The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 273
How! know you where you are?
What’s this! Do you know where you are?
DUKE VINCENTIO
Respect to your great place! and let the devil
I respect your great place! And the devil isBe sometime honour'd for his burning throne!
Sometimes honored for being the king of hell!Where is the duke? 'tis he should hear me speak.
Where is the duke? He’s the one who should hear me speak.
ESCALUS
The duke's in us; and we will hear you speak:
We are standing in the duke’s place; and we will hear you speal:Look you speak justly.
Makes sure you speak honestly.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Boldly, at least. But, O, poor souls,
I will speak courageously, at least. But, oh, poor souls,Come you to seek the lamb here of the fox?
Are you here looking for innocence from these cunning men?Good night to your redress! Is the duke gone?
Say good bye to your justice! Is the duke gone?Then is your cause gone too. The duke's unjust,
Then your cause is gone too. The duke is unjust,Thus to retort your manifest appeal,
To reject your honest plea for justice,And put your trial in the villain's mouth
And put your trial in the hands of the villain
Which here you come to accuse.
That you came here to accuse.
LUCIO
This is the rascal; this is he I spoke of.
This is the scoundrel; this is the man that I spoke of.
ESCALUS
Why, thou unreverend and unhallow'd friar,
Why, you disrespectful and unholy friar,Is't not enough thou hast suborn'd these women
Is it not enough that you have bribed these womenTo accuse this worthy man, but, in foul mouth
To accuse this honorable man, but, with foul languageAnd in the witness of his proper ear,
And to his very face,To call him villain? and then to glance from him
To call him a villain? And then suddenly to go from himTo the duke himself, to tax him with injustice?
To the duke himself, and accuse him with injustice?Take him hence; to the rack with him! We'll touse you
Take him away; to the torture chamber with him! We’ll pull you apartJoint by joint, but we will know his purpose.
Joint by joint, until we know his purpose.What 'unjust'!
He calls us ‘unjust’!
DUKE VINCENTIO
Be not so hot; the duke
Don’t be so hasty; the dukeDare no more stretch this finger of mine than he
Doesn’t dare to torturously stretch my finger and more than heDare rack his own: his subject am I not,
Dare stretch his own: I am not just subject,Nor here provincial. My business in this state
Nor am I from his region. My business in this stateMade me a looker on here in Vienna,
Made me an onlooker here in Vienna,Where I have seen corruption boil and bubble
Where I have seen corruption boil and bubbleTill it o'er-run the stew; laws for all faults,
Until it runs over the edge of the pot; laws for all sins,But faults so countenanced, that the strong statutes
But sins supported by authority, that the strong lawsStand like the forfeits in a barber's shop,
Stand like the small list of penalties in a barber’s shop,As much in mock as mark.
As much a joke as a warning.
ESCALUS
Slander to the state! Away with him to prison!
He speaks slander against the government! Take him away to prison!
ANGELO
What can you vouch against him, Signior Lucio?
What can you accuse him for, Mister Lucio?Is this the man that you did tell us of?
Is this the man that you told us of?
LUCIO
'Tis he, my lord. Come hither, goodman baldpate:
That’s him, my lord. Come here, goodman bald-head:do you know me?
Do you know me?
DUKE VINCENTIO
I remember you, sir, by the sound of your voice: I
I remember you, sir, by the sound of your voice: Imet you at the prison, in the absence of the duke.
Met you at the prison, while the duke was away.
LUCIO
O, did you so? And do you remember what you said of the duke?
Oh, did you? And do you remember what you said about the duke?
DUKE VINCENTIO
Most notedly, sir.
Quite well, sir.
LUCIO
Do you so, sir? And was the duke a fleshmonger, a
Do you, sir? And was the duke a whore chaser, afool, and a coward, as you then reported him to be?
Fool, and a coward, as you claimed he was then?
DUKE VINCENTIO
You must, sir, change persons with me, ere you make
Sir, you must switch persons with me, before you claimthat my report: you, indeed, spoke so of him; and
That I said that: you, in fact, spoke of him that way; andmuch more, much worse.
Said much more, and much worse.
LUCIO
O thou damnable fellow! Did not I pluck thee by the
Oh, you sinful man! Did I not pull you by thenose for thy speeches?
Nose for your words?
DUKE VINCENTIO
I protest I love the duke as I love myself.
I declare that I love the duke like I love myself.
ANGELO
Hark, how the villain would close now, after his
Listen, how the villain concludes now, after histreasonable abuses!
Treason like abuse!
ESCALUS
Such a fellow is not to be talked withal. Away with
A man like that is not to be talked with. Take him awayhim to prison! Where is the provost? Away with him
To prison! Where is the provost? Take him awayto prison! lay bolts enough upon him: let him
To prison! Put him in chains: he willspeak no more. Away with those giglots too, and
Speak no more. Take away those harlots too, andwith the other confederate companion!
