80 unfelt imaginations abstract concepts that cannot actually be experienced, illusory glories
81 cares anxieties
82 low name those of ordinary humble status
83 fame reputation, name
93 reason deduce, work out
94 will want to
96 signify to inform
107 urging of bringing forth/emphasis on
117 stay wait
118 passionate humour emotional mood
118 It … me it usually lasts
119 tells twenty counts to twenty
130 entertain receive, be hospitable to
134 checks rebukes
134 lie have sex
137 restore return
138 keeps retains/maintains, supports
139 for as
140 well prosperously/virtuously
144 him i.e. conscience
145 insinuate ingratiate himself
148 tall brave
150 Take strike
150 costard head (literally, a type of large apple)
151 malmsey-butt barrel of strong, sweet wine from Greece
153 device plan
153 sop piece of bread soaked in wine
156 reason converse, talk
158 anon soon
167 Wherefore why
177 drawn forth selected
180 quest inquest, those holding a judicial inquiry
183 convict convicted
185 charge command
190 Erroneous misguided, erring
190 vassals servants, slaves
190 king of kings i.e. God
191 table … law i.e. the Ten Commandments
192 do no murder the Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13)
193 Spurn at reject, scorn
197 false forswearing breaking your oath (forbidden by the Ninth Commandment)
198 receive the sacrament take Communion as a means of affirming your oath
199 In quarrel of in the cause of
202 Unripp’dst tore open
202 bowels intestines, entrails
202 sovereign’s son i.e. Prince Edward, son of Henry VI
204 dreadful inspiring dread and awe
205 dear extreme, grievous (a)
212 quarrel (settling of the) dispute
213 indirect devious, oblique
214 cut off kill
215 bloody violent, bloodthirsty
216 gallant-springing gallant and youthful, growing promisingly
217 novice youth, beginner
218 My brother’s love love for my brother
223 meed money, reward
233 friendship also kinship
235 lessoned taught
236 is kind is gentle, well-meaning/has feelings of natural kinship
242 labour my delivery strive to obtain my release
244 thraldom servitude, enslavement
246 feeling sensibility, awareness
255 pent shut up
260 beastly not human, lacking in reason
268 desperately dispatched carried out in desperation, executed recklessly (desperately has connotations of spiritual hopelessness)
269 fain willingly
269 Pilate … murder Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judaea involved in the crucifixion of Christ, washed his hands before the discontented crowd as a means of exonerating himself from blame
280 out get out, be known (“murder will out” was proverbial)
Act 2 Scene 1
2.1 Location: the royal court, London
2.1 Flourish trumpet fanfare signaling the arrival of a person in authority
3 embassage message
8 Dissemble not (in shaking hands) do not conceal, disguise
9 from of
10 true honest, faithful
11 thrive I may I thrive
12 dally trifle, feign, mock
13 king of kings i.e. God
14 Confound overthrow, catch out
14 award sentence, appoint
15 end (cause of) death
19 son i.e. stepson
20 factious divisive, generators of factions
22 unfeignedly sincerely, without deception
26 protest declare
30 allies relatives
33 but … Doth i.e. and does not, with all duteous love
38 Deep cunning
38 hollow insincere
38 guile cunning, deceit
41 cordial heart-restoring medicine
43 wanteth only lacks
44 period end, completion
45 in good time right on time, at the perfect moment
47 morrow morning
52 swelling proud, arrogant/incensed, angry
52 wrong-incensèd full of wrongly directed anger/enraged by perceived wrongs
54 heap gathering, group (casual and demeaning term in this context)
55 intelligence information
55 surmise assumption, conjecture
57 is hardly borne has caused offense, is resented
67 desert deserving, justification
68 Lord Scales actually another title of Lord Rivers; Shakespeare erroneously supposes another character; some editors omit the line
72 the … tonight a newborn baby
75 well compounded settled as effectively
77 to your grace into your favor
79 flouted mocked
80 gentle kind, mild/noble
86 forsook abandoned
89 that i.e. that first order
89 Mercury swift messenger of the Roman gods, usually depicted with wings on his cap and sandals
90 tardy slow
90 bare the countermand brought the order revoking the first
91 lag late, slowly
92 God … suspicion I pray God there are none, less noble and loyal than Clarence, more involved in treachery yet less closely related to the king, who deserve worse than Clarence’s fate yet go free from suspicion (a pointed remark aimed at Elizabeth and her relatives)
95 go current pass as legitimate coin
96 boon request for a favor
100 forfeit … life revocation of the death penalty that his servant has incurred
103 doom … death sentence (doom) my brother to death
107 sued pleaded
