The Merry Wives of Windsor (32 page)
Read The Merry Wives of Windsor Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
65
Pandarus of Troy
in Greek legend, the go-between (or pander) in Troilus and Cressida’s love affair
66
And … steel
i.e. and having stooped to such an unmanly profession, still call myself a soldier
67
run … humour
undertake no such low task
68
humour
for contemptuous emphasis
68
humour
so often, Nim’s use of it has begun to become meaningless; possibly he means “letter written out of fancy” or simply adds
68
humour-letter
having repeated
68
’haviour of reputation
an honorable bearing/a reputable manner
70
tightly
properly/well
71
pinnace
small sailing vessel
72
avaunt
be gone
73
o’th’hoof
on foot
73
pack
be off
74
humour
mood/fashion
75
French thrift
economy, possibly a French tendency to have only one page rather than several attendants
75
skirted
wearing a coat with a fully skirted lower section
76
gripe
grip/afflict the bowels with pain
76
gourd and fullam
false or loaded dice
76
holds
hold good/continue to be effective
77
high and low
i.e. dice loaded to produce either high or low numbers
77
beguiles
deceives
78
Tester
sixpence
78
pouch
(my) purse
79
Phrygia
region in Asia Minor conquered by the Turks in the fifteenth century; now part of modern Turkey
79
Phrygian Turk
i.e. base, barbarous person
80
operations
plans
80
humours of
inclinations for
82
welkin
sky
83
wit or steel
intelligence/ingenuity or violence (the sword)
84
humour
nature
84
humours
methods
84
discuss
make known
86
eke
also
88
prove
put to the test (sexually)
91
yellowness
i.e. jealousy
92
revolt
i.e. against Falstaff
93
Mars
god of war
93
Mars of malcontents
most warlike of rebels
4
old
great
7
posset
hot drink made with milk, liquor, and spices
7
soon at night
before the night is too far advanced
8
sea-coal
superior type of coal transported by sea from the north of England
10
withal
with
10
breed-bate
troublemaker
12
peevish
foolish/perverse
14
fault
i.e. lack
18
glover
glove maker
18
paring-knife
knife used for trimming leather
20
Cain
in the Bible, the world’s first murderer
20
Cain-coloured
reddish yellow
21
softly-sprighted
gentle/mild in spirit
22
as … hands
as brave (
tall
) a fighter
23
between … head
in these parts
24
warrener
gamekeeper/one in charge of an enclosure for breeding rabbits
31
Out, alas!
exclamation of dismay
32
shent
blamed/rebuked
33
closet
private room
35
doubt
fear
37
And … adown-a
the refrain of a song
38
toys
trifles (i.e. songs)
39
une boîtie en vert
French for “a green box” (
boîtie
may also mean “surgeon’s instrument case”)
40
Do intend
i.e. do you hear (from the French
entendre
)
43
horn-mad
wildly enraged, like a horned beast/madly jealous like a cuckold (horned husband of an unfaithful wife)
44
ma … affaire
by my faith, it’s very hot. I’m going to see the great business at the
Court
47
Oui … Dépêche
“yes; put it in my pocket: hurry up”
54
trot
troth (faith)
54
Od’s me
God save me
54
que ai-je oublié
“what have I forgotten”
55
simples
medicinal herbs
59
diable
devil
59
larron
thief
66
phlegmatic
dull/cold; presumably Quickly means “choleric”—i.e. “angry/hot”
67
of
on
76
ne’er … not
never burn my fingers (i.e. meddle) unnecessarily
78
baillez
bring
82
melancholy
introspective/sullen/broodingly angry; perhaps another error for “choleric”
83
you
since you ask; or simply emphatic
83
yea … no
truth
86
dress meat
prepare food
88
charge
responsibility/burden
90
avised
aware/informed
90
You … it
i.e. it certainly is/let me assure you it is
92
I … it
I wouldn’t wish any word of it to get out
96
jack’nape
ape (hence “fool/upstart”)
97
gar
God
98
park
enclosed hunting ground
99
meddle or make
interfere
100
stones
testicles
103
ver
for
104
Jack
knavish
105
Jarteer
Garter
106
measure our weapon
swords were measured before a duel to ensure that they were of equal length (
weapon
has phallic connotations)
108
prate
chatter/gossip
108
What the good-year
what the devil
112
An
puns on “Anne” (whom Caius will be a
fool
to woo)
117
trow
wonder
117
near
in
123
honest
chaste
124
friend
sympathizer/favorer (with a play on the sense of “lover”)
129
book
i.e. Bible
132
it … Nan
what an extraordinary girl she is
133
Nan
diminutive of “Anne”
133
detest
malapropism for “protest” (i.e. declare)
136
allicholy
malapropism for “melancholy”
137
go to
expression of impatient dismissal
139
voice
support
142
confidence
malapropism for “conference”; Quickly means “private conversation”
147
Out upon’t
expression of irritation
1
scaped
escaped
1
holiday-time
best time/heyday
4
precisian
puritan/strict spiritual adviser (some editors emend to “physician”)
5
counsellor
adviser/confidant
6
sympathy
agreement/affinity (between us)
7
sack
Spanish white wine
18
Herod of Jewry
i.e. ranting villain; in the Bible, Herod of Judaea ordered the deaths of John the Baptist and the infant Jesus; he was presented in morality plays as both evil and absurdly boastful
20
gallant
fashionable young gentleman/one who woos ladies
20
unweighed
unconsidered
21
Flemish
from the Netherlands; the Flemish were proverbially heavy drinkers
23
should I say
could I have said
25
putting down
suppression (perhaps with sexual connotations)
27
puddings
sausages (also used to refer to the human guts)
28
trust me
believe me/depend upon it
31
ill
unwell/out of sorts (Mistress Ford responds to the sense of “ugly”)
32
have
have something (i.e. the letter)
38
respect
consideration
42
go to hell
i.e. by committing adultery with Falstaff
45
hack
strike repeatedly with a sword/have sex/make a whore of a woman
45
article … gentry
nature of your social rank
47
burn daylight
i.e. waste time
49
make … liking
discriminate between men’s physiques
52
uncomeliness
unseemly behavior
53
gone … of
accorded with
55
‘Greensleeves’
a popular love song, here incongruously juxtaposed with the sacred tunes of the
Psalms
(some editors emend
hundred
to “hundredth,” suggesting specific allusion to Psalm 100, “All people that on earth do dwell/Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice”)
56
tuns
barrels/tons
58
entertain
receive/welcome/occupy his attention
62
ill opinions
Falstaff’s poor opinions of the women’s virtue
64
inherit
take possession (of Falstaff’s offer)
68
into the press
into the printing press/under pressure of his weight during sex
70
Mount Pelion
in Greek mythology, warring giants piled Pelion on top of Mount Ossa in an attempt to reach Olympus, home of the gods
70
turtles
turtledoves, proverbially faithful birds
71
ere
before
73
hand
handwriting
76
wrangle … honesty
quarrel with my own virtue
76
entertain
treat/consider
78
strain
quality
79
boarded
accosted/wooed (Mistress Ford picks up on the sense of “have sex with”)
79
fury
fierce passion
81
above deck
i.e. above the waist
82
come
plays on the sense of “have an orgasm”
82
hatches
with vaginal connotations
