The Winter's Tale (35 page)

¹²³
top
spinning top, toy   

¹²⁴
afar off
indirectly/by implication   

¹²⁵
But … speaks
merely by speaking up   

¹²⁶
ill
malevolent   

¹²⁸
aspect
astrological influence   

¹³⁰
want
lack   

¹³¹
Perchance … pities
may perhaps prevent you from feeling pity for me   

¹³²
here
i.e. in my heart   

¹³⁴
qualified
tempered, moderated   

charities
senses of charity   

¹³⁵
measure
judge   

¹³⁷
heard
i.e. obeyed   

¹⁴⁰
plight
situation, i.e. her pregnancy   

¹⁴⁴
better grace
higher virtue (in the eyes of God)   

¹⁴⁶
leave
permission (to go)   

¹⁵⁸
keep … wife
i.e. treat my wife as I would an animal/segregate my wife from all men (as mares were from stallions in stables)   

¹⁵⁹
in couples
leashed together (as hounds were for the hunt)   

¹⁶⁰
Than … her
not trust her except when I can see or feel her   

¹⁶²
dram
tiny portion   

¹⁶⁷
putter-on
plotter, instigator   

¹⁶⁹
land-damn
of unclear meaning; probably “thrash pitilessly”   

¹⁷¹
some
about   

¹⁷³
geld
spay, make infertile   

¹⁷⁴
bring false generations
have illegitimate children   

¹⁷⁵
glib
castrate   

¹⁷⁶
fair issue
legitimate offspring   

¹⁸⁰
doing thus
perhaps Leontes touches Antigonus or places Antigonus' hand on something   

withal
in addition   

¹⁸¹
instruments that feel
i.e. fingers   

¹⁸³
honesty
chastity/fidelity/truth   

¹⁸⁴
the … sweeten
to perfume the face   

¹⁸⁶
credit
credibility, (others') belief   

¹⁸⁸
Upon this ground
in this matter (plays on sense of “earth”)   

¹⁸⁹
suspicion
doubt   

¹⁹³
instigation
incentive, direction   

Our … this
my royal privilege does not require your advice; I am informing you of this out of
natural goodness
  

¹⁹⁵
or stupefied
either insensible   

¹⁹⁶
in skill
falsely   

¹⁹⁷
Relish
appreciate, understand   

¹⁹⁹
ord'ring on't
management of it   

²⁰⁰
Properly
personally   

²⁰¹
liege
lord, superior entitled to feudal allegiance and service   

²⁰³
overture
public disclosure   

²⁰⁵
ignorant by age
grown stupid with age   

²⁰⁸
gross … only
obvious as any suspicion that lacked only visible proof (
gross
plays on the senses of “coarse/vile”)   

²⁰⁹
nought for approbation
nothing remained for proof   

²¹¹
Made
added   

deed
event/sexual act   

proceeding
course of action   

²¹⁴
wild
rash   

post
haste   

²¹⁵
Delphos
Delos, the island where Apollo the sun god was born and home to an oracle; possibly conflated with Delphi, the Greek town more famous for its oracle   

²¹⁷
stuffed sufficiency
complete competency   

²¹⁸
had
having been heard   

²²³
he
any man/Antigonus   

²²⁵
Come up to
face   

²²⁶
From
away from   

free
accessible/innocent/not imprisoned   

²²⁷
treachery
i.e. suspected plot to kill Leontes   

²³⁰
raise
rouse, incite   

¹²
ado
a fuss   

¹³
gentle
noble/kind   

¹⁶
put apart
dismiss, leave   

²⁴
passes colouring
surpasses dyeing/is beyond all attempts at justification   

²⁷
forlorn
outcast   

²⁸
On
on account of   

³⁰
is … delivered
has given birth prematurely   

³³
Lusty
robust   

³⁷
lunes
fits of madness, attributed to changes of the moon   

beshrew
curse   

³⁸
on't
of it   

office
task   

³⁹
Becomes
is suited to   

⁴⁰
honey-mouthed
deceitful   

red-looked
dressed in red, like the military herald who preceded the trumpeter   

⁴¹
never … more
may my tongue never be allowed to declare my anger again   

⁴³
Commend … obedience
send my devoted support   

⁴⁶
Her … th'loud'st
her most vociferous representative   

⁵²
free
generous   

miss … issue
fail to achieve a positive outcome (
thriving issue
plays on the sense of “healthy offspring”)   

