Excuse me please, for crashing into this thread, but I'm searching down the source of what I think is a Shakespeare quote, and I Just.Can't.Find the damned thing on the interwebs myself, so I'm hoping it will ping one of you...
I was reading a story that uses a lot of references to Romeo and Juliet, and I've tracked down all but the Istabul/Constantinople mentions. At one point the two lovers are about to be tragically separated, and one says to the other: "Years from now," Nick said, his voice rough and uneven. "In Istanbul. I'll wait for you." And when they are finally reunited, "Thy lips are warm," Nick murmured, and JC's heart pounded in his chest again. / "Istanbul to Constantinople," he replied, and kissed the curve of Nick's smile.
There was no reason anywhere in the story for them to be referring to Istanbul, so I assumed it was part of the R&J homage. Not to mention that it sounds vaguely familiar to me, as though I ought to be able to place it. What about you guys? Does it ring any bells? (Other than Oz and Willow, that is.)
Well, it's not in Romeo & Juliet, I found a searchable copy, and neither Istanbul nor Constantinople are there.
Heh. It's a They Might Be Giants song, but no Shakespeare that I know of.
Connie, thanks for looking. It's been so many years since I read the play start-to-finish that I couldn't be certain. And yet, it does seem like it's nudging at my memory somehow.
"Thy lips are warm." is from Romeo and Juliet. It is what Juliet says after the Romeo's fake suicide just before she commits the real thing with a dagger. The Istanbul to Constantinople thing, not so much that I can find.
I'm assuming it's a
They Might Be Giants
thing. What with the whole date reference.
I thought perhaps Constantinople might be referenced in
Antony and Cleopatra,
if anything, but I just did a quick search on a searchable text version, and evidently not.
And, really, (although this is the kind of sweeping assertion that just begs someone to come prove you wrong) I can't see Shakespeare writing "Istanbul to Constantinople" - from his POV the transition would be Constantinople to Istanbul, anyway, and although Istanbul was a term in use from the 10th Century, I don't know how common it would have been in Britain at that period.
Well, it's a TMBG cover. That's an old song.
"Thy lips are warm." is from Romeo and Juliet. It is what Juliet says after the Romeo's fake suicide just before she commits the real thing with a dagger.
yep -- Act 5, scene 3
The story also uses the lark/nightingale quote, and I knew that one straight off. But this Istanbul/Constantinople thing mystifies me. There is no earthly reason for those words to even be in the story unless they're a reference to something, and it's driving me nuts. (There's also one quick reference to Paris in regards to a character, which threw me for a moment until I realized it was a reference to Count Paris, not the city.)
I found the They Might Be Giants lyrics (which brought back a memory of hearing it sung once a cappella), but I don't think they apply to the situation here.
Well, it's a TMBG cover. That's an old song.
Megan beat me to it. Original version is from the 50s or thereabouts.
There is no earthly reason for those words to even be in the story unless they're a reference to something, and it's driving me nuts
Well, it could be about constancy and almost a deeper reference to the idea that a "rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Changing the name of Constantinople changes little about the history, character or architecture of the city. It's a re-reference to that idea, perhaps.
