Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

 

Three thousand ducats for three months, and Antonio bound.

 

Shylock

The Merchant of Venice            Act I,  Scene iii,  Line 56

 

A ducat, of course, is some form of old Italian money. Antonio bound means that Antonio will sign for it.

Three thousand ducats. Shylock opens the scene with those words as he and Bassanio are discussing the loan. Three thousand ducats. This three thousand ducats might be considered the piece around which this whole play revolves. It’s the three thousand ducats that Bassanio needs to buy his way into the Portia lottery, and it’s the unpaid three thousand ducats that leads to the trial scene and the pound of flesh.

Three thousand ducats. As is so often the case, in this story it’s all about the Benjamins.

 

A Benjamin!

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 Come; come away, man- I was sent to call thee.

Panthino
Two Gentlemen of Verona    Act II,  Scene iii,  Line xx

Wouldn’t you know it; we were in this same scene just last week. And I bet you’re asking: Who the heck is Panthino? Well so am I.

Apparently he’s a minor character in this play who’s put in this scene for Launce to interact with. I’m not sure if he has any other scenes or not. I just looked it up: he has 36 lines, 81% in verse, making up less than 2% of the play's lines. He shows up in 3 scenes.

That’s probably quite a bit more than you really wanted to know about Panthino.

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

 

Nay, ‘twill be this hour ere I have done weeping; All the kind of Launces have this very fault.

 

Launce

Two Gentlemen Of Verona            Act II, Scene iii, Line 1

 

So this is the very first line of the scene. The setting is a street in Verona and the stage direction to start the scene is Enter Launce, leading his dog. That’s right - Launce has a dog. We don’t know if the dog is on a leash, or free roaming. We do, however, find out the dog’s name. It’s Crab. The dog is named Crab. And Launce spends the next thirty-five or so lines explaining how he and his entire family are sad that he has to leave to go to Milan with Proteus.

 Everyone is sad except Crab. Apparently, Crab couldn’t care less and Launce is finding that a bit upsetting. To be clear, Launce is described as a clownish servant to Proteus, so he’s basically in this play for the comedic value. And it’s a pretty silly soliloquy. It’s not that funny to read, but I can see how someone with comedic talent could make it funny on stage. I mean, how sad can you expect a dog to act?

I’ll have to listen to this scene sometime to see what I get out of it. Unfortunately, now is not that time. Unfortunately.

I don't have a picture of a Dog named Crab, but I do have a picture of a Cat named Bird. 

That will have to do. 

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

The lady stirs.                                   [Juliet awakes]

 

Friar Laurence

Romeo and Juliet           Act V, Scene iii, Line 147

 

It’s Friar Knucklehead talking today. Sounds like a movie title, doesn’t it? The Lady Stirs, starring Joan Crawford. Maybe it was. I don’t know. However, for today it’s not a movie title, it’s Friar Knucklehead seeing Juliet waking up. Romeo is already dead, and what’s the first thing Juliet says?

O comfortable friar! Where is my lord?

Comfortable friar: that’s an odd adjective, isn’t it? Comfortable? And she’s about to get from him anything but comfort when he tells her in his next lines that Romeo is dead. But of course, Friar Comfortable is a step ahead of her. He’s already got the next move mapped out.

Come, I’ll dispose of thee among a sisterhood of holy nuns.

Sure, she was planning on waking up and finding her love Romeo and spending the rest of her life with him.

But he’s dead, says Knucklehead, so get moving and I’ll have you settled in a nice comfy convent for the rest of your life. It’s almost the same thing. No need to thank me.

Friar Comfortable! Yah, I don’t think so. Let’s stick with Friar Knucklehead.

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

Since, lords of England, it is thus agreed

That peaceful truce shall be proclaim’d in France,

We come to be informed by yourselves

What the conditions of that league must be.

 

Charles (King of France)

Henry the Sixth Part I           Act V, Scene iv, Line 116

Well, what about this line do I need to explain? I should think nothing. And what will come of nothing? One might say nothing.

And here's your pic for today. What is it? Nothing, of course.

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

 

 

So cowards fight when they can fly no further;

So doves do peck the falcon’s piercing talons;

So desperate thieves, all hopeless of their lives,

Breathe out invectives against the officers.

 

Clifford

Henry the Sixth Part III                Act I, Scene iv, Line 43

 

Good lines, eh? Clifford is addressing York who has been captured. York is being defiant in defeat, and today’s lines are Clifford’s response to that. I can particularly picture that last image: someone having been caught doing something illegal and swearing at the people who have caught them. Though in afterthought, I’ve probably only seen that in tv or the movies. But that’s the same as real life, isn’t it?

As always, I tried to find a relevant picture for today's post. Well, I thought I might be able to find a picture of a hawk, which is kind of like a falcon. But then I decided I would settle for a picture of any bird, so I settled on this picture of a parrot on Patrice's shoulder. 

Wait a minute; what the heck, that's not a parrot.

 

 

 

Today’s Totally Random Line(s)

  

There all is marr’d; there lies a cooling card.

Suffolk

Henry the Sixth Part I                   Act V, Scene III, Line 84

 

Oy! Marr’d I think is marred; mar – botch up.

But a cooling card? And where is there?

Okay, I think the there that he’s referring to is the fact that he has a wife. So I guess the cooling card means the thing that’s going to put a damper on what he’s thinking about (actually, I'm not guessing; I found one of my books with a footnote on cooling card). What’s he thinking about? He’s thinking that this Margaret lady he’s talking to is beyond mighty fine, and that he’d like to have his way with her. But the fact that he’s married is going to botch things up and put a damper on any plans he has about going after Margaret.

How’s that?

Ohh, that's not a cooling card, that's a business card. Who are you trying to fool?

I do like the cooling card phrase, though. I'd like to remember and use that one. But you know me; I'll forget. And my forgetfulness will be the cooling card on using the phrase the cooling card.

Oy.