Twelfth Night (32 page)

9
four elements
earth, air, fire, and water, from which everything was thought to be made

13
Marian
variant of Mary/Maria

13
stoup
drinking vessel/measure of alcohol

15
hearts
fine friends

15
picture … three
captioned picture showing two fools or asses, so that the spectator is the third

17
catch
musical round

18
breast
set of lungs, singing voice

19
leg
for dancing, or bowing before singing

20
thou wast
you were

22
Pigrogromitus … Queubus
words invented by Feste as examples of his feigned wisdom

22
equinoctial
equator

24
leman
sweetheart

24
Hadst it?
Did you receive it?

25
impeticos
i.e. pocket up

25
gratillity
gratuity (another invented word)

26
whipstock
whip-handle

26
Myrmidons
Achilles’ followers; possible play on “Mermaid Inn,” a tavern in Shakespeare’s London

27
bottle-ale houses
low-class taverns

32
testril of
sixpenny coin from

34
song … life
drinking song (Sir Andrew interprets
good
as “virtuous, moral”)

39
high and low
i.e. in terms of pitch or volume

40
Trip
go, skip

40
sweeting
darling

45
hereafter
in the future

47
still
always

48
plenty
profit

49
and twenty
an intensifier (the singer’s lover is “twenty times sweet”)

50
stuff
quality/material

51
true
honest/legitimate

52
contagious breath
infectious breath/catchy song

54
hear … nose
i.e. if we inhaled sound

54
dulcet in contagion
sweetly contagious

55
welkin
sky

55
rouse
startle/wake

56
three souls
three singers would have thrice the effect; powerful music was supposed to draw forth the soul

57
weaver
often associated with psalm-singing, so to excite one with a drinking song would be a real achievement

58
dog
i.e. good (Feste plays on the literal sense)

59
By’r lady
by Our Lady, the Virgin Mary

60
‘Thou knave’
the words of the round

61
Hold thy peace
be quiet (subsequent dialogue plays on “piece,” penis)

62
constrained
compelled

67
keep
make

68
steward
manager of household affairs

70
Catayan
Catharan (puritan)

70
politicians
schemers

71
Peg-a-Ramsey
spying wife in a popular ballad

71
‘Three … we’
popular refrain from a song

72
consanguineous
blood-related

72
Tillyvally
nonsense

73
‘There … lady!’
the opening and refrain of a song about the biblical tale of Susanna and the Elders

74
Beshrew
curse

76
grace
charm

76
natural
convincingly/idiotically

77
‘O … December’
from an unidentified song, possibly an erroneous reference to the twelfth day of Christmas (i.e. Twelfth Night)

80
wit
good sense

80
honesty
decorum

80
tinkers
popularly viewed as drunkards

82
squeak out
i.e. sing shrilly

82
coziers’
cobblers’

83
mitigation or remorse
considerate lowering

85
Sneck up!
Shut up!/Buzz off!

86
round
blunt

87
harbours
lodges

88
nothing allied
not related to

92
‘Farewell … gone’
over the next few lines Sir Toby and Feste adapt lines from a contemporary ballad

95
Is’t even so?
Is that the way things are?

100
an if
if

101
spare not
spare him not/be merciless

103
Out o’ tune
false

103
Art
are (you)

105
cakes and ale
i.e. festivity, particularly abhorrent to one with puritan tendencies

106
Saint Anne
mother of the Virgin Mary; another anti-puritan dig

106
ginger
spice in ale/aphrodisiac

108
rub … crumbs
polish your chain of office (reminding Malvolio of his servant status)

110
prized
valued

111
contempt
disrespect/disobedience

111
give means
i.e. provide drink

112
rule
behavior

113
Go … ears
i.e. like an ass; a dismissive insult

115
a-hungry
(very) hungry

115
the field
to a duel

120
out of quiet
agitated

121
For
as for

121
let … him
leave him to me

122
gull
trick

122
nayword
byword (for stupidity)

