Blog Assignment #6

Just do your thang honey!

I could feel it from the start,
Couldn't stand to be apart.
Something about you caught my eye,
Something moved me deep inside!
Don't know what you did boy but
You had it and I've been hooked ever since.
I told my mother, my brother, my sister and my friend
I told the others, my lovers, both past and present tense.
Everytime I see you everything starts making sense.

Just do your thang honey!

Ain't no other man, can stand up next to you
Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do
(what you do).
You're the kinda guy, a girl finds in a blue moon.
You got soul, you got class.
You got style with your bad ass - oh yeah!
Ain't no other man its true - all right -
Ain't no other man but you.

Just do your thang honey!

Never thought I'd be all right. No, no, no!
Till you came and changed my life. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
What was cloudy now is clear! Yeah, yeah!
You're the light that I needed.
You got what I want boy, and I want it!
So keep on givin' it up!

Tell your mother, your brother, your sister, and your friend.
And the others, your lovers, better not be present tense.
Cause I want everyone to know that you are mine and no one else's!

Oooooooo, oh!

Ain't no other man, can stand up next to you
Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do
(what you do).
You're the kinda guy, a girl finds in a blue moon.
You got soul, you got class.
You got style your bad ass - oh yeah!
Ain't no other man it's true - all right -
Ain't no other man but you.

Break it down now!

Ain't no other, ain't, ain't no other! (other)
Ain't no other, ain't, ain't no other LOVER!
Ain't no other, I, I, I need no other!
Ain't no other man but you!

Ohhhh!

You are there when I'm a mess
Talk me down from every ledge
Give me strength, boy you're the best
You're the only one who's ever passed every test

Ain't no other man, can stand up next to you
Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do
(what you do).
You're the kinda guy, a girl finds in a blue moon.
(You're the kinda guy, a girl finds oooo yeahh)
You got soul, you got class.
You got style your bad ass - oh yeah!
Ain't no other man it's true - all right -
Ain't no other man but you.

And now I'm tellin' you, so ain't no other man but you.

Ain't no other man, can stand up next to you
Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do
(what you do).
You're the kinda guy, a girl finds in a blue moon.
You got soul, you got class.
You got style your bad ass - oh yeah!
Ain't no other man it's true - all right -
Ain't no other man but you.

The other day Claudius and I were talking about the future of our kingdom, after we have passed from this world, and while I found the topic to be quite depressing at first, it got me thinking about my funeral and how I want to be remembered.  This might surprise some of you because apparently most of you don’t expect this line of thinking from me, but I feel that this is important. 

 After our conversation I felt the need to center my thoughts and a walk around the palace seemed like the perfect plan.  So I set out in the direction of the gardens and it was there that I got to thinking about my feelings for Claudius.  At my funeral I want to make sure that Claudius knows how much I cared for him and how much he has helped me these past few months.  I also think it’s important that Claudius doesn’t focus so much on the fact that I’m gone, but on more positive things.  The song “Ain’t No Other Man” by Christina Aguilera explains how I feel perfectly and would convey it well.  He has been so wonderful since my late husband’s death and I don’t know how I could have gone through these last couple of months without him.  While some, like my son Hamlet, see my marriage to Claudius as hasty, and say things like, “The funeral baked meats, did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.” (1.2.187-188) they do not know the truth of what occurred between Claudius and I.  They could never understand that to me Claudius could just as easily be compared to Hyperion as my late husband.  They only see him as “a mildewed ear blasting his wholesome brother.” (3.4.74-75).  I have also heard some say since I am well on in my years that my “blood is tame” (3.4.79) and that I should never have married Claudius after Hamlet’s death.  My marriage has also been referred to as being “incestuous” (1.2.162) and I truly do not understand why these people feel the need to attack me like this.  Why is it so wrong to love another after the death of a previous husband?  Why do people presume to know the ways of the heart?  It seems pretty clear to me that if you love someone you should marry them.

 I know that some of you are questioning whether or not I ever loved Hamlet.  To those of you that are thinking this I just want to say that I did in fact love him and that his death has caused me much grief.  The only reason that I’m doing as well as I am right now is because Claudius has been there and I’ve been able to lean on him for support.  As Christina Aguilera says, “What was cloudy is now clear…you’re the light that I needed.”  In this case Claudius was the light that I needed to get over Hamlet and I want him to know that.  And contrary to what Hamlet believes I think that the line “Ain’t no other man can stand up next to you,” describes Claudius perfectly.  I know that Hamlet thinks that Claudius is “no more like [his] father,” (1.2.156) than he is to Hercules, but in reality I feel that Claudius exhibits many fine traits that I never saw in Hamlet.  I hope that Claudius will understand this when he hears this song because I know Hamlet’s judgment of his character has upset him a great deal.  Another line that I hope Claudius understand is “You are there when I’m a mess, talk me down from every ledge, give me strength,” because he truly has helped me out of a dark time in my life.  It helped a lot when he formerly recognized me as his Queen in front of everyone and declared me the “imperial jointress” (1.2.9) over Denmark because returning to the tasks that I had before Hamlet’s death has helped keep my mind off of things and remember what’s truly important, which is the welfare of my subjects. 

 I hope that the line “I could feel it from the start, couldn’t stand to be apart.” will let Claudius know that even from the beginning of our marriage I loved him.  That not even Hamlet’s attacks against him like when he said, “A murderer and a villain…a vice of kings, a cutpurse of the empire and the rule,” (3.4.110-113) could diminish my feelings for him. 

I hope that the line “Never thought I’d be alright…till you came and changed my life.” reminds Claudius that after Hamlet’s funeral I was “like Niobe, all tears-“ (1.2.153).  I want him to know that he helped me move on and be happy again.  Without him I feel like I would’ve never fully healed from the loss of Hamlet.  I hope that when I do leave this world (hopefully not to soon in the future!) that Claudius will hear this song and think of how much I loved him and that it will make my passing just a little bit easier for him.

 

Gertrude