Richard II (32 page)

¹³⁸
stands … upon
is the responsibility of your grace

¹³⁹
endowments
i.e. wealth and property (that has now been given to others)

¹⁴³
kind
manner

¹⁴⁴
Be … way
i.e. act on his own authority, help himself (literally, carve his own piece of meat)

¹⁵²
issue
outcome

¹⁵⁴
power
army
ill left
left in disordered, poor condition

¹⁵⁶
attach
arrest
stoop
i.e. kneel for
mercy

¹⁵⁹
as neuter
neutral

¹⁶³
win
persuade

¹⁶⁶
caterpillars
i.e. parasites

¹
stayed
waited

²
hardly
with difficulty

⁸
bay-trees
bay leaves were associated with victory and immortality

⁹
meteors
regarded as bad omens

¹¹
lean-looked
gaunt, lean-looking

¹³
The one
i.e.
rich men

²⁰
firmament
sky

²²
Witnessing
betokening, indicating

²³
wait upon
offer allegiance to

²⁴
crossly
adversely

³
presently
immediately
part
depart from

⁴
urging
insisting on, emphasizing
pernicious
wicked, destructive

⁷
causes of
legal reasons for

⁹
happy
fortunate

¹⁰
unhappied
made unfortunate, ruined
clean
completely

¹¹
in manner
as it were, in a way

¹²
divorce
breach, separation

¹³
Broke … bed
i.e. interfered with marital union and happiness

²⁰
clouds
mists of breath/climates, skies

²²
signories
estates

²³
Disparked my parks
opened my enclosed hunting grounds for other uses

²⁴
coat
coat of arms (often emblazoned on stained or painted windows)

²⁵
imprese
heraldic family emblem

²⁹
death
death penalty (legal term)

³⁵
dispatched
dealt with/killed

³⁷
entreated
treated

³⁸
commends
regards

⁴¹
at large
(expressed) in full

colours
military flags (and those carrying them)

¹
Barkloughly Castle
actually Harlech Castle

²
brooks
likes (technically “tolerates”)

⁹
fondly
affectionately/foolishly

¹³
sense
appetite

¹⁴
spiders
like
toads
, they were thought to be poisonous

¹⁶
annoyance
harm

²⁰
Guard
protect/trim with an ornamental border
prithee
pray thee

²¹
double
forked
mortal
deadly

²³
senseless conjuration
appeal to the unfeeling earth/foolish entreaty

²⁵
native
rightful, legitimately crowned

³⁰
security
overconfidence

³²
Discomfortable
discouraging

³³
eye … world
when, to us, the sun is hidden beneath the earth, lighting the underside of the world

⁴⁹
rude
turbulent

⁵⁰
balm
consecrating oil, used to anoint a king at his coronation

⁵³
pressed
conscripted

⁵⁴
shrewd
sharp, biting
steel
sword

⁵⁶
angel
puns on the sense of “gold coin”

⁵⁹
Nor near
no nearer

⁶⁰
Discomfort
sorrow/discouragement

⁶³
happy
fortunate

⁶⁷
state
kingship, power

⁷¹
But now
only a moment ago

⁷²
triumph
rejoice, exult

⁸³
high
noble in rank (sense then shifts to “proud, ambitious”)

⁸⁵
power … turn
sufficient troops for our needs

⁸⁶
betide
befall, come to

⁸⁷
care-tuned
tuned by sorrow/tuned to a sorrowful key
deliver
report to

⁹⁰
care
burden, source of anxiety

⁹⁴
fellow
equal/servant

⁹⁵
mend
remedy

¹⁰⁴
his
applies both to
rage
and to
Bullingbrook

¹⁰⁵
Bullingbrook
probably puns on “brook”
fearful
frightened

¹⁰⁷
Whitebeards
i.e. old men

¹⁰⁹
big
with deep voices (like men)
clap
place, thrust
female
feminine, i.e. youthful

¹¹⁰
arms
armor

¹¹¹
beadsmen
almsmen who were paid to pray on behalf of another

¹¹²
double-fatal
doubly deadly (the wood of the
yew
was used to make bows; its leaves and berries were poisonous)

