154 part remembered lines/intentions
156 be out has forgotten his lines
158 theirs ours i.e. their fun our amusement
159 intended their intended
159 Blackamoors attendants costumed and/or made up to look like black men
163 taffeta silk material, often used for making masks
164 parcel small group
168 Out … i.e. Moth has forgotten his lines; ellipsis used when speaker dries, dash when interrupted
169 vouchsafe permit, deign
174 epithet description
175 daughter-beamèd punning on sun-/son-beamèd
176 brings me out makes me forget my lines
177 perfectness being word perfect
178 What … strangers? What do these foreigners want?
178 minds intentions
180 plain plainspoken/honest
183 gentle visitation a courteous, friendly visit
188 measured traversed
189 tread a measure dance a stately dance
194 measure quantity/measurement
194 told counted/said
202 travel journeying/labor (travail)
203 number account/count up
205 still always
205 account estimate, counting/debt
208 My … moon i.e. her face shines with light reflected from the princess/is changeable
208 clouded i.e. masked
209 do … do i.e. be as close to the ladies’ faces as the masks are
210 stars i.e. the other ladies
211 eyne eyes
213 moonshine … water i.e. something insubstantial
214 change round of dancing
215 strange unusual (plays on sense of “foreign”)
218 estranged apart/aloof; puns on strange
220 she … man i.e. they belong together, being moon and man in the moon (no rhyme word for “moon”: a line may be missing)
221 The … it some editors assign this line to the king
221 motion movement
225 nice shy/fussy/whimsical
229 More measure a greater quantity
231 Price “price” and “prize” sounded the same
235 Twice … you possibly refers to Rosaline’s curtsies—two to the king’s visor, but only half of one to his face
236 deny refuse
240 three i.e. sweet words for Berowne
241 treys threes (in gambling)
241 nice coy
242 Metheglin strong spiced Welsh mead
242 wort sweet unfermented beer
242 malmsey strong sweet red wine
242 run played/fallen
243 sweets i.e. sweet words
245 cog cheat (like a gambler)
248 griev’st vex
248 gall sore spot/bile
250 meet fitting
251 change exchange
256 Please it you if it pleases you
258 vizard visor
258 tongue leather strap held in the mouth to keep the visor secure/reference to Longaville’s silence
261 double tongue i.e. your tongue and the mask’s tongue/duplicitous tongue
262 afford … half i.e. end my silence/reveal your identity
263 ‘Veal’ Dutch pronunciation of “well” (i.e. assessment of Longaville’s reason); added to Katherine’s last spoken word, “long,” it provides the name of her wooer
262 calf stupid person, implying Longaville is one
266 part divide
267 half co-sharer/partner (in marriage)
268 wean raise
268 prove an ox become a fool
269 butt strike
270 give horns attack/cuckold your husband
274 keen sharp/eager
277 sense of sense perception of the senses
277 sensible striking
278 conference conversation
278 conceits witty thoughts, quips
279 Fleeter swifter, nimbler
281 dry-beaten beaten, bruised
281 scoff mockery
285 Tapers candles
285 with by
286 Well-liking thriving, plump
286 gross dull/plump
287 kingly-poor flout feeble insult from a king/majestically poor mockery
290 pert lively
290 out … quite completely disconcerted
291 cases states/masks
292 weeping-ripe ready to weep
293 out … suit out of keeping with his love-suit (suit puns on sense of “clothing”)
295 servant servant in love/wooer
295 straight at once
296 came o’er overcame
297 trow you would you believe
298 Qualm sudden feeling of nausea/heartburn
301 plain statute-caps woolen knitted caps worn by those of lower social status
303 quick hasty
306 give ear listen
308 In … shapes i.e. without disguises
309 digest swallow/put up with
313 repair return
314 Blow blossom (the princess plays on the sense of “give blows”)
317 damask red and white (variety of rose)
317 commixture complexion/mingling
318 vailing lowering/yielding
319 Avaunt begone
319 perplexity riddler
322 as … disguised as much as we did when they were in disguise
324 shapeless gear unshapely clothes
325 end purpose
327 rough carriage graceless behavior
330 roes female deer (puns on “rose”)
337 utters speaks/offers for sale
339 wakes church festivals
339 wassails revels
340 by gross wholesale
342 gallant i.e. ladies’ man
342 pins … sleeve makes the women dependent on him/collects them like favors
343 Had … Eve i.e. rather than Eve tempting Adam as in the Bible
344 carve behave charmingly but affectedly
344 lisp talk in a pretentious manner
345 kissed … courtesy wore his hand out with too many courteous kisses
346 ape of form imitator of etiquette
346 Nice fastidious
347 tables backgammon
348 honourable polite
