Twelfth Night (33 page)

104
mine
i.e. my love

105
compare
comparison

107
owe
have for

115
history
story

118
damask
pink, like the damask rose

119
green and yellow
sickly, pale and sallow

120
patience … monument
carved figure on a memorial

123
shows
outward displays

123
are more
have more substance

123
will
our desires

123
still
always

128
to
go to

131
give no place
not give way

131
denay
denial

Act 2 Scene 5

1
Come thy ways
come along

2
scruple
tiny amount

3
boiled
puns on (black) “bile,” the cause of
melancholy;
also a joke, since
melancholy
was a cold, dry humor

4
niggardly
mean-minded

5
sheep-biter
nasty, shifty fellow (literally, a dog that attacks sheep)

7
bear-baiting
a pastime that was particularly disapproved of by puritans

9
fool … blue
bruise him (metaphorically) with fooling

10
pity … lives
a pity we should live

12
metal of India
i.e. pure gold, treasure

13
box-tree
thick evergreen shrub used in ornamental gardens

14
walk
path

15
behaviour
courtly gestures

17
contemplative
preoccupied/mindlessly gazing

17
Close
stay hidden

19
tickling
i.e. flattery; one method of catching
trout
is to stroke them under their gills

21
she
Olivia

21
affect
love/feel fondness for

21
thus near
i.e. close to saying

22
fancy
love

23
uses
treats

24
follows
serves

25
overweening
arrogant/overambitious

26
rare
splendid

26
turkey-cock
a proverbially proud, vain bird

27
jets
struts

27
advanced plumes
raised feathers

28
’Slight
(by) God’s light

32
Pistol
shoot

34
example
precedent

34
lady … wardrobe
unknown allusion to the marriage of a woman to her social inferior

35
yeoman … wardrobe
servant in charge of household clothes and linen

36
Jezebel
in the Bible, proud wife of Ahab, King of Israel; term for a wicked, deceptive, or lascivious woman

37
in
absorbed in his own fantasies

38
blows him
puffs him up

40
state
canopied chair of state

41
stone-bow
crossbow that shoots stones

42
officers
household servants

42
branched
embroidered with a branched pattern or with images of foliage

43
daybed
sofa/bed for daytime reclining (with sexual associations)

47
humour of state
temperament/power of one in authority

48
demure … regard
solemn survey of the room and company

49
would
wish

49
Toby
Malvolio omits “Sir”

50
Bolts and shackles!
restraints for a prisoner

52
people
servants

52
start
sudden movement

52
make out
go

53
perchance
perhaps

54
my—
perhaps chain of office, which Malvolio momentarily forgets he would not be wearing, but he could be referring to anything; a genital quibble is probably present

55
curtsies
bows

57
cars
chariots/carts, i.e. by torture

60
familiar
friendly

60
regard of control
authoritative look

61
take
strike, give

62
Cousin
kinsman

63
prerogative
due privilege, right

66
scab
scoundrel

67
sinews
muscles, strength

73
employment
business

74
woodcock
proverbially stupid bird

74
gin
trap

75
humours
whims, moods

75
intimate
suggest

77
hand
handwriting

78
C’s … T’s
“cut” was slang for “vagina,” but the joke may well be on “cunt” (with
and
as “n”)

78
great P’s
uppercase P’s/noble vagina (“piece”)/copious urination

79
in contempt of
beyond

83
impressure
imprint, seal

83
Lucrece
Olivia’s seal-ring bears the image of Lucrece, Roman heroine who committed suicide after being raped

83
uses to seal
customarily seals

85
liver
seat of passion

90
numbers altered
meter changed

92
brock
badger, used contemptuously

94
Lucrece knife
knife Lucrece used to kill herself

96
sway
rule

97
fustian
nonsensical/pompous (literally, inferior cloth)

101
What
what a

101
dressed
prepared for

102
wing
flight/speed

102
staniel
kestrel, or small falcon

102
checks
swoops

105
formal capacity
normal intelligence

105
obstruction
obstacle

106
position
arrangement

106
portend
mean

108
O, ay
puns on the
O … I
of
M.O.A.I. make up
work out

108
at … scent
has lost the trail

109
Sowter
name of a hound (a “souter” was a cobbler)

109
cry
bark

110
rank
foul-smelling

112
cur
dog

113
faults
finding the scent again after the trail has gone cold

114
consonancy … sequel
consistency of pattern

115
suffers
holds up

115
probation
investigation

116
O shall end
O ends Malvolio’s name/a cry of misery will end this business/the hangman’s noose ends life

119
eye
puns on
Ay
and
I

120
detraction
defamation, slander

121
simulation
disguised meaning

121
former
earlier, clearer parts of the letter

122
crush
force a meaning from

122
bow
yield

124
revolve
consider (with play on “turn round,” which may cue Malvolio to do so)

124
stars
fortunes

127
open their hands
offer bounty

127
blood and spirit
i.e. all of you, body and soul

128
embrace
willingly accept

128
inure
accustom

128
like
likely

129
cast
cast off

129
slough
outer skin

129
opposite
antagonistic/contradictory

130
tang … state
ring out on political topics

131
trick of singularity
peculiar, distinctive behavior

133
ever
at all times

134
cross-gartered
wearing garters crossed near the knee

134
Go to
i.e. come on

137
alter services
exchange places of mistress and servant; with sexual innuendo

138
Fortunate-Unhappy
i.e. wealthy, but lacking requited love

139
champaign
open countryside

139
open
clear

139
discovers
reveals

140
politic
political/prudent

140
baffle
publicly disgrace

141
gross
dull/base

141
point-device
to the last detail

143
jade
deceive

143
excites
urges

146
manifests herself to
reveals herself as

147
injunction
order

147
habits
ways of dressing/behavior

148
happy
fortunate

148
strange
aloof

148
stout
proud, haughty

152
entertainest
welcome, accept

154
still
always

158
Sophy
Shah of Persia

159
device
plot

164
gull-catcher
fool-trapper/trickster

165
Wilt … neck?
i.e. I submit totally to you

167
play
gamble

167
tray-trip
type of dicing game

168
bondslave
slave

173
aqua-vitae
strong spirits, such as brandy

174
fruits
outcome

180
contempt
object of contempt

181
Tartar
Tartarus, hell of classical mythology

183
make one
join in, tag along

Act 3 Scene 1

3.1
tabor
small drum

1
Save
God save

1
live by
earn your living with (Feste plays on the sense of
by
as “next to”)

7
lies by
dwells near/sleeps with

8
stands
is maintained

9
stand
is placed

10
You have said
you have had your say/fair enough

10
sentence
saying

11
cheveril
kidskin (pliable leather)

13
dally nicely
play subtly/triflingly

14
wanton
uncontrolled, ambiguous/lecherous

19
bonds
legal contracts

19
disgraced them
i.e. by suggesting that a man’s word alone was not enough

21
yield
give

32
pilchards
small fish that resemble herring

34
late
recently

35
orb
planet, world

36
but
were it not for the fact that

38
your wisdom
i.e. you, a hired servant/fool

39
pass upon
jest at/judge

41
commodity
supply

43
for one
wanting a beard/from love for a bearded man

46
these
i.e. coins

46
bred
multiplied; Feste asks for more money

47
put to use
invested for profit (plays on the sense of “having had sex”)