108 be advised to reconsider, reflect/to be cautious
110 forsake abandon, renounce
112 field battlefield
113 down on the ground, unhorsed/at his mercy
116 lap enfold, swathe
118 thin thinly dressed
118 numb numbing
119 remembrance memory
122 carters cart drivers
122 waiting vassals attendant servants
123 defaced … Redeemer i.e. committed murder (since man is made in God’s image)
125 straight straightaway
127 But yet
128 ungracious wickedly, lacking divine grace
129 proudest most splendid, eminent/most self-esteeming
130 beholding beholden, indebted
133 On of
133 you i.e. the assembled company
134 closet private room/bedchamber
136 Marked observed, noticed
139 still constantly
Act 2 Scene 2
1 grandam grandmother
6 wretches exiles/miserable people
6 castaways rejected ones
8 cousins a general term for relatives
10 As being
11 lost wasted, pointless (sense then shifts to “gone”)
14 importune urge, entreat persistently
18 Incapable inexperienced, unknowing
18 shallow naive
22 impeachments accusations, charges
24 kindly gently, benevolently/as a family member
27 gentle shape an appearance of nobility, a benevolent guise
28 visor mask
30 dugs breasts (breast milk was popularly thought to convey some of the
qualities of the mother)
33.1 hair … ears disheveled and loose hair was a theatrical convention signifying distress
35 chide berate, chastise
36 black profound, dark, hellish
37 to … enemy i.e. commit suicide
38 rude impatience uncontrolled outburst, violent want of endurance
39 act deed/division of a play (continuing the theatrical image begun with scene)
42 want lack
43 brief quick
44 catch catch up with
47 interest right, entitlement
48 title in claim on (as Edward’s mother)
50 his images i.e. his sons
51 mirrors i.e. images, reflections
51 semblance likeness
53 false glass i.e. Richard, a distorted, false image of his father
60 moiety small portion
61 overgo exceed
63 kindred similar, belonging to relatives
64 unmoaned unlamented, not grieved for
65 widow-dolour widow’s grief
65 be shall be
67 barren to so infertile that I cannot
67 complaints grief, lamentations
68 reduce return, bring together
69 watery moon i.e. the moon, which controls the tides
74 stay support
77 Was never widow there was never a widow who
77 dear grievous/costly
81 parcelled in specific parts, divided between them
81 general all-encompassing
87 nurse nourisher, feeder
88 pamper cram, feed luxuriously
92 dull sluggish, reluctant
94 opposite antagonistic, adversarial
95 For it requires because it reclaims
96 careful caring
104 cry you mercy beg your pardon
107 meekness humility
110 butt-end concluding part
111 grace quibbling on the duchess’ title and on the sense of “religious virtue”
112 cloudy gloomy
113 moan sorrow, grief
117 broken rancour divisive animosity (broken begins an image of an injured limb) high-swoll’n very inflamed/proud
118 But lately splintered only recently splinted, reset (though at the same time continuing the imagery of fragmentation)
119 kept looked after
120 Meseemeth it seems to me
120 little train small retinue of attendants and accompanying nobles
121 Forthwith immediately Ludlow Ludlow Castle, in Shropshire, near the Welsh border fet fetched
124 multitude large group
127 estate state, kingdom green new, vulnerable (with suggestions of the prince’s youth)
128 Where … himself when each horse is in control of his own reins and may go where he pleases (i.e. in the absence of a strong rider to govern)
130 As … apparent both the fear of possible harm as well as actual harm
132 with between
133 compact agreement, contract
135 green new, not tested
136 apparent evident, real breach breakage, rupture
137 haply perhaps/probably urged encouraged
139 meet appropriate, suitable
142 post hasten
144 censures opinions
147 by on sort occasion arrange an opportunity
148 index preface story plan, business late recently
150 counsel’s innermost thoughts’ (puns on advisory “council”) consistory council chamber, meeting place
152 direction instruction, guidance
Act 2 Scene 3
2.3 Location: a London street
3 abroad at large, in the outside world
5 by’r lady by Our Lady (the Virgin Mary) seldom … better is rarely followed by better things
6 giddy inconstant, unstable
7 God speed God be with you; a standard greeting
8 Give … morrow God give you good day: a standard greeting
9 Doth … hold is the news true
10 God … while i.e. God help us
10 while age, times
11 masters sirs look expect
15 nonage minority, youth council under him the Privy Council, a group of the king’s ministers, governing for him
20 so in the same condition wot knows
22 politic grave counsel wise and reverend guidance
23 protect act as formal guardians for
27 emulation rivalry nearest most closely related to the king/most influential over the king