With the other accomplice companion!
DUKE VINCENTIO
[To PROVOST] Stay, sir; stay awhile.
[To PROVOST] Hold on, sir; stay here awhile.
ANGELO
What, resists he? Help him, Lucio.
What’s this, he’s resisting arrest? Help take him away, Lucio.
LUCIO
Come, sir; come, sir; come, sir; foh, sir! Why, you
Come on, sir, come on, sir; come on, sir; foh, sir! Why, youbald-pated, lying rascal, you must be hooded, must
Bald-headed, lying scoundrel, do you have to keep youryou? Show your knave's visage, with a pox to you!
Face hidden? Show your beastly face, curse you!show your sheep-biting face, and be hanged an hour!
Show your whore chasing face, and be sent to death in an hour!Will't not off?
Will this hood not come off?
Pulls off the friar's hood, and discovers DUKE VINCENTIO
DUKE VINCENTIO
Thou art the first knave that e'er madest a duke.
You are the first scoundrel that ever created a duke where there was not one before.First, provost, let me bail these gentle three.
First, provost, let me free the kind Isabel, gentle Mariana, and good Friar Peter.
To LUCIO
Sneak not away, sir; for the friar and you
Don’t sneak away, sir; for the friar and youMust have a word anon. Lay hold on him.
Must have a word later. Keep hold of him.
LUCIO
This may prove worse than hanging.
This may end up being worse than being executed.
DUKE VINCENTIO
[To ESCALUS] What you have spoke I pardon: sit you down:
[To ESCALUS] What you have said I will forgive: sit down:We'll borrow place of him.
I’ll take Angelo’s seat.
To ANGELO
Sir, by your leave.
Sir, excuse me,Hast thou or word, or wit, or impudence,
Do you have either words, or cleverness, or audacity,That yet can do thee office? If thou hast,
That can still help you? If you do,Rely upon it till my tale be heard,
Tell it now, until my story is told,And hold no longer out.
And no longer hold back.
ANGELO
O my dread lord,
Oh, my respected lord,I should be guiltier than my guiltiness,
I would be guiltier than I already am,To think I can be undiscernible,
If I thought I could remain undeteced, When I perceive your grace, like power divine,
When I realize that your grace, like the power of god,Hath look'd upon my passes. Then, good prince,
Has noticed my crimes. Well then, good duke,No longer session hold upon my shame,
Don’t hold the trial of my dishonor any longerBut let my trial be mine own confession:
But instead let my trial be my own confession:Immediate sentence then and sequent death
Immediate punishment first and after that deathIs all the grace I beg.
Is all the favors I ask for.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Come hither, Mariana.
Come here, Mariana.Say, wast thou e'er contracted to this woman?
Tell me, were you ever betrothed to this woman?
ANGELO
I was, my lord.
I was, my lord.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Go take her hence, and marry her instantly.
Go take her away, and marry her immediately.Do you the office, friar; which consummate,
Friar Peter, marry them; when it is finished,Return him here again. Go with him, provost.
Bring him back here. Go with him, provost.
Exeunt ANGELO, MARIANA, FRIAR PETER and PROVOST
ESCALUS
My lord, I am more amazed at his dishonour
My lord, I am more amazed at his dishonorThan at the strangeness of it.
Than at the strangeness of the situation.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Come hither, Isabel.
Come here, Isabel.Your friar is now your prince: as I was then
The friar who helped you is now the duke: before I was Advertising and holy to your business,
Attentive and devoted to your problem,Not changing heart with habit, I am still
And since I don’t change my attitude with my clothes, I am stillAttorney'd at your service.
dedicated to your service.
ISABELLA
O, give me pardon,
Oh, forgive me,That I, your vassal, have employ'd and pain'd
Because I, your servant, have employed and troubledYour unknown sovereignty!
Your royalty unknowingly!
DUKE VINCENTIO
You are pardon'd, Isabel:
You are forgiven, Isabel:And now, dear maid, be you as free to us.
And now, dear lady, I hope you are as forgiving to us.Your brother's death, I know, sits at your heart;
Your brother’s death, I know, weighs on your heart;And you may marvel why I obscured myself,
And you may wonder why I disguised myself,Labouring to save his life, and would not rather
Working to save his life, and didn’t insteadMake rash remonstrance of my hidden power
Hastily reveal my hidden power
Than let him so be lost. O most kind maid,
Rather than let him be executed. Oh most kind lady,It was the swift celerity of his death,
It was because of the hurried speed of his death,Which I did think with slower foot came on,
Which I thought was approaching slower,That brain'd my purpose. But, peace be with him!
