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Richard II (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Page 23

by William Shakespeare


  21 ragged rough, rugged

  22 for because pride prime/arrogance

  23 content acceptance

  25 silly simple/lowly/helpless

  26 stocks contraption for public punishment in which the arms or legs were confined refuge take refuge from, reduce 27 That with the thought that

  31 prison most editions follow Quarto's "person," but Folio's "prison" seems to be a purposeful alteration, not a printer's error 33 treason thoughts of treason

  34 penury poverty

  36 by and by soon

  38 straight straightaway

  39 but man is is merely mortal

  40 nothing anything

  41 nothing i.e. dead

  43 proportion musical time, rhythm

  45 daintiness sensitivity

  46 string individual string/musical instrument

  47 concord harmony

  49 waste decay

  50 numb'ring clock clock with hours marked on it (i.e. not an hourglass) 51 jar ... on tick on, jump forward (jar plays on the sense of "make discordant") 52 watches intervals between minutes/wakeful periods watch clockface (plays on the sense of "sentry/wakeful person") 53 dial's point clock's hand

  54 still continuously (plays on the sense of "motionless")

  55 tells counts out/reveals

  56 strike beat, pound/toll

  58 times marks on the dial, i.e. quarter or half hours time lifetime, time on earth 59 posting hurrying

  60 Jack o'th'clock figure of a man that strikes a bell on the outside of some types of clock 61 mads maddens

  62 holp ... wits music was thought to assist the recovery of the insane holp helped 65 to for

  66 strange brooch rare jewel

  68 peer equal/nobleman

  69 The ... us i.e. the imprisoned Richard ten groats Richard plays on the financial senses of royal and noble (types of gold coin): a royal was worth ten groats more than a noble, so the Groom has overvalued the royal prince by that amount (Richard identifies himself and the Groom as nobles) groat coin worth four old pence 71 sad dismal, unsmiling

  72 misfortune i.e. Richard

  75 ado trouble, fuss

  76 sometimes formerly

  77 yearned grieved, moved

  79 roan horse with a coat in which the prevailing color is interspersed with some other Barbary the horse's name, suggesting that it was imported from the Barbary coast of northern Africa, whose horses were noted for great speed and endurance 80 bestrid straddled, ridden

  82 gentle noble

  86 jade worthless old horse

  87 clapping patting

  91 rail on abuse

  92 awed controlled, subdued

  95 galled made sore jauncing hard-riding

  96 Fellow servant give place move, withdraw/defer to me 99 fall to begin eating

  100 wont accustomed

  106 rude rough, violent

  108 room empty space

  110 staggers makes stagger my person my royal person 112 seat royal throne/place in heaven

  113 gross earthly, fleshy, lowly

  3 Cicester Cirencester

  4 ta'en taken, captured

  7 next most pressing

  9 taking capture

  10 at large discoursed related in full

  12 worthy well-deserved/valuable

  16 dire dangerous, dreadful

  18 wot know

  19 grand chief

  20 clog burden

  22 abide await

  23 doom judgment, punishment

  25 reverend room holy place (i.e. monastery)

  26 More i.e. more worthy of reverence/larger than your prison cell joy enjoy 29 High noble

  33 Bordeaux Richard's birthplace

  34 wrought created, fashioned

  40 love ... murdered love him who has been murdered/love the fact that he has been murdered 43 Cain in the Bible, the world's first murderer

  48 sullen mournful, somber incontinent immediately 49 Holy Land i.e. Jerusalem

  51 sadly solemnly/sorrowfully grace dignify

  52 after as you follow bier stretcher-like structure on which a corpse is carried to the grave

 

 

 


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