The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

Home > Fiction > The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) > Page 414
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 414

by William Shakespeare

But one night with her, every hour in’t will

  Take hostage of thee for a hundred, and

  Thou shalt remember nothing more than what

  That banquet bids thee to!

  This tells us

  our requests will not be answered. When her arms,

  which could keep Jove from a meeting, are

  wrapped round you in the sweet moonlight -

  oh, when her cherry red lips give their sweetness

  to yours, what thought will you give

  to rotting kings or weeping queens? What will you

  care about things you can't feel? What you'll be

  feeling would be enough to make Mars give up war.

  Oh, if you sleep just one night with her, every hour

  of it will make you stay for a hundred more,

  and you'll be thinking of nothing but

  the feast you're enjoying there!

  HIPPOLYTA

  Though much unlike

  You should be so transported, as much sorry

  I should be such a suitor; yet I think

  Did I not by th’ abstaining of my joy,

  Which breeds a deeper longing, cure their surfeit

  That craves a present med’cine, I should pluck

  All ladies’ scandal on me. Therefore, sir,

  Kneels.

  As I shall here make trial of my pray’rs,

  Either presuming them to have some force,

  Or sentencing for aye their vigor dumb,

  Prorogue this business we are going about, and hang

  Your shield afore your heart, about that neck

  Which is my fee, and which I freely lend

  To do these poor queens service.

  Though it's very unlikely

  that you would forget your duty like this, I would

  be very sorry to be the cause of it; but I think

  that if I didn't hold back from my pleasure,

  which can only make desire stronger,

  to cure their illness which needs medicine at once,

  all women would be horrified with me. Therefore, sir,

  [kneels]

  I shall now test what value my pleas have,

  either thinking that they have some influence,

  or letting me know never to ask again,

  I ask you to postpone our current business, and place

  your shield in front of your heart, round the neck

  which belongs to me, and which I freely lend

  to help these poor queens.

  ALL QUEENS

  To Emilia.

  O, help now!

  Our cause cries for your knee.

  Oh, help us now!

  Our cause needs you to plead for us.

  EMILIA

  Kneels.

  If you grant not

  My sister her petition, in that force,

  With that celerity and nature, which

  She makes it in, from henceforth I’ll not dare

  To ask you any thing, nor be so hardy

  Ever to take a husband.

  If you do not give

  my sister what she's asking for, with the same

  strength, speed and spirit with which

  she's asking, from now on I won't dare

  ask you for anything, or be so foolish

  as to ever get married.

  THESEUS

  Pray stand up.

  They rise.

  I am entreating of myself to do

  That which you kneel to have me. Pirithous,

  Lead on the bride; get you and pray the gods

  For success and return; omit not any thing

  In the pretended celebration. Queens,

  Follow your soldier.

  To Artesius.

  As before, hence you,

  And at the banks of Aulis meet us with

  The forces you can raise, where we shall find

  The moi’ty of a number for a business

  More bigger-look’d.

  Exit Artesius.

  To Hippolyta.

  Since that our theme is haste,

  I stamp this kiss upon thy currant lip.

  Sweet, keep it as my token. Set you forward,

  For I will see you gone.

  Exeunt slowly towards the temple.

  Farewell, my beauteous sister. Pirithous,

  Keep the feast full, bate not an hour on’t.

  Please stand up.

  I am pleading with myself to do

  the thing which you are begging me. Pirithous,

  you lead the bride; go and pray to the gods

  for our success and safe return; don't omit any element

  of our intended celebration.

  Queens, follow me.

  [To Artesius]

  As we've done before, you go,

  and meet me at the banks of the Aulis with

  what forces you can gather, while I shall gather

  another group for a business

  that's bigger than it looks.

  [To Hippolyta]

  Since we have to hurry,

  I kiss your true lips.

  Darling, keep this as a symbol of my love. Get going,

  I want to see you go.

  Farewell, my beautiful sister. Pirithous,

  follow all the plans for the celebrations, don't cut it short by an hour.

  PIRITHOUS

  Sir,

  I’ll follow you at heels; the feast’s solemnity

  Shall want till your return.

  Sir,

  I'll follow you; the celebration of the feast

  can wait until you return.

  THESEUS

  Cousin, I charge you

  Boudge not from Athens. We shall be returning

  Ere you can end this feast, of which I pray you

  Make no abatement. Once more, farewell all.

  Cousin, I order you

  not to move from Athens. We shall be coming back

  before the end of this feast, which I'm asking you

  not to cut short. Once more, farewell to all.

  FIRST QUEEN.

