King John & Henry VIII (62 page)

Maya Angelou
•
A. S. Byatt
•
Caleb Carr
•
Christopher Cerf
•
Harold Evans
•
Charles Frazier
•
Vartan Gregorian
•
Jessica Hagedorn
•
Richard Howard
•
Charles Johnson
•
Jon Krakauer
•
Edmund Morris
•
Azar Nafisi
•
Joyce Carol Oates
•
Elaine Pagels
•
John Richardson
•
Salman Rushdie
•
Oliver Sacks
•
Carolyn See
•
Gore Vidal

1.1
Location: England

1.1
King John
youngest son of Henry II and
Elinor
; born 1166, reigned 1199–1216

1.1
Queen Elinor
daughter of William V, Duke of Aquitaine; she married and divorced Louis VII of France before marrying Henry II of England

1
would France
does the King of France want

3
behaviour
person, i.e. through me

3
majesty
sovereignty, splendor

4
borrowed
assumed/feigned

6
embassy
message (from the ambassador)

7
Philip of France
King Philip II, son of Louis VII; lived 1165–1223, reigned from 1180

8
Geoffrey
fourth son of Henry II

9
Arthur Plantagenet
son of
Geoffrey
and Constance

10
territories
dominions/dependencies

11
Poitiers
i.e. the province of Poitou

12
sword
i.e. state control

13
sways
rules, controls

13
several
various/individual

15
right
by right, i.e. true

16
disallow of
refuse

17
control
constraint/mastery

22
embassy
message/ambassadorial role

25
ere
before

25
report
deliver your message/make the noise of a
cannon
or of
thunder

27
hence
go from here

27
trumpet
herald/musical wind instrument used to announce important arrivals

28
sullen presage
gloomy portent

28
decay
downfall/death

29
conduct
escort

32
Constance
heiress of Conan IV, Duke of Brittany; married Geoffrey in 1181 with whom she had Arthur

33
kindled
stirred up, inflamed

33
France
king and nation

34
Upon
on behalf of

34
party
part, side

35
made whole
i.e. resolved

36
arguments
proofs

36
love
friendship

37
manage
management, government

38
issue
outcome

44
liege
lord

44
controversy
dispute

46
produce
bring out

49
expeditious charge
sudden cost

55
Coeur-de-lion
Richard I, nicknamed “the Lionheart”

55
field
battlefield

63
put you o’er
direct you

63
heaven
here and on several subsequent occasions “heaven” may be an alteration from “God,” following 1606 Parliamentary “Act to restrain the Abuses of Players”

65
Out on thee
expression of indignation

65
rude
uncivilized

66
diffidence
mistrust

69
a
he

69
pops me out
disinherits me

70
fair
fully

75
once
in a word/at some time

76
whe’er
whether

76
true begot
honorably conceived, legitimate

77
lay … head
i.e. leave my mother to answer

79
Fair fall
may good fortune befall

84
like
similar

85
madcap
lunatic/wild fellow

85
lent
brought

86
trick
distinctive look, habit

87
affecteth
imitates, assumes the character of

88
tokens
signs, evidence

89
large composition
general/robust constitution

90
parts
qualities

91
Sirrah
sir (used to an inferior)

92
move
prompt

93
half-face
profile/thin face

94
face
plays on the sense of “brazen defiance”

95
half-faced groat
coin worth four old pence with the monarch’s face in profile; also, “imperfect/insignificant”

96
when that
when

97
Your brother
i.e. Richard I,
Coeur-de-lion

99
tale
story (perhaps plays on sense of “genitals”)

99
employed
made use of/occupied sexually

102
treat of
discuss

102
high
important

102
touching
relating to/affecting

104
sojourned
stayed

105
prevail
gain the mastery/succeed in attaining/persuade

109
lusty
vigorous, lively (plays on the sense of “product of lust”)

109
got
begot, conceived

111
took … death
i.e. swore most solemnly

114
before … time
i.e. before the full nine months were up

119
did play false
was unfaithful

119
fault
sin, moral defect (may play on the sense of “vagina”)

120
lies … hazards
i.e. is one of the risks

121
how
what

121
brother
i.e. Richard I

124
sooth
truth

124
kept … world
the owner of a
cow
has the right to keep any
calf
born of that cow

128
refuse him
spurn Philip (the Bastard)

128
concludes
settles it

131
will
legal testament/wishes

134
will
wish/carnal desire/penis

135
Whether
which of the two

137
reputed
recognized/supposed

138
presence
self/personal dignity

139
an if
if

139
shape
appearance

140
Sir … him
i.e. that resembles Sir Robert’s

141
riding-rods
horse whips, i.e. skinny

143
in
behind

144
three-farthings
the thin three-farthing coin bore the queen’s image in front of a rose

145
to his shape
in addition to having his inherited physical appearance

146
Would I might
may I

147
it every foot
every foot of it

147
this
i.e. my own

148
Nob
nickname for Robert (puns on senses of “head/head of the family”)

148
case
puns on the sense of “face/appearance”

154
dear
expensive, because more than a
groat
(fourpence)

156
thither
i.e. to
death

157
give … way
allow our superiors to go first, as is polite

161
form
likeness, image

162
rise
some editors emend to “arise” for the sake of meter

166
hour
possible pun on “whore”

169
grandam
grandmother

170
truth
chaste loyalty

170
what though
what of that

171
Something about
in a somewhat indirect way

171
from the right
distant from the correct way, i.e. legitimacy

172
window
with vaginal connotations

172
hatch
lower part of a door (with vaginal connotations)

173
stir
plays on the senses of “get an erection/engage in sex”

173
walk
plays on the sexual sense of “be erect”

174
have
(sexual) possession

174
catch
seize, get hold of

175
Near … off
i.e. to the target (in archery/sexually)

175
shot
plays on the sense of “ejaculated”

179
speed
travel hastily

180
need
necessary

181
adieu
good-bye

183
foot
degree (may pun on French
foutre
, i.e. “fuck”)

184
many a many
i.e. many (emphatic)

185
Joan
typical name for a country or lower-class woman

186
den
evening (from “God give you good even”)

186
God-a-mercy
God have mercy on you

189
’Tis
i.e. remembering men’s names

189
respective
attentive/respectful

190
conversion
i.e. newly titled man

191
toothpick
ornate toothpicks were fashionable and seen as a foreign sophistication

191
worship’s mess
company of people eating together (now honored by his title)

192
stomach
appetite

192
sufficed
satisfied

193
catechize
question

194
picked
foppish/having used the toothpick/specially chosen

194
of countries
i.e. well-traveled

197
Absey book
book of ABC

201
would
wants, asks

202
Saving
except

202
dialogue of compliment
polite/affected conversation

205
supper
i.e. supper-time

205
so
thus

207
mounting
(socially) ascending/aspiring

208
bastard … time
not a true son of the current age

209
smack
show the characteristics (literally, taste); Folio spelling “smoake” was alternative form of same word, which could also mean “observe, suspect”

209
observation
observance of polite, fashionable practices

210
so am I
i.e. a literal bastard

211
habit
dress

211
device
outward show/ingenuity/heraldic design