That Time of The Cycle

"And from that torment I will free myself,
Or hew my way out with a bloody axe.
Why, I can smile, and murder whiles I smile,
And cry 'Content!' to that that grieves my heart.
And wet my cheeks with artificial tears,
And frame my face to all occasions.
I'll drown more sailors than the Mermaid shall.
I'll slay more gazers than the basilisk.
I'll play the orator as well as Nestor.
Deceive more slily than Ulysses could,
And, like Simon, take another Troy.
Change shapes with Proteus for advantages,
And set the murderous Machiavel to school.
Can I do this, and cannot get a crown?"

- Act III, Scene ii; Shakespeare's "Henry the VI"

Photo credit: image ripped from AFSCME site