O Happy Dagger..

Two very diverse and frankly conflicting influences led to his particular train of though.. which led to this post.. Its also led me to seriously question something i very firmly believe in.. the concept of a "Happily ever after"..
The first is an observation that I made during a conversation about the afore mentioned concept with a certain fellow victim of the down-on-your-luck-in-love syndrome.. every single story of great love from literature that i've ever enjoyed, never runs its course.. its always a wild and passionate love that survives despite the lovers not ending up together for one reason or another.. one of the following always happens..

- One of them is killed by an accident/terminal illness, while the other holds their hand in the final moment in the hospital.

- They realise that they cannot be together in life so kill themselves so they can be together in death.

- Or (and this one's my favorite) the great sacrifice.. when one of them pushes the other out of the way of a stray bullet/speeding automobile, and dies in the other's arms with a final "I love you".

The other point, ruminating on the first one while we discuss this ofcourse, comes from a certain high-grossing-giant-special-effects-hollywood-extravaganza kinda film that i rather enjoyed. The hero.. no villain.. no hero.. well its unclear what he really is, makes a statement towards the end of the movie.. "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"..

while this is not a direct reference to the theme brought up by Point One, one can draw a parallel.. which brings me to the conclusion that planted the seed of doubt in my firm fairytale fancies.. What if all great love is doomed to an extremely short shelf life? What if the only kind of love that really survives in the long run is the average, mediocre kind? but most importantly.. what do you do when the great, all consuming love just doesn't seem enough?

O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick.
Thus with a kiss I die.

Romeo had it easy..

A word or two before you go..

Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate
Nor set down aught in malice: then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well;

The Othello Rap..

I have now been a part of two productions of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)". For anybody who's not seen or read the play, you guys are reaaaally missing out on something.. Originally written and performed by The Reduced Shakespeare Company, the play is side splittingly funny.. for more check out the link http://www.reducedshakespeare.com/shakespeare.php
Here's one of my favorite bits from the play... The othello rap..

Here's the story of a brother
by the name of Othello.
He liked white women
and he liked green Jell-O.
And a punk named Iago
who made himself a menace
Because he didn't like Othello,
the Moor of Venice.
Now Othello got married to Desdemona.
But he went off to the wars and he left her alona.
It was a mona--A groana--He left her alona.
He didn't write a letter and didn't telefona.
Desdemona she was faithful, she was chastity-tight.
She was the daughter of the Duke. Yeah, she was totally white.
Now Othello loved Desi like Adonis loved Venus.
And Desi loved Othello --'Cuz he had a big.... ummm.... sword.
Iago said, I'm gonna shaft the Moor.
How're you gonna do it? Tell us.
Well, I know his tragic flaw:
He's too damn jealous.
I need a dupe, I need a dope, I need a kind of a schmo.
So he found himself a chump sucker by the name of Cassio.
So he plants on him Desdemona's handkerchiefs.
So Othello starts wondering just maybe if
while he's been out fighting,
Commanding an army.
were Desi and Cass playing hide the salami?
Salami, salami, s-s-salami.
So he comes back home and stuck a pillow on her face.
Kills her and soliloquizes 'bout his disgrace.
But there's Amelia at the door
who we met in Act IV.
Who says, "You big dummy. She weren't no ho."
She was pure, clean, virginal too.
So why'd you have to go and make her face turn blue?
It's true.
It's you.
Now what you gonna do?
And Othello says, Damn, this is getting pretty scary.
So he pulled out a blade and committed hara-kiri.
Do that funky Moor thing, white boy.
Iago got caught but he probably copped a plea.
Loaded up his bags
And moved to Beverly.
Hills, that is.