All's Well That Ends Well (35 page)

22
cuckold
man with an unfaithful wife

22
horn
traditionally cuckolds were supposed to sprout horns

23
quean
prostitute (puns on “queen”)

23
wrangling knave
quarrelsome servant/rogue

24
pudding
sausage (perhaps with phallic connotations)

24
his
its

31
neither
on the contrary

34
fool in question
ignorant/inexperienced in questioning (you)

37
putting off
evasion

40
O lord, sir!
a fashionable phrase amongst affected courtiers

40
Thick
quickly

41
homely meat
plain food

46
is very sequent
follows logically

47
answer
reply cleverly/respond well

48
bound to't
obliged to reply/tied up for it

51
noble
used ironically, as she is wasting time

55
present
immediate

55
Commend me
convey my regards

59
fruitfully
abundantly

59
before my legs
i.e. very quickly

60
again
back again

Act 2 Scene 3

2.3
Location: Paris

2
philosophical persons
scholars of “natural philosophy”

2
modern
everyday

2
things
things that seem

3
causeless
inexplicable by natural causes

4
ensconcing ourselves into
fortifying ourselves with

5
unknown fear
fear of the unknown

6
rarest
most extraordinary

5
argument
topic, issue

7
shot out
suddenly appeared

7
latter
most recent

9
relinquished of
abandoned by

9
artists
scholars, medical practitioners

10
Galen
famous second-century Greek physician

10
Paracelsus
famous sixteenth-century Swiss physician

11
authentic fellows
accredited members of the medical profession

13
gave him out
proclaimed him to be

18
Just
exactly

20
showing
visible/printed form

25
dolphin
puns on “dauphin” (i.e. heir to the French throne)

25
'Fore me
before me; mild oath, like “upon my soul”

27
brief … tedious
short and the long

28
facinerious
extremely wicked

33
debile minister
feeble agent

36
Generally
universally

39
Lustigue
lusty vigorous (from the German
lustig
)

39
Dutchman
German

40
tooth
sweet tooth, i.e. appetite for pleasure

41
coranto
lively dance

42
Mor du vinager!
pseudo-French oath, literally “death of/by vinegar”

46
banished sense
loss of feeling

47
repealed
recalled, given a second chance

49
attends
awaits

50
parcel
group

51
my bestowing
my power to give in marriage

53
frank election
free choice

54
forsake
refuse

57
bay … furniture
my bay horse with a docked tail (
curtal
), and all his trappings

58
My … boys'
to have as many teeth/to be as little broken to the bit (i.e. youthful) as these boys

59
writ
to be able to claim/exhibit

62
She … Lord
some editors suppose that this direction is misplaced and belongs with the later line spoken to First Lord

66
protest
declare

68
whisper
whisper to

70
white death
pallor of death

73
Who
he who

73
his … me
my love for him

74
Dian
Diana, Roman goddess of chastity

75
Love
i.e. Cupid,
god
of love

78
All. mute
there is no more to be said

80
ames-ace
double ace, lowest throw in dice

80
for my life
were my life at stake

81
honour
high status/willingness to marry/admiration

83
Love
may Love

84
Her … wishes
i.e. myself, Helen

85
No better
i.e. I wish for nothing better than your
humble love

90
th'Turk
i.e. non-Christian barbarian

96
Sure
surely

97
got
conceived

98
happy
fortunate

101
grape
i.e. fruit of good lineage

102
drunk wine
i.e. to give you good blood

103
known
seen through

115
bring me down
i.e. by making me marry a social inferior (with associations of bringing into the marriage bed, and, possibly, of losing one's erection)

117
breeding
upbringing

117
charge
order/expense

119
corrupt
debase/contaminate

119
ever
forever

120
title
lack of title

123
confound distinction
be indistinguishable

123
stands off
separate

128
proceed
come forth

130
great … none
titles puff us up rather than virtue (
swell's
: “swell is,” elided for meter)

131
dropsied
swollen/proud/diseased

133
property
inherent quality

133
go
i.e. be known

135
heir
because the qualities are inherited from nature

136
That … sire
true honor is scornful of inherited title when accompanying behavior not worthy of it

140
foregoers
ancestors

141
Deboshed
debauched, corrupted

142
trophy
memorial

144
honoured bones indeed
i.e. the remains of those who were truly honorable

147
dower
dowry

148
strive
attempt

149
choose
assert your own choice

150
restored
cured

152
at the stake
tied up like a bear to be baited, under attack

152
which
which threat

154
this
of this

155
misprision
scorn

156
desert
right/recompense

156
That
you who

157
We
the royal plural

157
poising
weighing

157
defective
i.e. lighter (as she is humble)

158
weigh … beam
outweigh you and tip your scale up to the crossbar

159
in us
within my royal power

160
Check
restrain

161
travails in
labors for

162
Believe not
deny

162
presently
immediately

166
the staggers
giddiness, unsteadiness (also, a horse disease affecting balance)

166
careless
untended/reckless/irresponsible

166
lapse
decline

168
Loosing
being loosed, inflicted

169
all terms
any form

171
fancy
desire

172
great creation
creation of greatness

172
dole
portion

173
which late
who recently

175
who
i.e. Helen

179
counterpoise
equal weight (i.e. in dowry)

179
not
not equal

180
replete
complete/perfect/abundant

183
whose … brief
the formal accomplishment of which (i.e. marriage) shall quite properly follow the present agreement

186
more … space
have to wait for a time

187
Expecting
waiting for (the arrival of)

187
As
as long as

188
religious
sacred/true/dutiful

188
err
go astray

196
succeeding
consequences (i.e. a fight)

197
companion
comrade/rascal

198
man
manly/mankind (Lafew shifts the sense to “servant”)

201
too old
i.e. for a duel

201
satisfy
appease (in place of a duel)

202
write
claim to be

204
dare … do
have the courage to accomplish only too well, I dare not because of your old age

205
ordinaries
standard meals

206
vent
utterance

207
scarfs
military sashes

207
bannerets
small banners

208
vessel
ship, adorned with flags

209
burden
cargo

209
found
seen through

209
thee
i.e. your company

210
taking up
arresting/calling to account

212
antiquity
old age

215
trial
testing of supposed courage

215
hen
i.e. not a bold cock; perhaps also refers to Parolles' “plumage”

216
window of lattice
ale-house (whose red lattice windows signified its function)

216
casement
window

218
egregious
outrageous

221
dram
small amount

221
bate
lessen

222
scruple
tiny amount

223
wiser
i.e. in future

224
pull … contrary
swallow a good quantity of your foolishness

227
bondage
what binds you (i.e. the scarves of which he is
proud
)

227
hold
maintain

228
in the default
when you fail

229
know
understand/see through

231
poor doing
inadequate ability to inflict
vexation

232
doing
action (plays on the sense of “having sex”)

232
will
will pass (puns on
past
as “passed”)

232
in … leave
with what movement age will allow me

234
shall … me
upon whom I will vent my anger for these insults

235
scurvy
contemptible

236
fettering
imprisoning

237
with any convenience
on a suitable occasion

237
an
even if

243
reservation
concealment

243
wrongs
insults