The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (430 page)

BOOK: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
3.87Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

A similar inherent tendency to that guilt,
Let it not sound a thought upon your tongue

Don’t declare the words from your mouth
Against my brother's life.

Against my brother’s life.

 

ANGELO

[Aside] She speaks, and 'tis

[Aside] She speaks, and it makes
Such sense, that my sense breeds with it. Fare you well.

So much sense, that I am aroused by it.  Good bye.

 

ISABELLA

Gentle my lord, turn back.

My gentle lord, change your mind.

 

ANGELO

I will bethink me: come again tomorrow.

I will think about it: come again tomorrow.

 

ISABELLA

Hark how I'll bribe you: good my lord, turn back.

Listen to how I will bribe you: my good lord, change your mind.

 

ANGELO

How! bribe me?

How! Bribe me?

 

ISABELLA

Ay, with such gifts that heaven shall share with you.

Yes, with the kind of gifts that heaven with share with you.

 

LUCIO

[Aside to ISABELLA] You had marr'd all else.

[Aside to ISABELLA] You would have made a mistake to offer anything else.

 

ISABELLA

Not with fond shekels of the tested gold,

Not with foolish coins of tested gold,
Or stones whose rates are either rich or poor

Or the jewels whose value are either rich or poor
As fancy values them; but with true prayers

As they are valued on a whim; but with constant prayers
That shall be up at heaven and enter there

That shall go to heaven and enter there
Ere sun-rise, prayers from preserved souls,

Before the sunrise, prayers from the protected souls,
From fasting maids whose minds are dedicate

From the nuns whose minds are dedicated
To nothing temporal.

To nothing world.

 

ANGELO

Well; come to me to-morrow.

Well; come to me tomorrow.

 

LUCIO

[Aside to ISABELLA] Go to; 'tis well; away!

[Aside to ISABELLA] Go on; all is well; go away!

 

ISABELLA

Heaven keep your honour safe!

Heaven keep your honor safe!

 

ANGELO

[Aside] Amen:

[Aside] Amen:
For I am that way going to temptation,

For I am going the way towards temptation,
Where prayers cross.

Where prayers conflict with one another.

 

ISABELLA

At what hour to-morrow

At what time tomorrow
Shall I attend your lordship?

Should I visit your lordship?

 

ANGELO

At any time 'fore noon.

At any time before noon.

 

ISABELLA

'Save your honour!

God save your honor!

 

Exeunt ISABELLA, LUCIO, and PROVOST

 

ANGELO

From thee, even from thy virtue!

From you, even with your virtue!
What's this, what's this? Is this her fault or mine?

Why, why? Is it her fault or mine?
The tempter or the tempted, who sins most?

The one who tempts, or the one who is tempted, who sins most?
Ha!

Ha!
Not she: nor doth she tempt: but it is I

It is not her: nor does she tempt: but it is I
That, lying by the violet in the sun,

Who, lying by the flower of chastity in the sun,
Do as the carrion does, not as the flower,

Do as the dead does, and not as the flower,
Corrupt with virtuous season. Can it be

Corrupt by the wrong sun for virtue to flourish.  Can it be
That modesty may more betray our sense

That chastity is more against out nature
Than woman's lightness? Having waste ground enough,

Than a woman’s promiscuity? Having enough wasteland,
Shall we desire to raze the sanctuary

Do we want to burn down the holy place
And pitch our evils there? O, fie, fie, fie!

And build up our evils there? Oh, for shame, for shame for shame!
What dost thou, or what art thou, Angelo?

What do you do, or what are you, Angelo?
Dost thou desire her foully for those things

Do you want her immorally for the things
That make her good? O, let her brother live!

That make her good? Oh, let her brother live!
Thieves for their robbery have authority

Thieves have authority for their robbery
When judges steal themselves. What, do I love her,

When judges also steal.  Is it because I love her,
That I desire to hear her speak again,

That I want to hear her speak again,
And feast upon her eyes? What is't I dream on?

And look upon her eyes? What is it that I want?
O cunning enemy, that, to catch a saint,

Oh, cunning devil, who, in order to catch a saint,
With saints dost bait thy hook! Most dangerous

Baits the hook with a saint! Most dangerous
Is that temptation that doth goad us on

Is the temptation that makes us want
To sin in loving virtue: never could the strumpet,

To sin because of loving virtue: never could a woman,
With all her double vigour, art and nature,

With all her power doubled, with art and nature,
Once stir my temper; but this virtuous maid

Once disturb my balanced temperament; but this virtuous young lady
Subdues me quite. Even till now,

Completely overpowers me.  Until now,
When men were fond, I smiled and wonder'd how.

