The Comedy of Errors (28 page)

56
beams
sunrays/invisible beams thought to be emitted by the eyes

58
wink
close one’s eyes

66
My … claim
my heaven on earth and my only hope of heaven

68
Call … thee
i.e. call yourself sister for I am attached to you as you would have me be to her

73
good will
approval

80
besides myself
myself also/out of my senses

86
have
possess sexually

89
a beast
may pun on “abased” (i.e. in a sexually servile position)

93
reverent
worthy, commanding

94
‘sir-reverence’
“save your reverence,” an apology for having said or done something offensive; also a euphemism for “dung”

95
lean
slender

98
wench
servant

99
grease
puns on “grace”

101
tallow
animal fat used for candles and soap

101
Poland winter
i.e. a long time

102
week
may pun on “wick”

104
complexion
physical appearance

105
Swart
swarthy, dark-complexioned

106
sweats
sweats so much that

106
go over
polish/be up to his

109
in grain
ingrained

113
ell
forty-five inches

117
find out
discover/locate

121
bogs
marshes/anus

123
barrenness … hand
i.e. her palms are dry, callused, and hard

126
armed and reverted
probably alludes to syphilitic sores and hair loss

129
chalky cliffs
white cliffs of Dover/teeth

131
salt rheum
English Channel/watery discharge from the eyes or nose

133
hot … breath
as if she had been eating garlic or spicy food

137
rubies, carbuncles, sapphires
precious stones/sores and pimples

137
declining … aspect
looking down (possibly implying a large or hooked nose)

138
armadoes … ballast
fleets of large ships to be loaded

140
Belgia
Belgium

140
Netherlands
also known as the Low Countries, so alludes here to nether regions, genitalia

142
drudge
servant

142
diviner
witch

143
assured
betrothed

143
privy
private

144
of
on

147
curtal dog
dog with a docked tail

148
turn i’th’wheel
tread a wheel to turn a spit

149
hie
hasten

149
presently
immediately

149
post
hasten

149
road
harbor

150
An if
if

150
from shore
out to sea

151
harbour
remain

152
bark put forth
ship set sail

155
trudge
leave

158
witches
a term applied to both sexes

160
my
my very

162
sovereign
excellent

165
to
of

169
lo
look

170
ta’en you
caught up with you

171
stay
delay

173
What please
whatever pleases

174
bespoke
ordered

183
vain
foolish

185
shifts
stratagems

187
stay
wait

Act 4 Scene 1

1
Pentecost
Whitsunday, seven weeks (or fifty days) after Easter Sunday

3
had
would

5
present satisfaction
immediate payment

6
attach
arrest

7
Even just
exactly

8
growing
owed

12
Pleaseth
if it please

13
discharge
settle

16
rope’s end
i.e. for flogging

21
I … rope
slightly ambiguous; perhaps “pound” plays on “beatings,” or Dromio simply drawls that he would as gladly buy a rope as he would receive a thousand pounds

22
holp up
helped

25
Belike
perhaps

25
love
friendship

25
too long
longer

27
Saving
with respect to

28
utmost
final

29
chargeful fashion
excellent workmanship

30
ducats
gold coins

31
debted
indebted

33
stays but
waits only

34
present
ready

38
Disburse
pay out

39
Perchance
perhaps

41
I … enough
I do not come in time

48
dalliance
idle talk

49
to
to go to

50
chid
rebuked

51
shrew
scolding woman/mischievous man

52
dispatch
hurry up

56
by some token
with some evidence (that I come on your authority)

57
humour … breath
exhaust the joke

59
brook
tolerate

60
whe’er
whether

60
answer
pay

68
stands upon
affects

68
credit
reputation/financial standing

69
suit
request

71
touches
injures

74
that
for that which

76
fee
public officers were entitled to a private fee for their actions

78
apparently
openly

81
you … dear
this jest will cost you as much

82
answer
amount to

83
law
my legal rights

84
notorious shame
public humiliation

87
fraughtage
cargo

89
balsamum
aromatic resin

89
aqua-vitae
alcoholic spirit

90
in her trim
in fine condition

93
peevish
prattling, bleating

93
sheep
fool (plays on
ship
in the following line)

95
hire waftage
buy our passage

98
rope’s end
flogging

101
list
listen to

101
heed
attention

102
straight
immediately

110
Dowsabel
generic term for a sweetheart, from French
douce et belle
(“gentle and beautiful”); here ironically applied to Nell

111
compass
embrace/circumnavigate

113
minds
wishes

Act 4 Scene 2

2
austerely
seriously, sincerely

4
or
either

5
observation
plays on sense of “astronomical measurement”

6
meteors … face
emotional conflict discernible in his appearance

6
tilting
in contest

7
no
any

8
spite
sorrow/humiliation

10
true … were
he spoke the truth (for he is behaving like a stranger) and yet he lied (as he is my husband)

15
honest
genuine/noble

17
speak him fair
encourage him

19
hold me still
remain silent/patient

20
his
its

21
sere
withered

22
shapeless
unshapely, ugly

24
Stigmatical in making
physically deformed

26
wailed
grieved for

28
would … worse
wish others saw him as less desirable

29
Far … away
to divert attention from the young in her nest, the
lapwing
calls from elsewhere

35
Tartar limbo
hellish prison/pagan hell

36
everlasting
fabric from which police uniform was made/eternal

37
buttoned … steel
probably alludes to steel buttons of a police uniform

38
fairy
supernatural spirit

38
rough
cruel

39
fellow … buff
sergeant or other official in a uniform made of durable ox-hide leather

40
back-friend
false friend

40
shoulder-clapper
arresting officer

40
countermands
prohibits

64
stealing
creeping/robbing

65
in
stands in

65
theft
a thief

66
turn … hour
turn back time so that he can run away

69
pressed down
burdened/depressed

69
conceit
imaginings

70
comfort … injury
i.e. because she can try to imagine all is well yet fears it is not

Act 4 Scene 3

1
salute
greet

4
tender
offer

10
wiles
delusions

11
Lapland
was notorious for witches

13
have … new-apparelled
i.e. have you managed to rid yourself of the sergeant (the
old
, or biblical
Adam
dressed himself for the first time after the Fall)

16
Adam … Paradise
conceivably a topical joke referring to an Adam who ran an inn called Paradise

17
calf’s … Prodigal
in the Bible, the skin of the fatted calf that was killed for the return of the prodigal son; here, the leather of the sergeant’s uniform

21
plain case
law case/clothing

22
bass-viol … case
cello-like instrument in a leather holder

23
sob
cry/rest (given to horses)

23
’rests them
arrests them/lets them rest

24
decayed
ruined

24
suits of durance
long confinement/durable clothing

25
sets … rest
gambles all (puns on “arrest”)

26
mace
staff, symbol of office

26
morris-pike
spear-like weapon

28
band
band of officers

29
it
for it

29
band
legal bond

31
rest
repose/arrest

32
rest in
cease

36
tarry … hoy
wait for a small coastal vessel (ironically named since a “hoy” was intended for fast sailing)

37
angels
gold coins (puns on sense of “celestial beings”)

38
distract
mad

44
avoid
away

47
dam
mother

48
habit
clothing, appearance

48
light
loose

52
burn
infect with venereal disease/burn in hell

52
Ergo
“therefore” (Latin)

54
mend
complete

54
here
perhaps at her lodgings