Authors: William Shakespeare
52
remove
move
Act 3 Scene 5
5
Falls
lets fall
6
But … pardon
without begging pardon first (a traditional practice)
7
he … lives
the executioner who earns his living until he dies
11
pretty
ingenious
13
coward gates
i.e. eyelids
13
atomies
atoms, specks
17
counterfeit
pretend
22
rush
waterside plant
23
cicatrice
scar
23
capable impressure
palpable impression
29
fancy
love
31
keen
sharp
38
What though
what does it matter
40
Than … bed
i.e. than ought to go to bed in darkness so that your lover will not see you
43
ordinary
common condition
44
sale-work
ready-made goods of inferior quality
44.
’
Od’s
(may) God save
45
tangle
ensnare
48
bugle
glass beads, usually black
51
south
south wind
51
wind and rain
i.e. sighs and tears
52
properer
more handsome, finer
55
glass
mirror
57
lineaments
facial features
62
Cry
beg
63
Foul … scoffer
ugliness is most hideous when it is rough and abusive
65
together
uninterruptedly
70
sauce
rebuke
74
in wine
when drunk
76
tuft of olives
clump of olive trees
76
hard
close
77
ply
urge
80
abused in sight
deceived in his perception
82
Dead Shepherd
i.e. Christopher Marlowe (murdered in 1593), from whose poem
Hero and Leander
the ensuing quotation is taken
82
saw
maxim, saying
82
of might
powerful, convincing
91
extermined
exterminated
92
love … neighbourly
refers to the biblical instruction to “love thy neighbor as thyself”
94
covetousness
refers to the Tenth Commandment, which prohibits coveting one’s neighbor’s goods
98
erst
formerly
103
poverty
deficiency
105
ears
i.e. of corn
108
erewhile
a short time ago
110
bounds
land
111
carlot
churl, peasant
113
peevish
silly, foolish/spiteful
119
complexion
face/appearance
124
lusty
lively
126
constant
unchanging
126
damask
pink or light red
128
parcels
bits, parts
134
am remembered
remember
135
again
back
136
omittance … quittance
not having done so does not mean I never shall
140
straight
straight away
142
passing
excessively
Act 4 Scene 1
6
betray
expose
6
modern censure
commonplace judgment
8
sad
Rosalind quibbles on the sense of “massive, solid”
9
post
stout pole
11
emulation
envy of those who are superior
11
fantastical
fanciful, extravagant
13
politic
crafty
14
nice
fastidious
15
simples
ingredients (literally, medicinal herbs)
16
sundry
varied
17
often
frequent
18
humorous
moody
26
travel
voyage/take pains
28
an
if
29
lisp
put on a foreign accent
30
strange suits
foreign clothes
30
disable
disparage
31
nativity
birth (i.e. nationality)
33
swam
floated, traveled
41
clapped him o’th’shoulder
merely tapped him/arrested him
42
heart-whole
essentially unaffected, with the heart unengaged
48
jointure
marriage settlement that provided for the wife in the event of her husband’s death
51
horns
of a snail/of a cuckold
51
fain
obliged
52
beholding
indebted
52
armed … fortune
i.e. as a
snail
, naturally possessed of horns
53
prevents the slander
forestalls the disrepute
58
leer
complexion, appearance
59
holiday humour
festive mood
61
very
true
64
gravelled
stumped
65
out
at a loss for words
66
warn
protect, warrant
66
cleanliest shift
most skillful measure
71
Who … out
Rosalind goes on to play with the sense of “denied vaginal entry”
73
honesty
chastity
73
ranker
more corrupt
74
of my suit
out of my courtship/clothing
81
by attorney
by proxy (as opposed to “in person”)
83
videlicet
“namely” (Latin)
83
Troilus
lover of Cressida, who proved faithless to him; he was killed by Achilles during the Trojan war
85
die
may play on the sense of “experience orgasm”
85
patterns
models
86
Leander
in classical mythology, Leander regularly swam across the river
Hellespont
to see his lover
Hero of Sestos
, until one night he drowned
86
though
even if
90
found it
concluded the cause
94
right
real
97
coming-on
agreeable, encouraging
100
Fridays and Saturdays
days on which Christians abstained from eating meat
102
twenty
twenty more
112
Go to
expression of impatient dismissal
115
fast
firmly/quickly
118
commission
authority
119
goes … priest
proceeds with the service more quickly than the priest
124
possessed
married/had sex with
130
Barbary cock-pigeon
male pigeon thought to be from Barbary (north Africa)
131
against
before, in anticipation of
131
new-fangled
fond of novelty, easily distracted by new things
133
Diana … fountain
the goddess was a fairly popular figure to adorn fountains
140
waywarder
more obstinate, willful
140
Make
shut
140
wit
possible play on the sense of “genitals”
141
casement
window
145
“Wit, whither wilt?”
Wit, where are you going? (proverbial; refers to one with “wandering” wits)
146
check
rebuke
150
take
catch/possess sexually
152
fault
error (plays on the sense of “vagina”)
152
husband’s occasion
excuse to attack her husband (plays on the sense of “sexual business, opportunity for use”)
152
nurse
breastfeed
160
but … away
only one abandoned woman
165
behind your hour
late
166
pathetical
miserable, deplorable
168
gross
whole/inferior
169
censure
condemnation/judgment
171
religion
faithfulness
174
try
test/judge
175
simply misused
absolutely abused
175
love-prate
love talk
177
what … nest
proverbially, the bird fouls its own nest (
nest
also plays on the sense of “vagina”)
179
fathom
six feet
180
sounded
measured, penetrated
184
bastard of Venus
Cupid, son of Venus by Mars (or, variously, Mercury or Jupiter), not by her husband, Vulcan
185
begot
conceived
185
thought
fancy
185
spleen
impulse
186
blind
Cupid was traditionally depicted as sightless
186
abuses
deceives
189
shadow
shade
Act 4 Scene 2
5
branch
wreath (plays on the sense of “subdivision of a deer’s horn”)
13
bear this burden
sing this refrain/bear the cuckold’s horns
18
lusty
lively/lustful
Act 4 Scene 3
2
here much Orlando
“much Orlando there is to be seen here” (said in irony)
9
waspish
spiteful
10
use
employ, adopt
14
swaggerer
quarreler, blusterer
17
phoenix
mythical Arabian bird that was consumed by fire every 500 years, then resurrected from the ashes; only one existed at a time
17.
’
Od’s
God is
20
device
devising
21
protest
declare, vow
25
leathern
leathery, rough
26
freestone
sandstone or limestone
26
freestone-coloured
brownish yellow
26
verily
truly
28
huswife’s
housewife’s (i.e. hard and coarse)
30
invention
style
30
hand
handwriting
32
boisterous
violent, rough
35
giant-rude
extremely rough
36
Ethiope
Ethiopian (i.e. black)
40
Phoebes
i.e. is cruel to
45
apart
aside
49
vengeance
harm
51
eyne
eyes
54
aspect
gaze (with astrological connotations)
56
prayers
entreaties
59
by … mind
i.e. employ Silvius to bring me your decision in a sealed letter
60
kind
nature
62
make
offer
68
instrument
tool/musical instrument
69
strains
melodies
70
snake
i.e. drudge
76
purlieus
borders
78
neighbour bottom
nearby valley
79
rank of osiers
row of willows
80
Left
passed by
86
favour
appearance/face
86
bestows
acquits
87
ripe
mature/elder
87
low
short
91
commend him
i.e. offers his respectful greetings