Read William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition Online

Authors: William Shakespeare

Tags: #Drama, #Literary Criticism, #Shakespeare

William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition (543 page)

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INNOGEN

I will write.

Send your trunk to me, it shall safe be kept,
And truly yielded you. You’re very welcome.

Exeunt severally

2.1
Enter Cloten and the two Lords

CLOTEN Was there ever man had such luck? When I kissed the jack upon an upcast, to be hit away! I had a hundred pound on’t, and then a whoreson jackanapes must take me up for swearing, as if I borrowed mine oaths of him, and might not spend them at my pleasure.

FIRST LORD What got he by that? You have broke his pate with your bowl.

SECOND LORD (
aside
) If his wit had been like him that broke it, it would have run all out.

CLOTEN When a gentleman is disposed to swear it is not for any standers-by to curtail his oaths, ha?

SECOND LORD No, my lord (
aside
)—nor crop the ears of them.

CLOTEN Whoreson dog! I give him satisfaction? Would he had been one of my rank.

SECOND LORD (
aside
) To have smelled like a fool.

CLOTEN I am not vexed more at anything in th‘earth. A pox on’t, I had rather not be so noble as I am. They dare not fight with me because of the Queen, my mother. Every jack-slave hath his bellyful of fighting, and I must go up and down like a cock that nobody can match.

SECOND LORD (
aside
) You are cock and capon too an you crow cock with your comb on.

CLOTEN Sayst thou?

SECOND LORD It is not fit your lordship should undertake every companion that you give offence to.

CLOTEN No, I know that, but it is fit I should commit offence to my inferiors.

SECOND LORD Ay, it is fit for your lordship only.

CLOTEN Why, so I say.

FIRST LORD Did you hear of a stranger that’s come to court tonight?

CLOTEN A stranger, and I not know on’t?

SECOND LORD (
aside
) He’s a strange fellow himself and knows it not.

FIRST LORD There’s an Italian come, and, ’tis thought, one of Leonatus’ friends.

CLOTEN Leonatus? A banished rascal; and he’s another, whatsoever he be. Who told you of this stranger?

FIRST LORD One of your lordship’s pages.

CLOTEN Is it fit I went to look upon him? Is there no derogation in’t?

SECOND LORD You cannot derogate, my lord.

CLOTEN Not easily, I think.

SECOND LORD (aside) You are a fool granted, therefore your issues, being foolish, do not derogate.

CLOTEN Come, I’ll go see this Italian. What I have lost today at bowls I’ll win tonight of him. Come, go.

SECOND LORD I’ll attend your lordship.

Exeunt Cloten and First Lord

That such a crafty devil as is his mother
Should yield the world this ass!—a woman that
Bears all down with her brain, and this her son
Cannot take two from twenty, for his heart,
And leave eighteen. Alas, poor princess,
Thou divine Innogen, what thou endur‘st,
Betwixt a father by thy stepdame governed,
A mother hourly coining plots, a wooer
More hateful than the foul expulsion is
Of thy dear husband, than that horrid act
Of the divorce he’d make! The heavens hold firm
The walls of thy dear honour, keep unshaked
That temple, thy fair mind, that thou mayst stand
T’enjoy thy banished lord and this great land! Exit

2.2
A trunk
⌈
and arras
⌉.
A bed is
⌈
thrust forth
⌉
with Innogen
in
it, reading a book. Enter
to
her Helen, a lady

INNOGEN

Who’s there? My woman Helen?

HELEN Please you, madam.

INNOGEN

What hour is it?

HELEN

Almost midnight, madam.

INNOGEN

I have read three hours then. Mine eyes are weak.
Fold down the leaf where I have left. To bed.
Take not away the taper; leave it burning,
And if thou canst awake by four o’th’ clock,
I prithee call me. Sleep hath seized me wholly.

⌈
Exit Helen
⌉

To your protection I commend me, gods.
From fairies and the tempters of the night
Guard me, beseech ye.

She sleeps
.
Giacomo comes from the trunk

GIACOMO

The crickets sing, and man’s o‘er-laboured sense
Repairs itself by rest. Our Tarquin thus
Did softly press the rushes ere he wakened
The chastity he wounded. Cytherea,
How bravely thou becom’st thy bed! Fresh lily,
And whiter than the sheets! That I might touch,
But kiss, one kiss! Rubies unparagoned,
How dearly they do‘t! ’Tis her breathing that
Perfumes the chamber thus. The flame o‘th’ taper
Bows toward her, and would underpeep her lids,
To see th’enclosed lights, now canopied
Under these windows, white and azure-laced
With blue of heaven’s own tinct. But my design-
To note the chamber. I will write all down.