That destroyed my plan. But, peace be with him!That life is better life, past fearing death,
That existence is a better life, beyond the fear of death,Than that which lives to fear: make it your comfort,
That the life that is lived in fear: comfort yourself with that thought,So happy is your brother.
Your brother is content.
ISABELLA
I do, my lord.
I do, my lord.
Re-enter ANGELO, MARIANA, FRIAR PETER, and PROVOST
DUKE VINCENTIO
For this new-married man approaching here,
As for this newly married man approaching us here,Whose salt imagination yet hath wrong'd
Whose lustful imagination would have wrongedYour well defended honour, you must pardon
Your preserved honor, you must forgive himFor Mariana's sake: but as he adjudged your brother,--
For Mariana’s sake: but since he condemned your brother,--Being criminal, in double violation
And is therefore a criminal in violation of bothOf sacred chastity and of promise-breach
Of taking a virgin and of breaking the promiseThereon dependent, for your brother's life,--
On which that virginity depended, for your brother’s life,--The very mercy of the law cries out
The merciful nature of the law cries outMost audible, even from his proper tongue,
Loudly, even from his own tongue, for'An Angelo for Claudio, death for death!'
‘Angelo for Claudio, a death for a death!’Haste still pays haste, and leisure answers leisure;
Speediness still repays speediness, and lenience repays lenience;Like doth quit like, and MEASURE still FOR MEASURE.
Like repays like, and always measure for measure.Then, Angelo, thy fault's thus manifested;
Then, Angelo, your crime thus proven;Which, though thou wouldst deny, denies thee vantage.
Which, even if you were to deny it, it would do you no good.We do condemn thee to the very block
We sentence you to the very same executioners blockWhere Claudio stoop'd to death, and with like haste.
Where Claudio gave in to death, and with the same speediness.Away with him!
Take him away!
MARIANA
O my most gracious lord,
Oh, my most gracious lord,I hope you will not mock me with a husband.
I hope you are not taunting me with a husband.
DUKE VINCENTIO
It is your husband mock'd you with a husband.
It is your husband who taunted you with a husband.Consenting to the safeguard of your honour,
As I agreed to protect your honor,I thought your marriage fit; else imputation,
I thought your marriage was acceptable; otherwise accusations,For that he knew you, might reproach your life
Because of your sexual relations with him, might condemn your lifeAnd choke your good to come; for his possessions,
And strangle what good is to come to you; because his possessions,Although by confiscation they are ours,
Although we confiscated them,We do instate and widow you withal,
We bequeath to you and give you a widow’s settlement with that,To buy you a better husband.
To provide a dowry for a better husband.
MARIANA
O my dear lord,
Oh, my dear lord,I crave no other, nor no better man.
I want no other man, nor do I want a better man.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Never crave him; we are definitive.
Don’t want him; we have set our minds on this.
MARIANA
Gentle my liege,--
My gentle lord,--
Kneeling
DUKE VINCENTIO
You do but lose your labour.
You are wasting your efforts,Away with him to death!
Take him away to death!
To LUCIO
Now, sir, to you.
Now, sir, on to you.
MARIANA
O my good lord! Sweet Isabel, take my part;
Oh, my good lord! Sweet Isabel, take my side;Lend me your knees, and all my life to come
Kneel with me, and for the rest of my lifeI'll lend you all m
y life to do you service.
I’ll give you everything in my power to help you.
DUKE VINCENTIO
Against all sense you do importune her:
Completely unreasonably are you asking for her help:Should she kneel down in mercy of this fact,
Why should she kneel down for mercy of this crime,Her brother's ghost his paved bed would break,
Her brother’s ghost would break out of his grave,And take her hence in horror.
And take her away in horror.
MARIANA
Isabel,
Isabel,Sweet Isabel, do yet but kneel by me;
Sweet Isabel, please just kneel by me;Hold up your hands, say nothing; I'll speak all.
Hold up your hands, you don’t have to say anything; I’ll say everything.They say, best men are moulded out of faults;
They say that the best men are created out of their crimes;And, for the most, become much more the better
And, for the most part, become so much betterFor being a little bad: so may my husband.
Because they were a little bad: so it could be with my husband.O Isabel, will you not lend a knee?
Oh, Isabel, won’t you kneel with me?
DUKE VINCENTIO
He dies for Claudio's death.
He dies for Claudio’s death.
ISABELLA
Most bounteous sir,
Most giving sir,
Kneeling
Look, if it please you, on this man condemn'd,
If you would like, consider this condemned manAs if my brother lived: I partly think
The same as you would if my brother has lived: I partly thinkA due sincerity govern'd his deeds,
A proper authenticity led him to do what he did,Till he did look on me: since it is so,
Until he looked on me: since that’s the case,Let him not die. My brother had but justice,
Do not have him die. My brother had only justice,In that he did the thing for which he died: