All's Well That Ends Well (34 page)

18
cry
proclaim

21
lack … deny
i.e. cannot say no

22
captives
i.e. to the girls' charms

23
serve
fight (plays on the sense of “have sex”)

27
spark
young man about town

28
brave
splendid

30
here
to stay here

30
kept a coil
fussed over

32
bravely
boldly/worthily

33
forehorse … smock
lead horse in a team led by a woman

34
masonry
stonework floor (i.e. not a battlefield)

35
bought up
won by others

36
one … with
i.e. an ornamental weapon

36
steal
sneak (the First Lord plays on the sense of “rob”)

40
grow to
become attached to

40
a tortured body
like a body being torn apart

44
a word
in a word

44
metals
blades/spirits (“mettles”)

45
Spurio
“counterfeit” (Italian)

46
cicatrice
scar

46
sinister
left

47
entrenched
gashed, grooved

48
reports
response

50
Mars
may Mars

50
novices
recruits

52
Stay
wait on/obey (Second Folio repunctuates “Stay:” which changes the sense to “Wait: the king is coming”)

53
spacious ceremony
ample courtesy

54
list
boundary

55
wear … time
i.e. are fashionable/notable

56
muster true gait
display correct bearing/behavior

58
received
fashionable

58
measure
stately dance

59
dilated
extended

62
like
likely

63
sinewy
muscular, energetic

64
tidings
news

65
fee
pay

66
brought his pardon
i.e. something to earn it

69
broke thy pate
given you a blow to the skull

71
across
i.e. a clumsy hit (in jousting, to break a lance across rather than striking directly with the point showed poor skill)

74
will … fox
in Aesop's fable the fox declared the grapes were sour because he couldn't reach them; the king dismisses the idea of recovery because he thinks it impossible

75
will
will eat/want

75
an if
if

76
medicine
doctor

78
Quicken
give life to

78
canary
a lively Spanish dance

79
simple
minimal/herbal/medicinal

80
araise
raise from the dead/sexually arouse

80
King Pippin
eighth-century French king, father of Charlemain (Charlemagne)

81
pen
plays on the sense of “penis”

87
light
lighthearted/sexually suggestive

87
deliverance
delivery, reporting

88
profession
claims of skill

90
blame
attribute to

90
weakness
partiality, susceptibility

94
admiration
object of wonder

95
spend
expend

95
take off
reduce, remove

96
took'st
conceived of, caught

97
fit
satisfy

99
special nothing
particular trifles

99
ever prologues
always introduces

99
Enter Helen
some editors suppose that she is disguised, since in Act 2 Scene 3 Lafew appears surprised at her identity, despite having met her in Act 1 Scene 1; this is possible, but it seems more likely that he is complicit with her plan (hence
Cressid's uncle
) and that the later surprise is feigned

100
come your ways
come along

105
Cressid's uncle
Pandarus, go-between for the lovers Troilus and Cressida

107
follow
relate to

110
profess
practice, make a profession of

110
well found
of established skill

114
receipts
recipes for medical cures

115
issue
product

116
th'only
the foremost/peerless

117
triple
third

118
Safer
more safely

120
cause … power
disease (
cause
) for which the worth of my father's gift is most effective

122
tender
offer

122
appliance
remedy/treatment

123
bound
prepared/dutiful

125
credulous
readily believing

127
congregated college
i.e. of doctors

128
art
skill/scholarship/science

129
inaidible
unable to be assisted

131
prostitute
submit (basely)

132
empirics
quack doctors

132
dissever
divide

133
great self
kingly person

133
credit
reputation

133
esteem
give merit to, believe in

134
senseless
foolish

134
sense
rational hope

134
deem
judge (it to be)

135
duty
i.e. as a subject (having tried to help you)

135
pains
efforts

136
office
services, duty

138
modest one
slight thought/thought that confirms my modest, seeemly behavior

138
to … again
for me to return with/to conduct me home

139
to
than to

142
at full
in detail

142
no part
not at all

143
art
(sufficient) medical skill

145
set … rest
stake everything (derived from the card game primero)

146
He
i.e. God

148
holy writ
the Bible, which contains several examples of the young being wiser than their elders

148
babes
foolish/inexperienced

149
great … sources
Moses struck rock from which water flowed for the thirsty Israelites (Exodus 17)

150
simple
small

150
great … dried
Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea, which parted, allowing them to pass on dry ground (Exodus 14)

151
great'st
great persons, such as Pharaoh, who complained about God's power

153
hits
succeeds

154
shifts
operates

156
by … paid
be their own reward

157
Proffers
offers

157
for
as

158
Inspirèd
divinely inspired (plays on the sense of “inhaled”)

158
breath
words

160
square
shape

160
shows
appearances

162
count
consider

164
experiment
trial

165
impostor
swindler

165
proclaim … aim
declare my success before attempting to hit the target/claim skill that is greater than my ability

169
space
period of time

171
greatest
i.e. God's

173
torcher
torchbearer, the sun god, who was carried across the sky in a horse-drawn chariot

173
diurnal ring
daily circuit

174
occidental
western (i.e. sunset)

175
Hesperus
the evening star (Venus)

176
pilot's glass
nautical hourglass

181
venture
risk/wager

182
Tax
accusation

183
strumpet's
harlot's/whore's

184
Traduced
slandered

185
Seared
branded

185
extended
stretched on a rack

189
slay
deny, extinguish

190
sense
higher wisdom/natural feeling, instinct

191
rate
value

192
estimate
value

194
prime
youth

195
Thou … hazard
your willingness to risk this

195
needs
necessarily

196
monstrous desperate
unnaturally reckless

197
practicer
practitioner

197
physic
medical advice/medicine

198
ministers
delivers (plays on the sense of “dispenses healing”)

199
break time
miss my deadline

199
property
any particular respect

201
Not
in not

204
make it even
fulfill it

207
What
whatever

208
Exempted
far removed

214
premises observed
conditions noted/fulfilled

215
performance
carrying out (of the request)

216
of
in

217
resolved
determined

217
still
always

220
tended on
attended

221
Unquestioned
unquestionably

223
high as word
amply as promised

Act 2 Scene 2

2.2
Location: Rossillion

1
put … height
thoroughly test

2
breeding
education/upbringing

3
highly fed
overfed

3
lowly
inadequately

5
make you
do you think

6
put off
dismiss

8
put
pass

9
make a leg
bow

12
answer
throughout the exchange this word seems to have phallic connotations (
question
thus suggests “vagina”)

16
pin
narrow/sharp

16
quatch
probably squat/fat

16
brawn
meaty/well-rounded

18
fit
suitably

19
groats
fourpenny coins

20
French crown
gold coin/bald head (symptom of syphilis)

20
taffety punk
finely dressed whore

20
Tib
typical name for lower-class girl/whore (diminutive of “Isabel”)

20
rush
ring made of reeds/vagina

21
Tom
typical name for a rogue

21
forefinger
with phallic connotations

21
pancake
traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday, the feasting day before Lent

21
morris
morris dance

22
nail
with phallic connotations

22
his
its

22
hole
with vaginal connotations