is the King's current wife, Queen Katherine of Aaragon. And the pinch is that it is going to be very difficult for Anne to get Queen Katherine out of the picture. That’s the pang that pinches.

 Regardless of what’s going on here, I have to say that I like that little expression: the pang that pinches. I wonder if that was a common saying back then. I might have to work that into my vernacular. I can pretty much use that anywhere. Right?

How do you like today's picture. It's a picture of the pang that pinches me this morning. That's right, it's a picture of nothing. What could be better than that?

 A largess universal, like the sun,

His liberal eye doth give to everyone,

Thawing cold fear. Then, mean and gentle all,

Behold, as may unworthiness define,

A little touch of Harry in the night:

  

-Chorus

King Henry The Fifth            Act IV, Prologue, Line 45

 

We're talking about Henry V, referred to here as Harry, going amongst the troops on the night before the battle of Agincourt. This is a very major battle in this play and in British history. The Brits, led by Harry, are in France outside the town of Agincourt. They are about to face the French in battle, and the French outnumber the Brits somewhere around two to one. And whilst the Brits are going to win, they don’t know that now. They just now that they are outnumbered. The play paints the picture of everyone being scared except Harry, and he in turn going around and revving everyone up. Harry is the hero of the battle of Agincourt. He’s the sun that thaws cold fear, and everyone feels a little touch of Harry. That’s an interesting bit there. It’s not the encouragement of the King. It’s a little touch of Harry. That’s funny, isn’t it?  

 

  A little bit of Jessica

A song today instead of a picture. I couldn't find a song about a little touch of Harry, but I hope you'll enjoy this one instead.

 

Here at the door; I pray you, let them in.

 -Iago

 Othello                                                Act II, Scene iii, Line 44

 Well, it’s Iago talking, and it appears that he’s anxious to have someone let in. So it’s pretty much assumed that whoever is at the door is wittingly or unwittingly a part of some Iagoish skullduggery. The one good thing about Iago is that you always know what you’re dealing with: a lying, manipulating, self-serving creep. The odd thing is that we realize this, but no one in the play does. Do you suppose that when they read the history books fifty years from now kids will be asking why so many people couldn’t see today’s Iago for who and what he was? I think I might have said this before.

 

 

I guess I gotta stop posting this picture of an orange. It's not fair to the orange.

 

 

Sheathe your dagger:

 

-Marcus Brutus

Julius Caesar                          Act IV, Scene iii, Line 107

 

Well, today is election day. I was sitting upstairs combing through the news on my smartphone and getting more and more upset. So I decided to come down here to my office and try to escape into some of Will’s stuff. And today’s Totally Random line seems proper. Sheathe your dagger. Settle down. Let it all be.

I listened to the first half of this scene and it’s all about Cassius and Brutus getting into a really heated argument and yelling at each other. The fight culminates with Cassius taking out his dagger and offering to let Brutus cut his heart out. And then the tone softens as Brutus says Sheathe your dagger. After that they both calm down and kiss and make up. Well, there’s not actually any kissing, but you know what I mean.  

So, regarding the election, and the news and all, I need to sheathe my dagger. I guess it’s good advice for all of us. I’ll try.

 

Here's a good pic. That's Jess in the middle with her two friends Lizzy and Nell. They look pretty happy. No yelling or fighting; just smiles. The way it should be. 

 

And as she runs, the bushes in the way

Some catch her by the neck, some kiss her face,

Some twined about her thigh to make her stay:

She wildly breaketh from their strict embrace,

Like a milch doe, whose swelling dugs do ache,

Hasting to feed her fawn hid in some brake.

 

-Narrator

 Venus And Adonis                               Line 1871

 

I think she’s running to see what’s happened to Adonis. He’s gone hunting and I think this is the part where she’s going to find him dead or dying. I’m pretty sure, but not positive.

By the way, ‘dugs’ are nipples. So that’s an interesting simile, isn’t it.

Here's a picture of my thumb. I hope you weren't expecting a picture of a nipple.

 

O, from what power hast thou this powerful might

With insufficiency my heart to sway?

To make me give the lie to my true sight,

And swear that brightness doth not grace the day?

 

Sonnet 150                                          First Stanza

 

Thoughts? Personally, I can’t help but relate it to current politics, and more specifically to the incumbent. But that’s just me.