  Thus dost thou still make good

  The tongue o’ th’ world.

  So you live up to

  your reputation.

  SECOND QUEEN.

  And earn’st a deity

  Equal with Mars.

  And make yourself a god,

  equal to Mars.

  THIRD QUEEN.

  If not above him, for

  Thou being but mortal makest affections bend

  To godlike honors; they themselves, some say,

  Groan under such a mast’ry.

  If not greater than him, for

  being just a mortal that makes the mind

  offer you the honours due to gods; some say the gods

  could not bear such tasks as you do.

  THESEUS

  As we are men

  Thus should we do, being sensually subdu’d

  We lose our human title. Good cheer, ladies.

  Now turn we towards your comforts.

  Flourish. Exeunt.

  This is what we should do,

  being men, if we lose our sympathy

  we stop being human. Be in good spirits, ladies.

  We're now coming to your aid.

  Thebes. The palace.

  (Palamon, Arcite, Valerius)

  Enter Palamon and Arcite.

  ARCITE

  Dear Palamon, dearer in love than blood,

  And our prime cousin, yet unhard’ned in

  The crimes of nature—let us leave the city

  Thebes, and the temptings in’t, before we further

  Sully our gloss of youth:

  And here to keep in abstinence we shame

  As in incontinence; for not to swim

  I’ th’ aid o’ th’ current were almost to sink,

  At least to frustrate striving, and to follow

  The common stream, ’twould bring us to an eddy

 
; Where we should turn or drown; if labor through,

  Our gain but life and weakness.

  Dear Palamon, whom I love more than kinship demands,

  my first cousin, still

  an innocent-let's leave the city

  of Thebes, and its temptations, before we

  corrupt our youthful virtues further;

  to maintain our abstinence is seen, here,

  as being as shameful as indulgence; to swim

  against the tide would almost drown us,

  or at least stop us struggling and go

  with the common flow, which would bring us to a whirlpool

  where we would have to change or drown; if we got through,

  all we would gain would be life and illness.

  PALAMON

  Your advice

  Is cried up with example. What strange ruins,

  Since first we went to school, may we perceive

  Walking in Thebes! Scars and bare weeds

  The gain o’ th’ martialist, who did propound

  To his bold ends honor and golden ingots,

  Which though he won, he had not; and now flurted

  By peace, for whom he fought, who then shall offer

  To Mars’s so scorn’d altar? I do bleed

  When such I meet, and wish great Juno would

  Resume her ancient fit of jealousy

  To get the soldier work, that peace might purge

  For her repletion, and retain anew

  Her charitable heart, now hard, and harsher

  Than strife or war could be.

  Your advice

  is supported by examples. What terrible hardship

  we have seen walking around Thebes, since we

  first came here to school! Scars and ragged clothes

  are the rewards of the soldier, who fought

  boldly for honour and for gold,

  which, although he won them, he didn't get to keep; and now

  he is an outcast in the time of peace for which he fought,

  who would bother being a soldier? It wounds me

  when I meet people like that, and makes me wish great Juno

  would start another war

  to get the soldier work, that peace would purge herself

  and regain her

  charitable heart, which is now hard, and harsher

  than any war or fighting could be.

  ARCITE

  Are you not out?

  Meet you no ruin but the soldier in

  The cranks and turns of Thebes? You did begin

  As if you met decays of many kinds.

  Perceive you none that do arouse your pity

  But th’ unconsider’d soldier?

  Aren't you missing something?

  Do you meet no ruined people but soldiers in

  the pathways and alleys of Thebes? You started

  as if you met many different types of ruined people.

  Do you see nobody that inspires pity in you

  apart from the neglected soldier?

  PALAMON

  Yes, I pity

  Decays where e’er I find them, but such most

  That sweating in an honorable toil

  Are paid with ice to cool ’em.

  Yes, I pity

  the downfallen wherever I find them, but particularly

  those that have done honourable service

  and are rejected once it's done.

  ARCITE

  ’Tis not this

  I did begin to speak of. This is virtue

  Of no respect in Thebes. I spake of Thebes,

  How dangerous, if we will keep our honors,

  It is for our residing; where every evil

  Hath a good color; where ev’ry seeming good’s

  A certain evil; where not to be ev’n jump

  As they are, here were to be strangers, and

  Such things to be, mere monsters.

  That's not what

  I was going to talk about. This sort of thing

  is not unique to Thebes. I was speaking of

  how dangerous it will be to stay in Thebes,

  if we want to keep our honour; everything evil

  is well thought of; everything that seems good

  is bound to be evil; and not to follow what

  others do makes us foreigners, and

  as such we will be despised.

