The Winter's Tale (41 page)

⁸⁰⁸
cap-a-pie
from head to toe   

⁸⁰⁹
open thy affair
disclose your business   

⁸¹²
advocate
representative   

⁸¹⁴
pheasant
the only courts known to the Clown are those of local justices; he assumes Autolycus refers to bribing the judge with a gift   

⁸²⁰
but
anyone but   

⁸²³
fantastical
imaginative/eccentric   

⁸²⁴
picking on's teeth
the way he picks his teeth (ornate toothpicks were a mark of fashion)   

⁸³⁰
Age
old man   

⁸³⁴
be'st … serious
are able to understand important things   

⁸³⁸
hand-fast
arrested   

fly
flee, escape   

⁸⁴²
wit … heavy
ingenuity can make brutal   

⁸⁴³
germane
related   

⁸⁴⁶
sheep-whistling rogue
rascal who whistles to his sheep   

ram-tender
one who looks after rams   

offer
attempt   

⁸⁴⁷
grace
favor at court   

⁸⁴⁹
sheep-cote
building sheltering sheep   

⁸⁵⁴
'nointed
anointed, covered   

⁸⁵⁵
dram
tiny bit   

⁸⁵⁶
aqua-vitae
liquor   

⁸⁵⁷
prognostication proclaims
the calendar forecasts   

⁸⁶⁰
blown
swollen with flies' eggs (laid in wounds)   

⁸⁶²
capital
worthy of the death penalty   

⁸⁶³
to
to say to   

Being … considered
as I am deemed noble/esteemed at court   

⁸⁶⁵
tender
offer, present   

him
in to him on   

⁸⁶⁶
man
any man   

⁸⁶⁸
Close
make a deal   

⁸⁷⁴
that
what   

⁸⁷⁵
in pawn
as security   

⁸⁷⁸
moiety
half   

⁸⁸⁰
case
circumstances/skin   

⁸⁸⁶
gone else
dead otherwise   

⁸⁹⁰
before
ahead of me   

⁸⁹¹
look … hedge
i.e. urinate   

⁸⁹⁷
suffer
allow   

booties
booty, benefits   

courted
wooed   

⁸⁹⁸
occasion
opportunity   

⁹⁰¹
him
i.e. Florizel's ship   

⁹⁰²
shore them
put them ashore   

⁹⁰⁴
officious
interfering   

proof against
impervious to   

⁹⁰⁶
matter
serious business/reward   

²
sorrow
i.e. penitence   

³
paid … trespass
endured and repented more than the sin warranted   

⁹
in them
with regard to them   

¹⁶
the … are
all existing women   

²²
good now
expression of entreaty   

²⁶
done … benefit
been more helpful   

³²
sovereign name
royal lineage, i.e. through an heir   

³³
fail of issue
childlessness   

³⁵
Incertain lookers on
subjects or spectators who are unsure and anxious about the future   

³⁶
well
i.e. in heaven   

⁴²
Respecting
compared to   

⁴⁵
tenor
substance   

⁴⁸
monstrous
incredible, unnatural   

⁵⁰
on my life
I am certain   

⁵¹
counsel
advice   

⁵⁴
Great … th'worthiest
Alexander the Great reportedly urged his followers simply to choose the worthiest man as his successor   

⁶⁰
squared me
conformed   

⁶¹
full
perfect   

⁶⁷
her
i.e. Hermione's   

⁶⁸
and
i.e. and do so/and appear   

⁶⁹
now
i.e. now stand (or perhaps a printer's error for “mourn”)   

soul-vexed
tormented (dying with a troubled soul was thought to make the dead rise as ghosts)   

⁷⁰
Why
i.e. why offer this insult   

⁷²
had
would have   

⁷⁵
should so
would also incite you to do so   

⁷⁶
mark
note, observe   

⁷⁹
rift
split   

⁸⁰
mine
i.e. my eyes   

⁸²
eyes else
other eyes   

⁸⁵
leave
permission   

⁸⁸
tempt
test   

⁹¹
Affront
come before   

⁹⁵
office
task, responsibility   

⁹⁸
walked … ghost
were the ghost of Hermione to walk   

¹⁰⁴
Servant
so called in Folio, but clearly a gentleman courtier (he has once written poetry in praise of Hermione)   

