The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (431 page)

Grace be with you, and bless you!

Exit

JULIET

Must die to-morrow! O injurious love,

He is to die tomorrow! Oh, hurtful love,
That respites me a life, whose very comfort

That give me life, whose very comfort
Is still a dying horror!

Is constantly a dying horror.

PROVOST

'Tis pity of him.

He is to be pitied.

Exeunt

Enter ANGELO

ANGELO

When I would pray and think, I think and pray

When I have time to pray and think, I think and pray
To several subjects. Heaven hath my empty words;

About various subject. Heaven has my empty words;
Whilst my invention, hearing not my tongue,

While my thoughts do not hear my words
Anchors on Isabel: Heaven in my mouth,

But fix solely on Isabel: God in my mouth,
As if I did but only chew his name;

Like I am only chewing his name;
And in my heart the strong and swelling evil

And in my heart the strong and swelling evil
Of my conception. The state, whereon I studied

Of my plan.  The affairs of government, which I studied
Is like a good thing, being often read,

It like a good thing, it is often read,
Grown fear'd and tedious; yea, my gravity,

That has grown tired and tedious; yes, my authority,
Wherein--let no man hear me--I take pride,

In which—I hope no one hears this—I take pride,
Could I with boot change for an idle plume,

If only I could, keeping my advantage, exchange it for a feathered hat,
Which the air beats for vain. O place, O form,

Which the air beats for no purpose.  Oh social rank, oh ceremony,
How often dost thou with thy case, thy habit,

How often do you with your outward appearance,
Wrench awe from fools and tie the wiser souls

Inspire wonder from fools and blind even the wiser souls
To thy false seeming! Blood, thou art blood:

Into trusting your fake security! Desire, you are only desire:
Let's write good angel on the devil's horn:

Even if we were to write the words ‘good angel’ on the devil’s horn:
'Tis not the devil's crest.

It would not change the devil’s nature.

Enter a SERVANT

How now! who's there?

What’s going on! Who’s there?

SERVANT

One Isabel, a sister, desires access to you.

Isabel, a nun, would like to speak to you.

ANGELO

Teach her the way.

Show her the way.

Exit SERVANT

O heavens!

Oh heavens!
Why does my blood thus muster to my heart,

Why does my blood run to my heart,
Making both it unable for itself,

Making it both incapable itself,
And dispossessing all my other parts

And depriving all my other parts
Of necessary fitness?

Of the blood they need?
So play the foolish throngs with one that swoons;

Just as the foolish crowd do with one who faints;
Come all to help him, and so stop the air

Everyone comes to help him, and by doing so keep him from getting the air
By which he should revive: and even so

He needs to revive himself: and even so
The general, subject to a well-wish'd king,

The people, subject to a well liked king,
Quit their own part, and in obsequious fondness

Stop doing their part, and with flattering affection
Crowd to his presence, where their untaught love

Crowd around him, where their ignorant love
Must needs appear offence.

Seems to be an attack.

Enter ISABELLA

How now, fair maid?

What is it, young lady?

ISABELLA

I am come to know your pleasure.

I have come to know what you desire.

ANGELO

That you might know it, would much better please me

I would much rather that you would give me my desire,
Than to demand what 'tis. Your brother cannot live.

Than asking what it is. Your brother cannot live.

ISABELLA

Even so. Heaven keep your honour!

So be it. Heaven keep you, your honor!

ANGELO

Yet may he live awhile; and, it may be,

Still he could live a little while; and, it could be

As long as you or I

As long as you or I could live

yet he must die.

except he must die

ISABELLA

Under your sentence?

Because you sentence him to death?

ANGELO

Yea.

Yes.

ISABELLA

When, I beseech you? that in his reprieve,

When will it be, I ask you? So that in the time before his execution,
Longer or shorter, he may be so fitted

Whether it be longer or shorter, he may be spiritually prepared
That his soul sicken not.

So that his soul does not sicken at death.

