The earth can have but earth, which is his due;

Sonnet 74         Line 7

Ah, what the heck, I’ll give you the whole thing. It’s only fourteen lines and pretty easy to understand. The fell arrest in the first line is, I believe, death; just in case that was giving you trouble.

 

But be contented: when that fell arrest

Without all bail shall carry me away,

My life hath in this line some interest,

Which for memorial still with thee shall stay.

 

When thou reviewest this, thou dust review

The very part was consecrate to thee:

The earth can have but earth, which is his due;

My spirit is thine, the better part of me:

 

So, then, thou hast but lost the dregs of life,

The prey of worms, my body being dead;

The coward conquest of a wretched knife,

Too base of thee to be remembered.

 

The worth of that is that which it contains,

And that is this, and this with thee remains.

 

And there you go. I added the spaces between every four lines and that last two lines. I think it’s really easier to understand the sonnets when you take it this way. Each of those four line segments has its own piece of the total.

It’s pretty much the same theme as the summer’s day sonnet. That one ends with so long lives this, and this gives life to thee (I had to look it up). That poem talks about the poem giving the subject of the poem everlasting life. In this one we're talking about the sonnet giving him, the writer/speaker eternal life. Either way, the words grant eternal life, and the physical body is eventually just worm food. 

Well, we’re still talking about Will and his words four hundred years later, and Will is way past the worm food stage. Sooo…..words, eh?

No pic today. Just words.

 

I am none, by this good light.

 

-Antigonus

The Winter’s Tale           Act II Scene iii, Line 82

You tell him, Antigonus! Leontes the king has just accused Antigonus of being a traitor. He’s not, and that’s what he’s declaring in today’s Totally random line.

Couple of things:

First: Good line. Even though it’s just a simple declaration, I like the second part: by this good light. Yeah. He’s not just saying no, I’m not a traitor. He’s not swearing on the bible. By this good light. Plain as day it should be. I like it.

Second thing: Every time I read or listen to this play (I’ve never seen it performed), my first reaction is that no one could be as stupid, or as insanely and wrongly jealous, as Leontes. Yes, that’s my first impression. Then I finish my morning time with Will, and I go out and live the day in the real world and realize, lo and behold, there are people like that. I mean this in a general sense, not that I have any examples in mind of modern day Leontes. I just mean, that no matter what I see taking place in Will’s works sooner or later I see something in my, in our, world that reminds me that Will was not exaggerating.

And that’s all I’ve got for today.  

How about this good light? It's not exactly the best light in terms of giving you light to see something, but I think it's a pretty cool pic of the day's last light. 

 

 

And now you are metamorphosed with a mistress, that, when I look on you, I can hardly think you my master.

 

-Speed

The Two Gentlemen of Verona       Act II Scene i, Line 31

Valentine (one of the two titular gentlemen) is talking to Speed, his right-hand man. Valentine asks Speed how he knows that Valentine is in love. Speed answers with a paragraph of reasons, ending with today’s Totally Random line. What’s that? You want to hear all the reasons that Speed has for knowing that Valentine is in love? Okay, here you go.

        Marry, by these special marks: first, you have learned, like Sir Proteus, to wreathe your arms, like a malcontent; to relish a love song, like a robin-redbreast; to walk alone, like one that had the pestilence; to sigh, like a school-boy that had lost his A B C; to weep, like a young wench that had buried her grandam; to fast, like one that takes diet; to watch, like one that fears robbing; to speak puling, like a beggar at Hallowmas. You were wont, when you laughed, to crow like a cock; when you walked, to walk like one of the lions; when you fasted, it was presently after dinner; when you looked sadly, it was for want of money: and now you are metamorphosed with a mistress, that, when I look on you, I can hardly think you my master.

There, how’s that? It’s not all particularly easy to grasp. But perhaps you get the idea? Remember that the first word there, marry, has nothing to do with weddings. In Will’s time marry is just a sort of meaningless exclamatory, intro word that is used all over the place. It doesn’t add any meaning to the sentence. The first part of the paragraph is a list of how Valentine is acting now. Then, after You were wont, Speed lists all the ways Valentine used to act, before he was in love. As you can see, there is a marked difference. Now, in love, he’s walking alone and weeping like a girl. Before he was in love, he walked proudly like a lion and crowed like a rooster when he laughed. Sounds about right? What do you think?