When men were in love, I smiled and wondered how.

Exit

 

 

Enter, severally, DUKE VINCENTIO disguised as a friar, and PROVOST

 

DUKE VINCENTIO

Hail to you, provost! so I think you are.

Hello, provost! As I think that’s who you are.

 

PROVOST

I am the provost. What's your will, good friar?

I am the provost.  What is it you want good friar?

 

DUKE VINCENTIO

Bound by my charity and my blest order,

Required by my good will and my religious order,
I come to visit the afflicted spirits

I have come to visit those in distress
Here in the prison. Do me the common right

Here in prison.  Do me the right of a priestly visit
To let me see them and to make me know

And let me see them and let me know
The nature of their crimes, that I may minister

The kind of crimes they committed, that I may attend

To them accordingly.

To them accordingly.

 

PROVOST

I would do more than that, if more were needful.

I would do more than just that, if more were necessary.

 

Enter JULIET

 

Look, here comes one: a gentlewoman of mine,

Look, here comes one: a gentlewoman in my charge,
Who, falling in the flaws of her own youth,

Who, falling to the temptation of passion of her youth,
Hath blister'd her report: she is with child;

Has ruined her reputation: she is pregnant;
And he that got it, sentenced; a young man

And he that got her pregnant, is sentenced; a young man,
More fit to do another such offence

Who is more suitable to commit the offence again
Than die for this.

Than to die for it,

 

DUKE VINCENTIO

When must he die?

When will he die?

 

PROVOST

As I do think, to-morrow.

I think it is tomorrow,
I have provided for you: stay awhile,

I have provided a space for you: stay here for a while.

 

To JULIET

 

And you shall be conducted.

And you shall be escorted.

 

DUKE VINCENTIO

Repent you, fair one, of the sin you carry?

Do you repent, young lady, for the sin you committed?

 

JULIET

I do; and bear the shame most patiently.

I do; and I endure the shame very patiently.

 

DUKE VINCENTIO

I'll teach you how you shall arraign your conscience,

I’ll teach you how you can question your conscience,
And try your penitence, if it be sound,

And test you atonement, to see if it is real,
Or hollowly put on.

Or shown sincerely.

 

JULIET

I'll gladly learn.

I’ll gladly learn.

 

DUKE VINCENTIO

Love you the man that wrong'd you?

Do you love the man that impregnated you?

 

JULIET

Yes, as I love the woman that wrong'd him.

Yes, as much as I love the woman that he impregnated, that is myself.

 

DUKE VINCENTIO

So then it seems your most offenceful act

So then it seems your very offensive act
Was mutually committed?

Was committed together by the two of you?

 

JULIET

Mutually.

Together.

 

DUKE VINCENTIO

Then was your sin of heavier kind than his.

Then you sin was of a more severe kind than his.

 

JULIET

I do confess it, and repent it, father.

I do confess it, and repent it, father.

 

DUKE VINCENTIO

'Tis meet so, daughter: but lest you do repent,

It is proper that you do, daughter: but in case you do repent,
As that the sin hath brought you to this shame,

Because the sin has brought you to this shame,
Which sorrow is always towards ourselves, not heaven,

In which the sorrow be feel is selfish, and not heavenly repentance,
Showing we would not spare heaven as we love it,

Showing the we would not repent because we love God,
But as we stand in fear,--

But because we fear him,--

 

JULIET

I do repent me, as it is an evil,

I do repent my sin, as it is an evil,
And take the shame with joy.

And receive the shame from my actions with joy.

 

DUKE VINCENTIO

There rest.

Maintain that attitude.
Your partner, as I hear, must die to-morrow,

Your partner, I hear, is to die tomorrow,
And I am going with instruction to him.

And I am going to him with guidance.
Grace go with you, Benedicite!

Other books

Black Deutschland by Darryl Pinckney
Rapture Becomes Her by Busbee, Shirlee
Vampire Breed by Tim O'Rourke
Four New Messages by Cohen, Joshua
Dragon in Exile - eARC by Sharon Lee, Steve Miller