He writes in his tables

Such and such pictures, there the window, such
Th‘adornment of her bed, the arras, figures,
Why, such and such; and the contents o’th’ story.
Ah, but some natural notes about her body
Above ten thousand meaner movables
Would testify t’enrich mine inventory.
O sleep, thou ape of death, lie dull upon her,
And be her sense but as a monument
Thus in a chapel lying. Come off, come off;
As slippery as the Gordian knot was hard.

He takes the bracelet from her arm

‘Tis mine, and this will witness outwardly,
As strongly as the conscience does within,
To th’ madding of her lord. On her left breast
A mole, cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops
I’th’ bottom of a cowslip. Here’s a voucher
Stronger than ever law could make. This secret
Will force him think I have picked the lock and
ta’en
The treasure of her honour. No more. To what end?
Why should I write this down that’s riveted,
Screwed to my memory? She hath been reading late,
The tale of Tereus. Here the leaf’s turned down
Where Philomel gave up. I have enough.
To th’ trunk again, and shut the spring of it.
Swift, swift, you dragons of the night, that dawning
May bare the raven’s eye! I lodge in fear.
Though this’ a heavenly angel, hell is here.

Clock strikes

One, two, three. Time, time!

Exit into the trunk.
⌈
The bed and trunk are removed
⌉

2.3
Enter Cloten and the two Lords

FIRST LORD Your lordship is the most patient man in loss, the most coldest that ever turned up ace.

CLOTEN It would make any man cold to lose.

FIRST LORD But not every man patient after the noble temper of your lordship. You are most hot and furious when you win.

CLOTEN Winning will put any man into courage. If I could get this foolish Innogen I should have gold enough. It’s almost morning, is’t not?

FIRST LORD Day, my lord.

CLOTEN I would this music would come. I am advised to give her music o’ mornings; they say it will penetrate.

Enter Musicians

Come on, tune. If you can penetrate her with your fingering, so; we’ll try with tongue too. If none will do, let her remain; but I’ll never give o’er. First, a very excellent good-conceited thing; after, a wonderful sweet air with admirable rich words to it; and then let her consider.

⌈
Music
⌉

⌈MUSICIAN⌉ (
sings
)

Hark, hark, the lark at heaven gate sings,
And Phoebus gins arise,
His steeds to water at those springs
On chaticed flowers that lies,
And winking Mary-buds begin to ope their golden eyes;
With everything that pretty is, my lady sweet, arise,
Arise, arise!

CLOTEN So, get you gone. If this penetrate I will consider your music the better; if it do not, it is a vice in her ears which horse hairs and calves’ guts nor the voice of unpaved eunuch to boot can never amend.

Exeunt Musicians

Enter Cymbeline and the Queen

SECOND LORD Here comes the King.

CLOTEN I am glad I was up so late, for that’s the reason I was up so early. He cannot choose but take this service I have done fatherly. Good morrow to your majesty, and to my gracious mother.

CYMBELINE

Attend you here the door of our stern daughter?
Will she not forth?

CLOTEN I have assailed her with musics, but she vouchsafes no notice.

CYMBELINE

The exile of her minion is too new.
She hath not yet forgot him. Some more time
Must wear the print of his remembrance out,
And then she’s yours.

QUEEN (to Cloten) You are most bound to th’ King,

Who lets go by no vantages that may
Prefer you to his daughter. Frame yourself
To orderly solicits, and be friended
With aptness of the season. Make denials
Increase your services; so seem as if
You were inspired to do those duties which
You tender to her; that you in all obey her,
Save when command to your dismission tends,
And therein you are senseless.

CLOTEN

Senseless? Not so.

Enter a Messenger

MESSENGER (to
Cymbeline)

So like you, sir, ambassadors from Rome;
The one is Caius Lucius.

CYMBELINE

A worthy fellow,

Albeit he comes on angry purpose now:
But that’s no fault of his. We must receive him
According to the honour of his sender,
And towards himself, his goodness forespent on us,
We must extend our notice. Our dear son,
When you have given good morning to your mistress,
Attend the Queen and us. We shall have need
T’employ you towards this Roman. Come, our queen.

Exeunt all but
Cloten

CLOTEN

If she be up, I’ll speak with her; if not,
Let her lie still and dream.

⌈
He knocks
⌉

By your leave, ho!—

I know her women are about her; what
If I do line one of their hands? ‘Tis gold
Which buys admittance—oft it doth—yea, and makes
Diana’s rangers false themselves, yield up
Their deer to th’ stand o’th’ stealer; and ’tis gold
Which makes the true man killed and saves the thief,
Nay, sometime hangs both thief and true man. What
Can it not do and undo? I will make
One of her women lawyer to me, for
I yet not understand the case myself.—
By your leave.