ANGELO

Ha! fie, these filthy vices! It were as good

Ha! For shame, these filthy sins! It was as good
To pardon him that hath from nature stolen

To pardon him who has murdered
A man already made, as to remit

A man as to pardon
Their saucy sweetness that do coin heaven's image

The desirous pleasures of forging a false coin
In stamps that are forbid: 'tis all as easy

With God’s image: it is all as easy
Falsely to take away a life true made

To wrongly take away a life legitimately made
As to put metal in restrained means

As to put metal in a counterfeit mold
To make a false one.

To make a false coin.

ISABELLA

'Tis set down so in heaven, but not in earth.

Those crimes may be judged the same in heaven, but not in life.

ANGELO

Say you so? then I shall pose you quickly.

Do you think so?  Then I shall question you quickly.
Which had you rather, that the most just law

Which would you rather, that the very just law
Now took your brother's life; or, to redeem him,

Took your brother’s life now; or, to save him,
Give up your body to such sweet uncleanness

You give up your body to the same pleasurable sin
As she that he hath stain'd?

As the woman that your brother sullied.

ISABELLA

Sir, believe this,

Sir, believe this,
I had rather give my body than my soul.

I would rather give up my body than my soul.

ANGELO

I talk not of your soul: our compell'd sins

I am not talking of your soul: our necessary sins
Stand more for number than for account.

Are there more to be counted than to be punished.

ISABELLA

How say you?

Where do you get that?

ANGELO

Nay, I'll not warrant that; for I can speak

No, I won’t stand up for that; for I can say something
Against the thing I say. Answer to this:

Contrary to what I said.  Answer this:
I, now the voice of the recorded law,

I, who am the voice of the law as it is written,
Pronounce a sentence on your brother's life:

Pronounce a sentence on your brother demanding his life for his crime:
Might there not be a charity in sin

Couldn’t there be a sin that could be committed
To save this brother's life?

To save your brother’s life?

ISABELLA

Please you to do't,

If you want to do it,
I'll take it as a peril to my soul,

I’ll risk the punishment of my soul,
It is no sin at all, but charity.

It isn’t a sin at all, but a kindness.

ANGELO

Pleased you to do't at peril of your soul,

If you want to do it at the peril of your soul,
Were equal poise of sin and charity.

It about be a balance of sin and kindness.

ISABELLA

That I do beg his life, if it be sin,

I am begging for his life, and if that is a sin
Heaven let me bear it! you granting of my suit,

Heaven let me commit it! If you granting my request
If that be sin, I'll make it my morn prayer

Is a sin, I’ll make it my morning prayer
To have it added to the faults of mine,

That it be added to my sins,
And nothing of your answer.

And not be your responsibility.

ANGELO

Nay, but hear me.

No, but listen to me.
Your sense pursues not mine: either you are ignorant,

You are not understanding me: either you are unaware what I am saying
Or seem so craftily; and that's not good.

Or are cleverly pretending to be so; and that’s not good

ISABELLA

Let me be ignorant, and in nothing good,

Let me be unaware, and not good at all,
But graciously to know I am no better.

But with humility know I am no better.

ANGELO

Thus wisdom wishes to appear most bright

That is how wisdom tries to seem very clever
When it doth tax itself; as these black masks

When it admonishes itself; as when nuns
Proclaim an enshield beauty ten times louder

Proclaim a concealed beauty ten times greater
Than beauty could, display'd. But mark me;

Than beauty could be displayed.  But pay attention;
To be received plain, I'll speak more gross:

To be understood plainly, I’ll speak more bluntly:
Your brother is to die.

You brother is going to die.

ISABELLA

So.

That is so.

ANGELO

And his offence is so, as it appears,

And his offence is such that, as it appears,
Accountant to the law upon that pain.

It is accountable to the law with that penalty.

ISABELLA

True.

True.

ANGELO

Admit no other way to save his life,--

Suppose there is no other way to save his life,--
As I subscribe not that, nor any other,