349 mean middle part (tenor or alto)
349 meanly well enough
349 ushering taking the part of the gentleman usher, organizing ceremonies
350 Mend beat, improve on
357 put … part i.e. made Moth forget his lines
358 it i.e. Boyet
358 Behaviour fine manners
359 madman i.e. Boyet
361 ‘Fair’ … foul it is false to call a hailstorm fair
362 Construe understand/interpret
363 wish me greet me with
363 leave permission
366 This … me i.e. I will stay here
366 hold keep
367 Nor neither
370 nickname misname
371 office function
372 yet still
373 protest declare
376 a … Of to be the reason for you breaking your
378 desolation solitariness
382 but of late only recently
385 Trim smart
385 courtship courtliness/wooing
385 state stately appearance
387 to … days as is the current fashion
388 undeserving undeserved
391 apace quickly
392 happy well-chosen/apt/agreeable
394 When … drink i.e. they are fools
395 dry yields no result (plays on sense of thirsty)
396 When … light i.e. when we look directly at the sun, we are blinded by its light
398 capacity intelligence
399 to compared to
401 eye organ of sight/opinion
410 case covering, i.e. mask
412 descried discovered
414 Amazed perplexed/dumbstruck
415 brows temples
416 Muscovy i.e. Russia
418 face of brass brazen manner/firm expression
419 dart thy skill hurl your judgment/wit
420 confound destroy/overthrow
420 flout taunt
422 keen conceit sharp wit
423 wish ask
424 habit outfit
424 wait do service
426 motion movement
427 friend sweetheart
428 harper’s harpist’s
429 Taffeta i.e. elaborate
429 precise fastidious
430 Three-piled luxuriously thick (like velvet)
431 Figures i.e. figures of speech
431 pedantical pedantic/excessively learned
432 blown swollen/deposited eggs/polluted
436 russet rustic/homely (homespun reddish cloth)
436 kersey plain (coarse cloth)
437 law la (i.e. “indeed”)
438 sans “without” (French)
439 Sans ‘sans’ i.e. don’t use affected French words
440 trick characteristic
441 rage madness/rash fever
442 by degrees little by little
443 ‘Lord … us’ written on the doors of plague victims as a warning
445 of from
446 visited afflicted
446 free uninfected
447 Lord’s tokens signs of plague/love tokens given by the lords
448 free generous/uninfected
449 states honorable status/status as bachelors/estates
451 sue entreat/woo
452 to do sex/anything to do
458 but even just
460 well advised i.e. thinking wisely
464 respect value
465 challenge claim
467 forbear stop
468 force … forswear will not hesitate to break it again
487 either the two
487 remit give up
488 on’t of it
488 consent agreement
490 dash spoil
490 Christmas comedy seasonal entertainment
491 carry-tale tell-tale
491 please-man yes-man
491 slight lowly
491 zany clown’s assistant
492 mumble-news gossip
492 trencher-knight dinner-table hero/great eater
492 Dick low fellow
493 smiles … years wrinkles his face with smiles
493 trick knack (with sexual innuendo)
494 disposed inclined to be merry
497 sign of she outward symbol thought to represent our particular mistress
500 Much … ’tis it must have happened pretty much this way
502 by th’squier accurately
503 laugh … eye i.e. exchange laughter and knowing looks with her
503 apple pupil
504 stand … fire i.e. act as her fire guard (stand may play on sense of “get an erection” and
504 fire on sense of “sexual passion,” perhaps also with vaginal connotations)
505 Holding a trencher i.e. ready to be of service
505 trencher plate
507 Die plays on sense of “have an orgasm”
507 smock woman’s undergarment
507 smock … shroud you’ll be buried like a woman
508 leer look sideways
509 Wounds … sword i.e. poses no threat of injury (sword may have phallic connotations)
510 brave manage fine gallop at full speed
510 career charge/gallop
511 tilting straight going straight back to his verbal jousting (plays on notion of a thrusting penis)
512 Thou partest you are breaking up
512 fray fight
513 would want to
516 vara very
517 pursents represents, acts
520 beg us i.e. take us for fools
523 whereuntil to what
526 were … get would be a shame if you had to make
527 reckoning calculation
531 perfect i.e. perform, present
532 Pompion pumpkin; malapropism for “Pompey”
535 degree rank
536 stand for represent
538 turn … off pull off the performance well
541 policy clever device
546 zeal fervent enthusiasm
546 content please
546 contents subject matter
547 that … presents the presentation
548 There … mirth the ruining of the presentation creates its own mirth
551 Anointed i.e. the king, anointed as monarch
551 expense expenditure
552 brace pair
556 one the same (to me)
559 fortuna … guerra “the chance of war” (Spanish)
560 couplement couple
561 like likely
561 presence company
564 pedant schoolmaster
