Read The Merry Wives of Windsor Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
185
that flies
which runs away from it (
love
)
186
satisfaction
payment/sexual gratification
189
importuned
urged
194
erected
plays on the idea of penile erection
197
honest
chaste
198
mirth
enjoyment of pleasure/merriment
198
shrewd construction
malicious judgment
201
great admittance
i.e. widely received by society/ admitted by the best persons
201
authentic
respectable
202
generally allowed
approved of by all
203
preparations
accomplishments
208
amiable
amorous
211
apply well to
be appropriate to/fit in with
213
preposterously
perversely/irrationally/foolishly
214
drift
plan
215
folly
lewdness/foolishness
216
against
at directly (as if she were the sun)
217
detection
accusation/exposure
218
instance
evidence
219
ward
protection/defensive posture (a fencing term)
220
her
of her
228
Want
lack
234
forth
away from home
235
speed
get on/succeed
240
wittolly
contentedly cuckolded
240
the which
which reason
241
well-favoured
good-looking
242
harvest-home
harvest gathered in/celebratory harvest festival
245
mechanical
base, coarse (from the word for a manual worker)
245
salt-butter
cheap
247
meteor
considered to be a bad omen
248
predominate
have ascendancy (an astrological term)
250
aggravate his style
add to his title (by calling him
cuckold
and
knave
)
253
Epicurean
pleasure-loving/sensual
254
improvident
unwary/rash
257
false
unfaithful/dishonest
259
stand … terms
have to put up with being called offensive names
261
Amaimon … Barbason
names of devils
262
additions
names/titles
264
secure
overconfident/unsuspecting
265
Fleming
person from Flanders (a country in the Netherlands, whose inhabitants were supposedly very fond of
butter
)
267
aqua-vitae
strong spirits such as whiskey
267
walk
exercise
268
ambling gelding
easily ridden horse
11
no … as
not so dead as he will be when
14
Villainy
i.e. villain
17
’Save
God save
21
foin
thrust/lunge with a sword
21
traverse
pierce with a sword/move from side to side in fencing
22
punto, thy stock
thrust with the point of the sword
23
reverse
backhanded thrust or “punto reverso”
23
distance
(awareness of) the distance that must be kept from the opponent
23
montant
upward thrust
24
Ethiopian
i.e. person of dark hair and complexion
24
Francisco
i.e. Frenchman
25
Aesculapius
Greek god of medicine
25
Galen
famous second-century Greek physician
25
heart of elder
i.e. as opposed to the firm “heart of oak” that denoted courage; the elder tree is low and has soft wood
26
bully stale
my old laughing-stock/my old inspector of urine (i.e. doctor)
29
Castalion
perhaps suggesting Spanish (from Castile)
29
king-urinal
ruler over urine diagnosis
29
Hector of Greece
the famed warrior was in fact from Troy
35
against the hair
contrary to/against the grain
39
Bodykins
by God’s dear body
40
make one
join in
42
salt
savor/liveliness
50
guest-justice
like Falstaff, Shallow is also staying at the Garter Inn
50
Mockwater
i.e. one who analyzes urine, perhaps with “mock” suggesting a degree of quackery (plays on “make water”—i.e. urinate from fear)
54
Jack-dog
male dog/mongrel/knavish dog
56
clapper-claw
beat/thrash
66
Frogmore
small village near Windsor
72
for a jack-an-ape
on behalf of an ape (i.e. Slender)
77
Cried game
probably a sporting exclamation
82
adversary
the Host knows that Caius will misunderstand and take the word to mean something like “advocate”
3
physic
medicine
4
Petty-ward
i.e. toward Windsor Little (“petit”) Park
4
park-ward
toward Windsor Great Park
5
Old Windsor
village near Windsor, south of
Frogmore
9
chollors
choler (i.e. bile/anger)
11
knog
knock (possibly “knot”)
11
urinals
vessel containing urine for medical inspection (possibly Evans confusedly intends “testicles”)
12
costard
head (literally, large apple)
14
To shallow rivers
throughout the following two stanzas, Evans sings parts of Christopher Marlowe’s well-known poem “Come live with me and be my love”
14
falls
cascades/waterfalls
15
madrigals
songs for several voices (more generally, pastoral or love songs)
21
When … Pabylon
Evans inserts a line from the metrical version of Psalm 137
21
Pabylon
Babylon
22
vagram
vagrant (malapropism for “fragrant”)
24
he
i.e. Caius
28
No weapons
presumably Simple means that, unlike Evans, Caius has not yet drawn his sword
38
from
Evans means “for”
39
word
i.e. scripture
41
doublet and hose
close-fitting jacket and breeches (without his
gown
)
47
belike
probably
48
at most odds
at the greatest variance
50
fourscore
eighty (literally, four times twenty)
51
wide … respect
indifferent to his own reputation/far from proper consideration of himself/far from his own nature
56
as lief
just as soon/rather
57
mess of porridge
serving of meat and vegetable stew, eaten before the main course
59
Hibocrates
Hippocrates, famous Greek physician of the fifth century BC
60
a cowardly
i.e. as cowardly a
62
he’s
i.e. Evans
69
question
dispute/debate
70
hack our English
mangle the English language instead
80
coxcomb
head (literally, cap resembling the comb of a cock, worn by a professional fool)
82
stay
waited
84
judgement by
judged by/ruled by the judgment of
85
Gallia and Gaul
Wales (from the French “Galles”) and France
89
politic
cunning/wily
89
subtle
crafty/sly
89
Machiavel
intriguer/unscrupulous schemer (from Niccolò Machiavelli’s
The Prince
, a sixteenth-century treatise perceived as advocating political cunning)
90
motions
bowel motions (i.e. laxatives or enemas)
92
no-verbs
warnings as to what is forbidden/(Welsh) nonsense words
93
terrestrial
i.e. Caius, who ministers to the body
93
celestial
i.e. Evans, who deals with spiritual matters
94
art
skill/learning
96
issue
outcome
97
to pawn
i.e. as they are no longer needed
101
sot
fool
103
vlouting-stog
flouting-stock (i.e. laughingstock)
105
scall
scald (i.e. scabby/scurvy/contemptible)
105
cogging companion
cheating rascal
109
noddles
head
1
keep your way
keep going
1
were wont
used
2
Whether
which
10
as … together
as idle as she can be while remaining in one piece/those who are as idle as she is may as well keep each other company
15
his … of
is the name of the person my husband got the boy from
21
league
i.e. of friendship
28
twelvescore
(from a distance of) 240 paces or yards
28
pieces out
increases
29
folly
lewdness
29
motion and advantage
prompting and opportunity
31
hear … wind
foresee what is to come (as one may anticipate rain before it actually arrives)
32
revolted
i.e. from virtue and fidelity
33
take him
catch him out/encounter him
35
divulge
reveal
36
wilful
willing
36
Actaeon
i.e. a cuckold (due to the horns he received when turned into a stag)
37
cry aim
applaud/shout encouragement (a term from archery)
42
knot
group/company
42
cheer
entertainment/food and drink
46
break with
break my word to
57
capers
is merry and lively/dances/leaps
58
speaks holiday
speaks in a lively, entertaining way/uses choice language
58
carry’t
be successful/carry it off
59
’tis … buttons
he has the essential quality within him/he is sure to succeed