¹⁰⁵
gives out himself
claims to be   

¹⁰⁹
What
i.e. what attendants, company   

¹¹¹
out of circumstance
without ceremony   

¹¹²
framed
planned   

¹¹³
accident
chance event   

train
retinue (has he with him)   

¹¹⁵
mean
humble   

¹¹⁷
peerless … earth
perfect mortal   

¹²⁰
As … now
as every present moment claims to be superior to what's past, so must you (Hermione) yield for the living   

¹²⁴
theme
subject of your verses, i.e. the dead Hermione   

¹²⁶
shrewdly ebbed
severely lapsed/wisely receded   

¹²⁹
one
i.e. Hermione   

¹³¹
tongue
praise   

¹³³
professors else
those dedicated to other religions   

proselytes
converts   

¹³⁴
who
whoever   

¹⁴³
prince
i.e. the dead Mamillius   

¹⁴⁵
full a
a full   

¹⁵¹
Unfurnish
deprive   

¹⁵³
print … off
made an exact copy of Polixenes   

¹⁵⁵
hit
exact   

¹⁶¹
begetting
producing   

¹⁶³
society
company   

¹⁶⁴
Amity
friendship   

¹⁶⁵
Though … him
I desire to go on living, however miserably, in order to see him once more   

¹⁶⁸
touched
arrived in Sicilia/moved Leontes   

¹⁶⁹
at friend
in friendship   

¹⁷⁰
but
were it not that   

¹⁷¹
waits … times
accompanies old age   

something … ability
affected the strength he wishes he had   

¹⁷⁴
Measured
traveled   

¹⁷⁵
sceptres … living
i.e. living kings   

¹⁷⁹
offices
kindnesses   

rarely exceptionally   

as … slackness
reveal to me how remiss I have been   

¹⁸³
paragon
i.e. Perdita   

fearful usage
frightening treatment   

¹⁸⁴
ungentle
rough   

Neptune
Roman god of the sea   

¹⁸⁵
pains
trouble   

¹⁸⁶
Th'adventure … person
risking of her personal safety   

¹⁸⁹
Smalus
no definitive source has been found for Smalus   

¹⁹²
tears proclaimed
grief at her departure demonstrated her to be   

¹⁹⁴
execute
carry out   

charge
duty/command   

¹⁹⁷
bend
direct their course   

²⁰³
climate
spend time   

²⁰⁴
graceful
full of divine grace   

²⁰⁷
issueless
childless   

²⁰⁹
his
of his   

²¹³
bear no credit
seem unbelievable   

²¹⁴
nigh
nearby   

²¹⁶
attach
arrest   

²¹⁷
dignity and duty
royal status and his duty to his father   

²²²
amazedly
in a state of amazement/ confusedly, distractedly   

becomes My marvel
befits my astonishment   

²²⁶
seeming
apparent   

²³²
Lay't … charge
accuse him directly   

²³⁶
Has … question
is questioning these miserable/humble men (the Shepherd and the Clown)   

²³⁸
Forswear themselves
renounce what they have said   

²³⁹
stops
blocks   

²⁴⁰
divers
several   

²⁴³
contract
betrothal   

²⁴⁶
kiss … first
i.e. fall to earth   

²⁴⁷
The … alike
random events of fortune affect those of high and low birth regardless/it is as likely that the high and the low should be united in marriage as it is that the stars will descend to earth   

²⁵⁶
worth
rank   

²⁵⁸
look up
i.e. keep your spirits up   

²⁶²
since … now
when you were no older than I am now   

²⁶⁴
Step … advocate
come forward as my supporter   

²⁶⁷
trifle
toy/sexual whim of yours   

²⁷³
petition
request   

²⁷⁵
Your … desires
provided you have not let lust corrupt your honor (i.e. had sex)/provided your wishes are not incompatible with your status   

²⁷⁸
what … make
how far I succeed   

¹
relation
account, narrative   

²
by
nearby   

⁵
chamber
room/royal presence   

⁷
issue
outcome (plays on the sense of “child”)   

⁸
broken delivery
incomplete/confused report