566 habits costumes
569 hedge-priest uneducated rural priest
570 Abate set aside
570 throw at novum lucky throws in a dice game, in which throwing a five and nine won; the actors will perform the Nine Worthies with only five actors
571 vein mood/character
572 amain at full speed
576 leopard’s head part of Pompey’s costume, possibly painted on a shield
577 must needs must
583 targe light shield
585 coast area
586 arms weapons (plays on sense of “limbs”)
589 perfect i.e. word perfect
591 My … halfpenny I’ll bet (anything)
591 for as
594 scutcheon shield painted with a coat of arms
595 right straight; Alexander’s head was supposed to lean to one side
596 Your … this Alexander was supposed to smell sweet; Berowne suggests Boyet’s nose can tell this isn’t really Alexander by Nathaniel’s odor
596 tender-smelling having a sensitive sense of smell
604 painted cloth the Nine Worthies were often depicted on painted hangings
605 pole-axe battle-axe
605 close-stool chamber pot within a seat (instead of throne)
606 Ajax pun on “a jakes” (i.e. toilet)
610 dashed disheartened
612 o’erparted having too difficult a part to play
613 sort manner
615 imp child
616 Cerberus three-headed dog guarding the entrance to Hades, captured by Hercules as his final labor
616 canus “dog” (Latin, actually canis)
618 manus “hands”
619 Quoniam “since”
619 in minority a child
620 Ergo “therefore”
621 state dignity
623 A Judas! i.e. a traitor
624 Iscariot Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ; Judas Maccabaeus was a military leader
625 ycliped called
626 clipped cut short/embraced
627 A kissing traitor Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss
630 mean you is your meaning/is your intention
632 Begin you go first (in hanging yourself)
632 elder senior/superior (Berowne picks up on “type of tree on which Judas hanged himself”)
634 put … countenance made to lose composure (Berowne plays on sense of face)
637 cittern-head type of guitar with grotesquely carved head
638 bodkin hairpin with ornamental head
639 death’s … ring ring carved with death’s head (a skull)
640 scarce seen almost worn away
641 pommel ornamental knob on a sword or dagger
641 falchion sword
642 flask powder flask for gunpowder
643 half-cheek profile
644 brooch … tooth-drawer tradesmen wore lead brooches to signify t
heir trades
646 put … countenance stopped you being disconcerted/given you a face
649 out-faced them all put them all to shame
650 lion … ass in one of Aesop’s fables the ass disguises himself as a lion by wearing its skin until he is betrayed by his braying
653 latter end second part (i.e. ass)
655 generous mannerly/noble
655 gentle courteous
655 humble polite
656 light … Judas possible reference to the Judas candlestick, used at Easter in parish churches
658 Achilles … Hector enemies in the Trojan war
658 in arms armed
659 home by me back to mock me
660 Troyan man of Troy/merry fellow
662 clean-timbered well-built
664 calf lower leg/fool
665 endued endowed
665 small i.e. thinnest part of the calf
667 makes creates/pulls
668 armipotent powerful in arms
670 gilt glazed
673 cloven split in two (sexually; punning on lemon as “leman” or “lover”)
675 Ilion Troy
676 breathed exercised/fit
677 pavilion ceremonial tent used during tournaments
681 rein curb
684 greyhound i.e. fast runner
685 war-man warrior
686 beat … buried i.e. don’t speak ill of the dead
687 forward advance
687 device performance
691 foot body part/measurement
692 yard three feet/penis
694 gone dead
695 gone pregnant (refers to Jaquenetta)
699 cast away ruined
699 quick pregnant
699 brags boasts (suggesting that Armado is the father)
701 infamonize slander
701 potentates monarchs
704 quick pregnant/living
704 Pompey i.e. the part of Pompey, played by Costard
710 Ates discordant comments; Ate was the Roman goddess of vengeance
712 challenge him i.e. to a fight
713 a have he has
714 sup feed
716 pole … man raiders of the northern borders were known to fight with poles
717 borrow … again use the weapons I had as Pompey
719 Room make room
722 take … lower help unbutton your doublet/humiliate you
723 uncasing undressing
729 bloods spirited men
732 woolward wearing wool next to the skin without a linen shirt
733 enjoined imposed on
733 want lack (i.e. Armado’s shirtlessness is the result of poverty not religious penance)
734 dishclout dishcloth, with play on menstrual rag
735 favour love token
735 Marcadé his name can be associated with Mercury, messenger of the Roman gods and god of rhetoric; also with the French danse macabre or “dance of death”
742 tale news
744 breathe free breath am relieved
744 I … discretion I have enough (if little) discretion to know I have behaved badly