Today’s Totally Random Lines   Edward the Duke of York, the Earl of Suffolk, Sir Richard Kelly, Davy Gam, esquire; None else of name, and of all other men But five and twenty.   Henry King Henry the Fifth                    Act IV, Scene viii,  Line 104   The battle having been fought and won, Henry is here listing the English killed. Wikipedia tells me that the English dead were around six hundred, not just five and twenty. And whilst that’s a far cry from France’s six thousand, and ..read more

 Today’s Totally Random Line    First, the fair reverence of your highness curbs me From giving reins and spur to my free speech; Which else would post until it had return’d These terms of treason doubled down his throat.   Thomas Mowbray King Richard the Second        Act I, Scene i,  Line 54   This is a pretty familiar scene to me. Surprised? Anyway, it’s the first scene of King Richard the Second, the one where Bolingbroke and Mowbray are brought before the king to settle their dispute with each other.  Richard asks them ..read more

  Today’s Totally Random Lines   Property was thus appalled, That the self was not the same; Single natures double name, Neither two nor one was called.   Narrator The Phoenix and the Turtle   Lines 37 - 40   Well, let’s see. I believe this is the last time we’re going to visit this poem. It’s my fourth visit, and the poem is only sixty-seven lines long, and it’s not just that. This poem is confusing and convoluted, and nobody knows what Will's talking about. Even G.B. Harrison thinks so. In reference to this poem he says it is difficult and enigmatical, and no on ..read more

 Today’s Totally Random Lines                                             I am much sorry , sir, You put me to forget a lady’s manners, By being so verbal: and learn now, for all, That I, which know my heart, do here pronounce, By the very truth of it, I care not for you.   Imogen Cymbeline              Act II, Scene iii, Line 108   This started out by Imogen answering Cloten’s question of whether she had calle ..read more

 Today’s Totally Random Lines   Nay; good my fellows, do not please sharp fate To grace it with your sorrows.   Antony Antony and Cleopatra    Act IV, Scene xiv,  Line 135 Well, day three of retirement. Another day, and another line in a long list of Shakesperar’s characters’ last words. Perhaps we should look at the whole passage since it’s Antony’s last. And let’s face it, we have time now. Don’t worry, it’s only six lines. Nay, good my fellows, do not please sharp fate To grace it with your sorrows: bid that welcome Which comes to punish us, and we punis ..read more

 Today’s Totally Random Lines    Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.  Prince of Morocco The Merchant of Venice        Act II, Scene vi,  Line 7   This is the inscription on the second box, the silver one, and the Prince is reading it. He reads the inscriptions on all the boxes and, of course, chooses the wrong one. Portia’s picture is in the lead box which has the inscription ‘Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.’ The gold box, the one the prince chooseth says ‘Who chooseth me shall gain what many men ..read more

  Today’s Totally Random Lines   Escalus,--   Duke Measure For Measure       Act I, Scene i,  Line 1 That’s right, it’s the first line/word of the play.                                       ACT I. SCENE I. An apartment in the Duke’s palace. Enter Duke, Escalus, Lords, & Attendants. Duke               Escalus,-- Escalus   ..read more

Today’s Totally Random Lines   Look, who comes here: Will you be chid? Timon Timon of Athens           Act I, Scene i,  Line 177 That is to say, will you be scolded. Timon sees Apemantus coming and he’s warning the people that he’s talking to that Apemantus is going to be scolding them all. Though I’m not sure scolding is the right word to describe it. Timon addresses him as gentle Apemantus and the latter responds with Till I be gentle, stay thou for thy good morrow; When thou art Timon’s dog, and these knaves honest. So he’s not scoldi ..read more

 Today’s Totally Random Lines   O, no, my reasons are too deep and dead;-- Too deep and dead, poor infants, in their graves.   Queen Elizabeth King Richard the Third       Act IV, Scene iv,  Line 363   Well, we’ve been to this scene before. It’s a fairly long scene, and in this part of it Richard is trying to talk Elizabeth into helping him woo her daughter. But Elizabeth knows that Richard has killed half her family, including her young sons, so she wants no part of this. For every reason that Richard gives her to help him, she has an equ ..read more

  Today’s Totally Random Lines   This is strange: your father’s in some passion That works him strongly.   Ferdinand The Tempest                   Act IV, Scene i,  Line 144   This is at the end of the masque that Prospero is presenting for Ferdinand and Miranda. Prospero has suddenly remembered that he has to deal with Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo. This got me to thinking if I ever had to deal with the father of a girlfriend who was in a passion that worked him strongly, and I don’t think th ..read more