  PALAMON

  ’Tis in our power

  (Unless we fear that apes can tutor’s) to

  Be masters of our manners. What need I

  Affect another’s gait, which is not catching

  Where there is faith? Or to be fond upon

  Another’s way of speech, when by mine own

  I may be reasonably conceiv’d; sav’d too,

  Speaking it truly? Why am I bound

  By any generous bond to follow him

  Follows his tailor, haply so long until

  The follow’d make pursuit? Or let me know

  Why mine own barber is unblest, with him

  My poor chin too, for ’tis not scissor’d just

  To such a favorite’s glass? What canon is there

  That does command my rapier from my hip,

  To dangle’t in my hand, or to go tiptoe

  Before the street be foul? Either I am

  The forehorse in the team, or I am none

  That draw i’ th’ sequent trace. These poor slight sores

  Need not a plantin; that which rips my bosom

  Almost to th’ heart’s—

  We are quite capable

  (unless we are worried that we will stop copying apes)

  of keeping control of ourselves. Why should I

  copy someone else's way of walking, it won't

  affect me if I have faith. Why would I copy

  someone else's speech, when my own is perfectly

  good for getting my meaning across; better,

  because it's genuine? Why should I have to

  consider myself bound to follow someone

  who follows his tailor, maybe for so long that

  he'll turn round and chase him off? Tell me

  what's wrong with my own barber, what's wrong

  with my poor chin, just because my beard isn't cut

  in imitation of some favourite? What law is there

  that says I should take my rapier from my hip,

  carrying it in my hand, or that I should walk on tiptoes

  before the street is mucky? I must either be

  a leader or nothing, I will not

  be a follower. These minor injuries

  don't need treatment; the one which almost

  tears my heart out is–

  ARCITE

  Our uncle Creon.

  Our uncle Creon.

  PALAMON

  He,

  A most unbounded tyrant, whose successes

  Makes heaven unfear’d, and villainy assured

  Beyond its power there’s nothing; almost puts

  Faith in a fever, and deifies alone

  Voluble chance; who only attributes

  The faculties of other instruments

  To his own nerves and act; commands men service,

  And what they win in’t, boot and glory; one

  That fears not to do harm; good, dares not. Let

  The blood of mine that’s sib to him be suck’d

  From me with leeches! Let them break and fall

  Off me with that corruption!

  Him,

  the most unrestrained tyrant, his successes

  have made him fearless and ensured his villainy

  thinks that there is nothing beyond his power;

  he almost destroys faith, and claims that he can

  beat chance; something that has

  been done by others he takes the credit for, insisting

  it was his own nerves and actions which succeeded;

  he orders men to fight and takes the rewards and the glory;

&nb
sp; he never hesitates to do harm and dares not do good.

  Let that part of my blood which is related to him be sucked

  out of me with leeches! Let them die and fall

  off me, taking that pollution!

  ARCITE

  Clear-spirited cousin,

  Let’s leave his court, that we may nothing share

  Of his loud infamy; for our milk

  Will relish of the pasture, and we must

  Be vile, or disobedient—not his kinsmen

  In blood unless in quality.

  Pure souled cousin,

  let's leave his court, so we don't become associated

  with his terrible reputation; what we do will be

  influenced by where we are, and we shall have to be

  vile, or disobedient–we won't be seen as one of the family

  unless we are the same as him.

  PALAMON

  Nothing truer.

  I think the echoes of his shames have deaf’d

  The ears of heav’nly justice. Widows’ cries

  Descend again into their throats, and have not

  Due audience of the gods.

  Enter Valerius.

  Valerius!

  You're quite right.

  I think the sound of his shameful deeds have deafened

  the ears of the judges of heaven. The cries of widows

  sink back into their throats, and are not being

  properly listened to by the gods.

  Valerius!

  VALERIUS

  The King calls for you; yet be leaden-footed

  Till his great rage be off him. Phoebus, when

  He broke his whipstock and exclaim’d against

  The horses of the sun, but whisper’d, to

  The loudness of his fury.

  The King is calling for you; but go there slowly,

  wait for his anger to die down. When Phoebus

  broke his whip and shouted out against

  the horses of the sun, he was just whispering,

  compared to the loudness of the King's rage.

  PALAMON

  Small winds shake him.

  But what’s the matter?

  The smallest thing upsets him.

  But what is it this time?

  VALERIUS

  Theseus (who where he threats appalls) hath sent

 

‹ Prev