28 touch … near affect us all too closely
30 haught haughty, aspiring
32 solace take comfort, be happy
36 look for expect
37 dearth famine, shortage
38 sort ordain, arrange
41 cannot reason almost can scarcely reason
42 heavily gravely, anxiously
43 still always
44 mistrust suspect
45 proof experience
46 boist’rous violent
47 Whither away? Where are you going?
48 justices justices of the peace; the reason for this is never stated
Act 2 Scene 4
2.4 Location: the royal court, London
1 lay spent the night
2 Northampton Northamptonshire town twelve miles farther from London than Stony Stratford, an apparent confusion explained by Shakespeare’s sources: Richard and Buckingham met the Prince at Stony Stratford, then (Rivers, Vaughan, and Grey having been arrested) took him back to Northampton before resuming the journey to London
9 cousin general term for a relative
13 grace virtuous qualities; possibly Richard quibbles on “herb of grace” or rue, an herb with medicinal qualities whose name means “sorrow”
13 apace quickly
16 hold apply, prove true
17 object the same suggest it, apply it
23 troth faith been remembered remembered
24 flout taunt, mocking insult
25 touch … mine mock his growth more pointedly than he mocked mine
28 gnaw … old various historical accounts claim that Richard was born with teeth, something considered abnormal and ominous
30 biting sharp/to do with teeth
35 parlous mischievous, wily Go to expression of dismissive impatience shrewd sharp-tongued, cheeky
37 Pitchers have ears proverbial; pitchers were jugs with large handles (“ears”)—Elizabeth means that the boy has been eavesdropping on adult conversation
43 Pomfret Pontefract castle, in Yorkshire
48 can know, can say
51 house family
52 hind female deer
53 Insulting threatening, harmful/exulting scornfully jut thrust, shove/project, encroach
54 aweless inspiring no awe or dread
54 throne i.e. Prince Edward
56 map chart of the world/diagram/summary, epitome
62 seated in power, having gained the throne broils turmoil
63 overblown blown over
65 preposterous unnatural (literally, in reverse order)
66 frantic outrage insane violence spleen fury (the spleen was thought to be the seat of extreme emotion)
68 sanctuary churches and their precincts provided sanctuary from arrest; Elizabeth went to Westminster Abbey
75 seal great seal of England, used by the king to authenticate documents; the Archbishop was its official keeper so … you may my fortunes depend on the care I show you
Act 3 Scene 1
3.1 Location: London; exact location unspecified, possibly a street
1 chamber London was known as the camera regis, Latin for the “king’s chamber”
2 my thoughts’ sovereign my chief concern/head of my thoughts
4 crosses troubles (i.e. the arrests of Rivers, Vaughan, and Grey)
5 heavy labor
ious, burdensome, sorrowful
6 want lack/desire
11 jumpeth accords, agrees
13 attended paid attention, listened
21 ere before
22 slug sluggard, lazy fellow
26 On what occasion for what reason
28 tender young prince i.e. Edward’s younger brother, Richard
29 fain willingly
30 perforce forcibly
31 indirect devious/oblique, lengthy/erroneous peevish obstinate/perverse
34 presently immediately
36 jealous suspicious, mistrustful, overprotective
37 oratory rhetorical skill
39 Anon shortly obdurate inflexible, determined
44 senseless unreasonably, foolishly
46 Weigh … with if you only judge it by grossness low standards, coarseness
48 benefit protection
49 dealings actions, conduct
50 wit intelligence, mature judgment
53 thence … there a place that cannot really be considered as sanctuary in his case
54 charter privilege, legal right
62 sojourn stay, reside
65 repose you settle yourself, rest
65 Tower a royal residence as well as a much-feared prison
68 any place all places
71 re-edified rebuilt, developed
72 upon record written down
75 registered recorded
77 retailed recounted, retold
78 general ending day universal doomsday, the end of the world
79 So … long proverbial: “too soon wise to live long”
81 characters written records
82 formal Vice conventional Vice figure of morality plays, an allegorical character named after a particular sin and known for wordplay and grim humor niquity sinfulness; a stock name for a Vice figure
83 moralize interpret (perhaps playing on the idea of expounding God’s word for the purpose of moral teaching)
85 With … live i.e. he used his intellect to write down the courageous military exploits that had enriched it, in order to ensure that his reputation lived on
87 his conqueror the one who conquers death
91 An if if
94 lightly usually forward early
98 grief Edward refers to the death of his father
99 late recently
103 idle useless
108 beholding beholden, indebted
110 as in in that I am
111 dagger perhaps maintaining the link between Richard and the medieval Vice figure, who traditionally carried a dagger
112 With … heart very willingly (but also implying that he would gladly stab York with it)
115 toy trifle grief hardship
117 to it that goes with it
118 light not heavy (York shifts the sense to “trifling, cheap”)
120 a beggar nay no to a beggar