All's Well That Ends Well (38 page)

Act 4 Scene 1

4.1
Location: battlefield

2
sally
burst out

2
terrible
terrifying

4
unless
except for

10
linsey-woolsey
cloth made of flax and wool (i.e. verbal mixture, nonsense)

11
again
in response

13
strangers
foreigners

14
entertainment
employment

14
smack
taste, smattering

16
fancy
creativity

16
to know
knowing

17
so
so long as

17
know straight
directly achieve

18
choughs
jackdaws, plays on “chuff,” meaning “rustic, clown”

19
politic
cunning

19
couch
lie down, hide

20
beguile
while away

24
plausive
plausible

24
it
it off

24
smoke
smoke out, suspect

27
creatures
i.e. soldiers

27
not … tongue
and I am afraid to carry out my boasts

34
hurts
wounds

37
instance
motive (for doing this)/proof (of my supposed exploits)

37
Tongue … mouth
with sexual connotations

37
butter-woman
dairywoman/whore (i.e. chatty/lecherous)

38
of
from

38
Bajazet's mule
mules were proverbially silent and sometimes associated with Turks, but emperors such as Bajazet had “mute” slaves, so some editors emend accordingly; or there may be a garbled allusion to Balaam's ass in the Bible, which only spoke at God's command

42
serve the turn
suffice

44
afford
allow/let (you) off

45
baring
shaving

45
in stratagem
an act of cunning, for disguise

51
citadel
presumably the enemy fortress

53
Thirty fathom
180 feet

59
Alarum
call to arms

64
Muskos
probably Muscovites

66
low Dutch
Dutch;
German
was known as “high Dutch”

68
discover
reveal

70
betake thee
entrust thyself

71
poniards
daggers

76
hoodwinked
blindfolded

76
lead thee on
take you elsewhere/direct the conversation

77
gather
gain information

86
space
time/a temporary reprieve

88
woodcock
proverbially stupid bird

88
muffled
blindfolded

91
A
he

92
Inform on
report

Act 4 Scene 2

4.2
Location: Florence

1
Fontybell
i.e. “beautiful fountain”

3
goddess
Diana was the goddess of chastity and hunting

4
worth
worthy of

4
addition
additional distinction

5
frame
being, shape

5
quality
part

6
quick
lively

7
monument
statue

11
got
conceived

12
honest
chaste (i.e. married; Bertram shifts the sense to “frank, open”)

18
vows
i.e. of love for Diana/to have nothing to do with Helen

20
constraint
compulsion

21
rights
duties

23
serve
gratify sexually

23
roses
virginities/vaginas

24
barely
in a naked state/only just

24
thorns … ourselves
i.e. with shame (quibbles on the idea that this is in place of a man's
prick
)

25
bareness
loss of the rose of virginity/defenselessness

30
high'st
i.e. God

30
to
as our

31
Jove
supreme Roman god

33
ill
imperfectly/immorally

33
holding
consistency (i.e. is untenable)

34
protest
profess

36
words
mere words

36
conditions
contracts

36
unsealed
i.e. not valid legally

38
it
i.e. your opinion

39
holy-cruel
cruel by being holy

40
crafts
skills/deceits

42
sick
i.e. needing cure

43
Who
which will

43
recovers
recover

45
scar
perhaps in the sense of “precipice,” i.e. dangerous place or “sore/fault, blemish” or “fear/panic” (modern “scare”); the general sense is that men create dangerous situations for women in which they may lose their sense of propriety and behave recklessly; some editors emend to “snare”

50
honour
object of distinction

52
obloquy
disgrace

54
honour's
virginity's

54
ring
with vaginal connotations

58
proper
personal

63
bid
commanded

65
order take
make arrangements

66
band
bond

67
yet maiden
still virgin

72
proceeds
comes to pass

73
token
betoken, signify

75
wife
i.e. by having sex

75
hope
i.e. of marrying Bertram

75
be done
ends

81
like
same

83
braid
i.e. twisted, deceitful

84
Marry
let those marry

85
disguise
deceptive role

86
cozen
trick

Act 4 Scene 3

4.3
Location: battlefield

2
since
ago

5
worthy
deserved

8
his bounty
(the instrument of) his generosity

10
darkly
secretly

13
perverted
seduced/corrupted

14
fleshes
rewards with meat (as hounds were given a piece of the kill; sexual connotations)

15
will
sexual desire/penis

15
spoil
plundered loot/despoiling/meat given to hounds

16
monumental
i.e. serving as a reminder of his ancestry

16
made
successful

17
composition
bargain (plays on the sense of “something made”)

18
delay
subdue

18
rebellion
rebellious, lustful appetites

18
ourselves
i.e. human

20
Merely
entirely

21
still
always

21
themselves
i.e. their true, treacherous natures

22
attain to
reach

22
ends
objectives/deaths

22
he
i.e. Bertram

23
contrives
conspires

23
proper stream
own current of desire

25
Is … meant
does it not show (as)

28
dieted … hour
restricted to his appointed time

29
apace
quickly

30
company
companion

30
anatomized
dissected, revealed

31
curiously … counterfeit
elaborately he has displayed this false jewel (Parolles)

33
him
i.e. Parolles

33
he … his
i.e. Bertram

34
the other
i.e. Parolles

36
overture
opening, move toward

39
higher
further

40
demand
question

40
of his council
in his confidence

42
deal … act
partaker in his affairs

45
pretence
purpose

46
sanctimony
holiness

50
justified
proved

53
office
role

54
rector
priest/ruler

57
arming
establishment, strengthening

57
verity
truth

59
make … of
take comfort in

63
encountered
met

68
cherished
comforted, pitied

71
solemn
formal

71
for
leave for

72
offered
given

74
needful
necessary

74
if
even if

75
more … commend
stronger commendations than Bertram deserves

79
dispatched
settled

80
by … success
quickly and successfully/here follows a summary of my success

81
congied with
taken ceremonious leave of

81
nearest
closest company

83
entertained my convoy
hired my means of transport

84
parcels of dispatch
major items of business

84
nicer
more delicate/lascivious

89
hear of it
i.e. because Diana may be pregnant and/or may claim him as her husband

92
module
model (of a soldier)

92
double-meaning prophesier
ambiguous, equivocal oracle

94
stocks
instrument of public punishment in which the arms, head, or legs were confined

94
gallant
showy, ostentatious

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usurping
laying false claim to

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spurs
symbols of knightly valor

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carry
bear, conduct (the Second Lord puns on the sense of “transport”)

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shed
spilled

101
time … remembrance
beginning of his memory

101
instant disaster
current misfortune

103
a
he

109
Hoodman
term for the blindfolded player in the game Blind Man's Bluff

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constraint
force

113
pasty
meat pie with pinched crusts

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note
memorandum/list

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horse
cavalry

120
is strong
i.e. has

126
take the sacrament
i.e. swear most religiously

126
how and which
however and whichever

128
All's one
it's all the same

128
past-saving
beyond redemption

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theoric
theory

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chape
metal plate covering the point of the sheath

134
clean
free from blood/polished

140
con
i.e. give

140
in the nature
considering the way in which

145
marvellous
extremely