⁵⁴
meet
suitable   

⁵⁵
presently
immediately   

⁵⁷
hammered … design
thought of this enterprise   

⁵⁸
durst … honour
dared not ask a noble person   

⁶¹
wit
good sense, wisdom   

⁶⁷
I shall … it
punishment I risk to let it out of the prison   

¹
Nor
neither   

³
in being
alive   

⁴
harlot
lascivious (Polixenes)   

⁵
blank
target   

⁶
level
aim, range   

⁷
hook
attach   

⁸
Given … fire
burned at the stake (punishment for treason)   

moiety
part   

¹⁵
Conceiving
learning of   

¹⁹
solely
alone   

²⁰
him
i.e. Polixenes   

²³
parties, his alliance
supporters, his allies   

²⁸
she
she who is   

³⁰
be second to
support   

³³
free
innocent   

³⁷
hot
rash, hasty   

³⁸
sleep
i.e. peace   

⁴⁰
needless heavings
pointless sighs or groans   

⁴¹
awaking
sleeplessness   

⁴³
either
both   

humour
mood/sickness   

⁴⁶
needful conference
necessary conversation   

⁴⁷
gossips
godparents   

⁴⁸
How?
What?   

⁵³
On … peril
at the risk of your fury   

⁵⁵
rule
control   

⁵⁶
From
away from   

⁵⁸
Commit
imprison   

⁶⁰
La you now
there you are, then   

⁶⁷
in … yours
when it comes to condoning your wrongs than those who seem superficially to be most loyal   

⁷⁰
queen
may pun on “quean” (whore)   

⁷²
by … good
prove her innocence by a duel   

⁷³
the worst
even the most lowly   

⁷⁵
makes but trifles
thinks little of, i.e. she'll scratch them   

⁷⁶
hand
touch   

On … off
I'll go when I decide   

⁸⁰
Out!
Away!   

⁸¹
mankind
masculine/furious   

⁸²
intelligencing bawd
spying pimp   

⁸⁴
ignorant
inexperienced, unknowing   

⁸⁵
entitling
calling   

⁸⁶
warrant
assure (you)   

⁹⁰
dotard
old fool   

woman-tired
henpecked   

unroosted
dislodged, usurped in domestic authority   

⁹¹
Partlet
traditional name for a hen   

⁹²
crone
old woman/old ewe   

⁹⁴
Unvenerable
unworthy of respect   

⁹⁵
by … upon't
under that base name (of
bastard
) he has forced on it   

⁹⁷
dreads
fears (Paulina's response seems to shift sense to “respects, reveres”)   

¹⁰⁷
as … opinion
i.e. as he is king, it is a shame he cannot be forced to uproot the basis of his belief   

¹¹¹
callat
nag/whore   

¹¹³
baits
provokes (plays on
beats
)   

¹¹⁵
dam
mother (contemptuous, usually applied to animals)   

¹¹⁸
lay … charge
apply the old proverb to you   

¹¹⁹
'tis the worse
the child is the worse off for it   

¹²⁰
print
copy   

matter
substance/image   

¹²²
trick
manner, habit   

nay
even   

valley
perhaps the groove between the nose and the lip or a cleft in the chin   

¹²⁶
got
begot, conceived   

¹²⁷
ordering … mind
temperament   

¹²⁸
No yellow
let there be no yellow (traditionally the color of jealousy)   

¹³⁰
hag
witch   

¹³¹
lozel
scoundrel   

¹³²
stay her tongue
shut her up   

¹⁴¹
It … in't
i.e. it is
you
, the one who orders the fire, who is a heretic as you are burning me unjustly   

¹⁴⁵
weak-hinged fancy
fragile, unsupported imaginings   

savours
smells   

¹⁵⁰
Where … life?
i.e. I would have had her killed by now