The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 441
to this place, exposed to the cold, before
I have got my strength back. Now, my lord,
tell me what blessings there are in my life
that should make me afraid to die? So carry on.
But hear this: do not mistake me: I don't
care a jot for life, but I want to preserve
my honour: if I'm going to be condemned
by guesses, with no other evidence
except what your jealousy has made up,
I tell you that this is not a fair process. All you lords,
I put my case to the Oracle:
may Apollo be my judge!
First Lord
This your request
Is altogether just: therefore bring forth,
And in Apollos name, his oracle.
Exeunt certain Officers
This request of yours
is completely fair: so bring out,
in the name of Apollo, his oracle.
HERMIONE
The Emperor of Russia was my father:
O that he were alive, and here beholding
His daughter's trial! that he did but see
The flatness of my misery, yet with eyes
Of pity, not revenge!
Re-enter Officers, with CLEOMENES and DION
The Emperor of Russia was my father:
I wish that he were alive and here to see
his daughter's trial! If he could only see
my overwhelming misery, but with eyes
of pity, not revenge!
Officer
You here shall swear upon this sword of justice,
That you, Cleomenes and Dion, have
Been both at Delphos, and from thence have brought
The seal'd-up oracle, by the hand deliver'd
Of great Apollo's priest; and that, since then,
You have not dared to break the holy seal
Nor read the secrets in't.
You shall now swear upon this sword of justice
that you, Cleomenes and Dion, have
both been to Delphos, and have brought from there
a sealed oracle, delivered by the hand
of great Apollo's priest; and that, since then,
you have not dared to break the holy seal,
nor read the secrets inside.
CLEOMENES DION
All this we swear.
We swear to this.
LEONTES
Break up the seals and read.
Break open the seals and read it.
Officer
[Reads] Hermione is chaste;
Polixenes blameless; Camillo a true subject; Leontes
a jealous tyrant; his innocent babe truly begotten;
and the king shall live without an heir, if that
which is lost be not found.
Hermione is chaste;
Polixenes blameless; Camillo a faithful subject; Leontes
is a jealous tyrant; he is innocent baby is legitimate;
and the king will live without an heir, if what
has been lost is not recovered.
Lords
Now blessed be the great Apollo!
Blessings on the great Apollo!
HERMIONE
Praised!
Praise him!
LEONTES
Hast thou read truth?
Have you read this truly?
Officer
Ay, my lord; even so
As it is here set down.
Yes, my lord; exactly
as it is written down here.
LEONTES
There is no truth at all i' the oracle:
The sessions shall proceed: this is mere falsehood.
Enter Servant
There is no truth at all in this oracle:
the trial shall proceed: these are just lies.
Servant
My lord the king, the king!
My lord the king, the king!
LEONTES
What is the business?
What's the matter?
Servant
O sir, I shall be hated to report it!
The prince your son, with mere conceit and fear
Of the queen's speed, is gone.
Oh Sir, you will hate me for saying it!
Your son the prince, seeing his mother dishonoured and fearing
her fate, has gone.
LEONTES
How! gone!
What! Gone!
Servant
Is dead.
He's dead.
LEONTES
Apollo's angry; and the heavens themselves
Do strike at my injustice.
HERMIONE swoons
How now there!
Apollo's angry; and the heavens themselves
are punishing my injustice.
What's going on there!
PAULINA
This news is mortal to the queen: look down
And see what death is doing.
This news is fatal to the queen: look down
and see how death has struck her.
LEONTES
Take her hence:
Her heart is but o'ercharged; she will recover:
I have too much believed mine own suspicion:
Beseech you, tenderly apply to her
Some remedies for life.
Exeunt PAULINA and Ladies, with HERMIONE
Apollo, pardon
My great profaneness 'gainst thine oracle!
I'll reconcile me to Polixenes,
New woo my queen, recall the good Camillo,
Whom I proclaim a man of truth, of mercy;
For, being transported by my jealousies
To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chose
Camillo for the minister to poison
My friend Polixenes: which had been done,
But that the good mind of Camillo tardied
My swift command, though I with death and with
Reward did threaten and encourage him,
Not doing 't and being done: he, most humane
And fill'd with honour, to my kingly guest
Unclasp'd my practise, quit his fortunes here,
Which you knew great, and to the hazard
Of all encertainties himself commended,
No richer than his honour: how he glisters
Thorough my rust! and how his pity
Does my deeds make the blacker!