123
recreation
source of amusement

125
Possess
inform

126
puritan
overly strict moralist; not necessarily a member of the extreme Protestant religious movement

128
exquisite
ingenious/excellent

133
constantly
consistently

133
time-pleaser
time-server, flatterer

133
affectioned
pretentious

133
cons … book
learns high-flown expressions by heart

134
by great swarths
in broad sweeps (like quantities of scythed hay)

134
The best persuaded
having the highest opinion

136
excellencies
excellent features/accomplishments

136
grounds of faith
foundations of belief

140
obscure epistles
ambiguous letters

142
expressure
expression

143
complexion
appearance/coloring/temperament

143
feelingly personated
accurately represented

144
on … matter
when we have forgotten the circumstances in which something was written or what it was about

145
make distinction of
distinguish between

145
hands
handwriting

146
device
plot

153
Ass
puns on “as”

155
physic
medicine/treatment

157
construction
interpretation

158
event
outcome

159
Penthesilea
Queen of the Amazons; probably refers to Maria’s shortness

160
Before me
mild oath like “upon my soul”

161
beagle
skillful hunting dog

166
recover
obtain/win

166
foul way out
miserably far from success/badly out of pocket

168
cut
cart-horse (castrated or with docked tail)/vagina

170
burn
warm/sweeten with burnt sugar

170
sack
Spanish white wine

Act 2 Scene 4

2
but
(I want to hear) only

3
antique
quaint/old

4
passion
suffering

5
airs
melodies

5
recollected terms
studied, artificial expressions

13
the while
in the meantime

17
Unstaid and skittish
unsettled and fickle

17
motions else
other emotions

18
constant
faithful (contemplation of the)

20
gives … throned
reflects the heart exactly

22
masterly
from experience/knowingly

24
stayed
lingered

24
favour
face

26
by your favour
if you please (plays on the sense of “on your face”)

31
still
always

32
wears she
she adapts herself

33
sways she level
swings in perfect balance/exerts constant influence

35
fancies
infatuations

36
worn
exhausted

38
I … well
I believe it

40
hold the bent
hold steady (from archery: holding the bow taut)

42
displayed
unfurled, in full bloom

47
Mark
take note of

48
spinsters
spinners

49
free
carefree/innocent

49
weave … bones
make lace with bone bobbins

49
Do use
are accustomed

49
silly sooth
simple truth

50
dallies
deals lightly/toys

51
old age
bygone times, good old days

54
away
here

55
cypress
cypress-wood coffin/among sprigs of cypress (associated with mourning)

58
stuck
adorned, strewn

58
yew
yew twigs, also emblematic of mourning

60
My … it
I am the truest lover who ever died for love

63
strewn
pronounced “strown”

73
pleasure … paid
with pain (proverbial)

75
leave to leave
permission to dismiss

76
melancholy god
Saturn, thought to govern melancholy dispositions

77
doublet
close-fitting jacket

77
changeable taffeta
shot silk, the color of which changes depending on the light

78
opal
iridescent gem of changeable color

78
men … constancy
i.e. inconstant men

79
their … everywhere
“he that is everywhere is nowhere” (proverbial)

80
that’s … nothing
that’s the attitude that considers a useless voyage to be profitable

82
give place
leave

85
dirty
dishonorably acquired/despicable/muddy

86
parts
attributes, i.e. wealth

87
giddily
lightly

87
fortune
traditionally held to be fickle

88
miracle … gems
i.e. Olivia’s beauty

89
pranks
adorns

96
be answered
satisfied

98
bide
withstand

100
retention
the power to retain (emotion)

101
appetite
desire/fancy

102
motion
impulse/emotion

102
liver
thought to be the seat of strong passion

102
palate
organ of taste, i.e. easily satisfied

103
suffer
undergo

103
surfeit
sickening overindulgence

103
cloyment
excessive gratification

103
revolt
revulsion (of appetite)