 

And here's how a lion walks. He's not overstating anything, but he definitely looks like he's pretty sure he owns the place. Is that what Speed was going for?

 

Come, come, what need you blush? Shame’s a baby.—Here she is now: swear the oaths now to her that you have sworn to me.  

 

-Pandarus

Troilus and Cressida      Act III Scene ii, Line 41

 

Pandarus is talking about his daughter Cressida to Troilus and telling the latter that he must profess his love to Cressida.

Shame’s a baby. That’s my takeaway for today. Think about it.

Anyway, here’s what Troilus said to Pandarus right before the latter speaks today’s Totally Random line. He’s talking about how much he loves Cressida.

 

Even such a passion doth embrace my bosom:

My heart beats thicker than a feverous pulse;

And all my powers do their bestowing lose,

Like vassalage at unaware encountering

The eye of majesty.

 

‘So tell my daughter that, you knucklehead!’ That’s what Pandarus is saying to Troilus. Of course, he says it a little differently because Will is putting the words in Pandarus's mouth, not Pete. I don't think I'd every come up with shame's a baby. 

Though I wish I could.

 

Thou shalt not be the worse for me: there’s gold.

 

-Duke of Ilyria

Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will          Act V Scene 1, Line 26

 

The duke is talking to Feste, the clown. Feste, who’s listed in the play simply as ‘clown’, is a typical Shakespearean clown in that he is no clown. That is to say, though he plays the fool, he is one of the wiser people in the play. This can be exemplified by the fact that he’s just managed to talk the duke out of some gold, without hardly trying. Oh, to be such a fool!

 

Come to think of it, I may not have people handing me gold, but, I do okay. Call me Feste if you like.

 

My dearest wife was like this maid, and such a one

My daughter might have been:

 

-Pericles

Pericles, Prince of Tyre         Act V Scene i, Line 106

 

Pretty straight forward. Pericles is seeing his daughter Marina as an adult for the first time. He doesn’t know yet that it’s his daughter, he thinks that both his wife and daughter are dead, and he makes this comment. Simple as that.

However, I found another line (it’s actually in the next scene) that I’d like to draw your attention to. Here’s Pericles talking about going to go get ready for his daughter’s wedding:

 

And what this fourteen years no razor touch’d,

To grace thy marriage-day, I’ll beautify.

 

He’s going to go beautify himself! I love it. I use that phrase all the time; had no idea I was quoting Shakespeare. Don’t believe me? Just ask Patrice. She’ll tell you.

Here's a pic of pre-beautified Pete. So you can see why I need to beautify.

 

Now, fair one, does your business follow us?

-King

All’s Well That Ends Well      Act II Scene i, Line 100

 

The king is speaking to Helena who has just walked into the king’s room in the palace. He’s just asking her what’s up, or what can we do for you? That’s an interesting way of putting things: does your business follow us.

Now, there’s a couple of ways of looking at Shakespeare’s use of language. One way, perhaps most prevalent in the student, is that it’s impossible to understand. And I can see how someone would feel that way. Does your business follow us: what does that even mean? But another way to look at Shakespeare’s language is to marvel at all the different, interesting, and beautiful ways he can say things. Now, is does your business follow us simply a common expression of Will’s times that he’s sharing with us? I don’t know. But whether he’s creating it, or just sharing it, I guess I would say that it doesn’t really matter to me. Either way, it’s an example of marvelous language that we wouldn’t otherwise have.

Having said all of that, I think we can also say that this is the crux of Will's works in toto. When reading or hearing Shakespeare, you simply must embrace the language. You can't hold it at arms- length and expect to get a full appreciation. You can't. Take it in. Immerse yourself and roll around in it. Surrender yourself to it. It's the only way you're ever going to fully appreciate Shakespeare.