Re-enter PAULINA
Take her away:
she is just overcome: she will recover.
I have believed my own suspicions too much:
please, gently give her
some treatment to recover her.
Apollo, forgive
my great blasphemy against your Oracle!
I'll make things up with Polixenes,
win my queen back, recall the good Camillo,
whom I declare to be a man of truth and mercy:
for being transported by my jealousy
to bloody thoughts and revenge, I chose
Camillo to give poison
to my friend Polixenes: this would have happened,
except for the fact that the good mind of Camillo delayed
my orders that it should be done at once; even though I threatened
and encouraged him with death and reward respectively,
according to whether he did it or not. He (most humane
and honourable) told my royal guest
what I was planning, left all his fortune here
(which you know was great) and gave himself up
to great uncertainty rather than lose his honour,
which was all he had now: how he shines
through my rust! How his goodness
makes my behaviour look blacker!
PAULINA
Woe the while!
O, cut my lace, lest my heart, cracking it,
Break too.
Alas!
Oh, loosen my corset, or my heart, thumpin
g against it,
might break too.
First Lord
What fit is this, good lady?
What is the matter, good lady?
PAULINA
What studied torments, tyrant, hast for me?
What wheels? racks? fires? what flaying? boiling?
In leads or oils? what old or newer torture
Must I receive, whose every word deserves
To taste of thy most worst? Thy tyranny
Together working with thy jealousies,
Fancies too weak for boys, too green and idle
For girls of nine, O, think what they have done
And then run mad indeed, stark mad! for all
Thy by-gone fooleries were but spices of it.
That thou betray'dst Polixenes,'twas nothing;
That did but show thee, of a fool, inconstant
And damnable ingrateful: nor was't much,
Thou wouldst have poison'd good Camillo's honour,
To have him kill a king: poor trespasses,
More monstrous standing by: whereof I reckon
The casting forth to crows thy baby-daughter
To be or none or little; though a devil
Would have shed water out of fire ere done't:
Nor is't directly laid to thee, the death
Of the young prince, whose honourable thoughts,
Thoughts high for one so tender, cleft the heart
That could conceive a gross and foolish sire
Blemish'd his gracious dam: this is not, no,
Laid to thy answer: but the last,--O lords,
When I have said, cry 'woe!' the queen, the queen,
The sweet'st, dear'st creature's dead,
and vengeance for't
Not dropp'd down yet.
What carefully planned tortures, tyrant, have you for me?
What wheels, racks, fires, flaying, boiling in
lead or oil? What old or new torture
must I receive, when my every word deserves
to get me your worst? Your tyranny,
working alongside your jealousy
(which would have been silly in a boy, innocent and stupid
in a girl of nine), think what they have done,
and then go mad: stark mad! For all
your past stupidities were just a taster.
That you betrayed Polixenes, that was nothing;
that just showed that you were a fool, disloyal
and damnably ungrateful: nor was it much
that you would have ruined good Camillo's honour
by making him kill a king; tiny sins,
with a monstrous one waiting: compared to which
throwing your baby daughter out for the crows
is nothing, or little, even though a devil
would have cried tears from his fiery eyes before he would have done it:
nor can you directly be blamed for the death
of the young prince, whose honourable thoughts
(great thoughts for one so young) split his heart,
knowing that he had such a horrid and foolish father
who could insult his gracious mother: no, the blame for this
is not laid at your feet: but the last thing–oh lords,
when I have told you, cry out with sadness!–the queen, the queen,
the sweetest, dearest creature is dead: and punishment for it
has not yet arrived.
First Lord
The higher powers forbid!
May heaven forbid it!
PAULINA
I say she's dead; I'll swear't. If word nor oath
Prevail not, go and see: if you can bring
Tincture or lustre in her lip, her eye,
Heat outwardly or breath within, I'll serve you
As I would do the gods. But, O thou tyrant!
