The Winter's Tale (32 page)

¹
Bohemia
Bohemia, a central European kingdom, formerly part of the Austrian Empire; its capital was Prague   

²
on … occasion
in the same circumstances   

on foot
in employment   

⁶
Bohemia
the King of Bohemia   

⁸
Wherein … loves
in whatever manner our hospitality may shame us, we shall make up for it in our love for you   

¹¹
Verily
truly   

in … knowledge
as my knowledge enables me to do   

¹²
rare
exceptional/excellent   

¹³
sleepy
sleep-inducing   

¹⁴
insufficience
inadequacy   

¹⁹
Sicilia
the King of Sicily   

²⁰
trained
educated (plays on the sense of “directed or joined horticulturally”)   

²²
branch
flourish   

²³
necessities
responsibilities   

²⁵
attorneyed
represented   

embassies
messages   

²⁷
vast
boundless space   

²⁸
ends … winds
opposite corners of
the
globe   

The
may the   

³⁰
unspeakable
indescribable   

of
in the form of   

³²
note
attention   

³⁴
physics the subject
gives health to the people   

³⁵
ere
before   

³⁶
desire … life
are determined to survive   

³⁷
else
otherwise   

¹
wat'ry star
the moon, which
changes
each month   

²
note
observation   

³
burden
i.e. occupant   

⁵
perpetuity
ever   

⁶
cipher
zero that, worthless in itself, may increase the value of a number it is added to   

⁸
moe
more   

¹⁰
Stay
restrain   

¹³
questioned … truly'
plagued by anxieties as to what might happen in my absence and concerned that no biting (
sneaping
) winds of hostility should make me conclude I was right to be afraid   

¹⁹
put us to't
prove by testing me   

²¹
sev'nnight
week   

²²
very sooth
truly   

²³
between's
between us   

²⁴
no gainsaying
not be refused   

²⁹
needful
necessary   

³¹
Were … me
would be a punishment to me (although well-intentioned)   

³²
charge
burdensome responsibility   

³⁷
Charge
entreat   

³⁸
this … day
such reassuring news was announced yesterday   

³⁹
Say
if you say   

⁴⁰
ward
defensive position (fencing term)   

⁴²
tell
say (to us)   

strong
i.e. as an argument   

⁴³
But
only   

⁴⁵
distaffs
cleft staffs around which wool or flax was wound for use in spinning   

⁴⁶
adventure
risk   

⁴⁸
take
receive   

⁴⁹
behind … parting
after the time (
gest
) appointed for his departure   

⁵⁰
good deed
indeed   

⁵¹
jar
tick   

behind … she
less than any noble woman (loves)   

⁵⁷
limber vows
limp protestations   

⁵⁸
t'unsphere the stars
to unhinge the cosmos (each star was thought to be contained within its own hollow sphere)   

⁶³
pay … depart
Elizabethan prisoners were required to pay a fee on being released   

⁶⁵
dread
greatly to be feared   

⁶⁸
import offending
imply that I had offended   

⁷³
Of
about   

⁷⁴
pretty lordings
fine young gentlemen   

⁷⁶
behind
to come   

⁸⁰
verier wag
more mischievous fellow   

⁸²
changed
exchanged   

⁸⁶
weak … blood
childish dispositions/innocence never developed into adult passions   

⁸⁸
the … ours
excepting the inherited (original) sin of all mankind/and have been spared inherited (original) sin   

⁹¹
tripped
sinned   

⁹³
to's
to us   

⁹⁴
unfledged
undeveloped, youthful   

⁹⁶
play-fellow
i.e. Leontes   

⁹⁷
Grace to boot!
Charming too!   

⁹⁸
Of … conclusion
do not follow that statement (about temptation) to its logical conclusion   

¹⁰⁰
answer
explain/respond to/repay   

¹⁰¹
sinned … us
had sexual relations with us and continued to do so only with us and no others   

¹¹²
Cram's
cram us (i.e. me)   

¹¹³
tame things
domestic pets (
fat
plays on her pregnancy)   

tongueless
unremarked upon   

¹¹⁴
Slaughters … that
means that all corresponding deeds go unrecognized as well   

¹¹⁵
ride's
ride us (with sexual connotations)   

¹¹⁶
furlongs
a furlongs is 220 yards (200 meters)   

ere … acre
before we will cover an acre as a result of (instead) being kicked with a spur   

¹¹⁹
sister
i.e. the first good deed Leontes mentioned   

¹²⁰
would
I wish/if only   

Grace
i.e. virtue/honor/divine favor   

¹²⁴
crabbèd
bitter, frustrating (crab apples were a notoriously sour fruit)   

¹²⁶
clap
seal a bargain by striking hands reciprocally   

¹²⁹
lo
look   

to th'purpose
effectively   

¹³¹
friend
companion (Leontes may pick up on the sense of “lover”)   

¹³³
mingling bloods
process believed to occur during sex, since semen was assumed to be chiefly composed of blood