¹¹³
distaff-women
women occupied in spinning (a distaff was a staff used to hold wool)
bills
long-handled weapons with blades at the ends

¹¹⁴
seat
throne

¹²⁰
Measure our confines
travel over our territories
peaceful
i.e. unopposed

¹²²
I warrant
I’m sure, I’ll guarantee

¹²⁷
Judas
the disciple who betrayed Jesus Christ

¹²⁹
spotted
stained (with sin)

¹³⁰
property
essence, own nature

¹³³
hands
used to sign a document or swear an oath

¹³⁵
graved
buried

¹⁴⁸
model
microcosm, replica/mold

¹⁴⁹
paste and cover
pastry covering/pie crust

¹⁵¹
sad
solemn/sorrowful
stories
historical narratives

¹⁵⁶
rounds
encircles
mortal
human/destined for death

¹⁵⁷
antic
grotesque buffoon

¹⁵⁸
his state
at the king’s regality

¹⁶⁰
monarchize
act the monarch

¹⁶¹
self
self-made/self-centered
conceit
imaginings, concept (of himself)

¹⁶³
humoured thus
Death having amused himself in this way/Death, being so inclined/Death, having allowed the king to indulge himself in this way

¹⁷¹
Subjected
under the dominion of grief/turned into a mere subject (rather than being a king)

¹⁷⁴
presently
immediately
prevent … wail
seek to forestall the routes to (or sources of) grief

¹⁷⁷
And … yourself
this line is omitted in Folio, seemingly as a printer’s error rather than a deliberate cut

¹⁷⁸
No … fight
nothing worse (than being
slain
) can come from fighting

¹⁷⁹
death destroying death
i.e. defying death by dying nobly (and, perhaps, being remembered in such a way)/by conquering death’s power to make one afraid

¹⁸²
a … limb
i.e. a great fighting force out of a small number of soldiers

¹⁸³
chid’st
reprove, upbraid

¹⁸⁴
change
exchange
doom
destiny

¹⁸⁵
ague
acute or violent fever/fit of shaking or shivering
over-blown
blown over

¹⁹¹
heavy
gloomy, sorrowful

¹⁹³
by … small
by increments, little by little

²⁰⁰
Beshrew
curse
forth Of
out of

²⁰⁵
Flint Castle
situated in northeast Wales

²⁰⁷
power
forces, troops
discharge
dismiss

²⁰⁸
ear
plow, cultivate

¹
So that
Bullingbrook enters in mid-conversation

⁷
beseem
befit

¹⁴
to
as to

¹⁵
taking … head
treating the head of state in such a manner/being headstrong/omitting the king’s title
your
by your

¹⁶
Mistake
misunderstand (puns on “mis-take”)

¹⁷
Take
seize/presume

¹⁸
mistake
fail to understand that

²⁶
lies
dwells, is

³⁰
who
i.e. who he is

³¹
belike
probably

³³
rude
rough, rugged
ribs
i.e. walls

³⁴
brazen
brass (plays on the sense of “audacious, shameless”)
parle
parley, negotiation between enemy forces (or the trumpet call signifying this)

³⁵
his
its (the castle’s, but possibly also referring to Richard)
ruined
battered

⁴¹
my … again
the revoking of my banishment and restoration of my lands

⁴³
th’advantage … power
the superiority of my military force

⁴⁴
lay
flatten, subdue

⁴⁷
such
that such a
bedrench
drench thoroughly, soak

⁴⁹
tenderly
gently, peacefully/lovingly

⁵³
tattered
battered, old/jagged

⁵⁴
fair appointments
fine military provision

⁵⁷
fire and water
i.e. lightning and rain

⁶⁰
rain
puns on “reign”

⁶²
mark
note, observe
Parley
trumpet summons to negotiation

⁶⁴
blushing
i.e. in anger

⁶⁶
envious
hostile

⁶⁷
stain
obscure, dim
tract
course

⁶⁸
occident
west (where the sun sets)

⁷⁰
lightens forth
flashes out, like lightning

⁷³
amazed
astounded, bewildered

⁷⁴
watch
expect, wait for
fearful
full of reverence

⁷⁷
awful
full of awe

⁷⁸
hand
sign/signature