Do not repent these things, for they are heavier
Than all thy woes can stir; therefore betake thee
To nothing but despair. A thousand knees
Ten thousand years together, naked, fasting,
Upon a barren mountain and still winter
In storm perpetual, could not move the gods
To look that way thou wert.
I tell you she is dead; I'll swear to it. If words or oaths
are not enough, go and see: if you can bring
colour or shine to her lip, her eye,
heat outside or breath within, I'll worship you
as if you were a god. But you, you tyrant!
Don't try and ask for forgiveness, these things are worse
than all your penitence could make up for; give yourself up
to despair. A thousand people praying
for ten thousand years at a stretch, naked, fasting,
upon the bare mountainside in an everlasting
winter storm, could not persuade the gods
to offer you forgiveness.
LEONTES
Go on, go on :
Thou canst not speak too much; I have deserved
All tongues to talk their bitterest.
Go on, go on:
you can't say enough; I deserve
the worst censure of every tongue.
First Lord
Say no more:
Howe'er the business goes, you have made fault
I' the boldness of your speech.
Say no more:
whatever has happened, you should not
speak this way to a king.
PAULINA
I am sorry for't:
All faults I make, when I shall come to know them,
I do repent. Alas! I have show'd too much
The rashness of a woman: he is touch'd
To the noble heart. What's gone and what's past help
Should be past grief: do not receive affliction
At my petition; I beseech you, rather
Let me be punish'd, that have minded you
Of what you should forget. Now, good my liege
Sir, royal sir, forgive a foolish woman:
The love I bore your queen--lo, fool again!--
I'll speak of her no more, nor of your children;
I'll not remember you of my own lord,
Who is lost too: take your patience to you,
And I'll say nothing.
I apologise for it:
everything I do wrong, when I find out about it,
I repent. Alas! I have shown too much
of a woman's passion: he is wounded
to the noble heart. What's gone and can't be changed
can't be grieved over. Don't be wounded
by my speech; I beg you, instead
punish me, for reminding you
of what you should forget. Now, my good King,
sir, royal sir, forgive a foolish woman:
the love I had for your queen–oh, stupid again!
I'll say no more about her, nor about your children:
I'll not remind you of my own husband
(who is also lost): pull yourself together,
and I'll say nothing.
LEONTES
Thou didst speak but well
When most the truth; which I receive much better
Than to be pitied of thee. Prithee, bring me
To the dead bodies of my queen and son:
One grave shall be for both: upon them shall
The causes of their death appear, unto
Our shame perpetual. Once a day I'll visit
The chapel where they lie, and tears shed there
Shall be my recreation: so long as nature
Will bear up with this exercise, so long
I daily vow to use it. Come and lead me
Unto these sorrows.
Exeunt
You were speaking well
when you were being most truthful; I'd rather hear that
than have your pity. Please, take me
to the dead bodies of my queen and son:
they s
hall share a grave: the cause of their death
will be written on their tombstones, to
my eternal shame. I'll visit the chapel where they lie
every day, and crying at their tomb
shall be my pastime: I vow that I shall do this daily
for as long as nature allows me to do it.
Lead me to these sorrows.
SCENE III. Bohemia. A desert country near the sea.
Enter ANTIGONUS with a Child, and a Mariner
ANTIGONUS
Thou art perfect then, our ship hath touch'd upon
The deserts of Bohemia?
You are certain then that we have arrived at
the coast of Bohemia?
Mariner
Ay, my lord: and fear
We have landed in ill time: the skies look grimly
And threaten present blusters. In my conscience,
The heavens with that we have in hand are angry
And frown upon 's.
Yes, my lord: and I fear
that we have landed at a bad time: the skies look grim
and threaten storms shortly. It's my belief
that the heavens are angry with what we're doing
and frown on us.
ANTIGONUS
Their sacred wills be done! Go, get aboard;
Look to thy bark: I'll not be long before
I call upon thee.
May their sacred will be done! Go, get on board;
get the ship ready: it won't be long before
I'll call for you.
Mariner
Make your best haste, and go not
Too far i' the land: 'tis like to be loud weather;
Besides, this place is famous for the creatures
Of prey that keep upon't.
Be as quick as you can, and don't go
too far inland: there's rough weather coming;
besides, this place is notorious for the creatures