Read The Complete Plays Online
Authors: Christopher Marlowe
97â105Â Â
Proud Rome⦠live
: Such vehement anti-papalism might well appeal to Elizabethan Protestants; but Edward's obvious pique and murderousness might be more disturbing.
102Â Â Â
make
: For Q's
may.
168Â Â Â Â Â Â
repealed
: Recalled from exile.
175Â Â Â Â Â Â
those arms
: I.e. Edward's arms (embracing Isabella).
178Â Â Â Â Â Â
frantic Juno
: From Ovid,
Metamorphoses
X, 155â61.
189Â Â Â Â Â Â
ill entreated her
: Treated her badly.
191Â Â Â Â Â Â
long of
: Because of.
195Â Â Â Â Â Â
Cry quittance
: (i) Get even, (ii) quit him, (iii) give up the marriage bond, declare yourself free of marital obligations.
199Â Â Â Â Â Â
wanton humour
: Amorous mood (Forker 1994).
211Â Â Â Â Â Â
tend'rest
: Care for.
216Â Â Â Â Â Â
him
: I.e. Mortimer Senior.
223Â Â Â Â Â Â
torpedo
: The electric ray, which can deliver a numbing shock.
224Â Â Â Â Â Â
floats
: Sails, but with the implication of a drowned corpse floating.
247Â Â Â Â Â Â
make white⦠day
: Proverbial (Tilley B440).
255Â Â Â Â Â Â
play the sophister
: I.e. deceive by false arguments.
261Â Â Â Â Â Â
whereas
: While.
269Â Â Â Â Â Â
in the chronicle
: In the year-by-year annals of the reign. Mortimer is thinking of how history will judge Gaveston's hypothetical killer.
284Â Â Â Â Â Â
night-grown mushroom
: Because mushrooms grow overnight, this metaphor was proverbially used to describe the unprecedented rise of an upstart (cf. Tilley M1319).
318Â Â Â Â Â Â
Diablo!
: Italian, devil!
327Â Â Â Â Â Â
golden tongue
: There is some evidence of medieval jewels in the form of metal tongues.
330Â Â Â Â Â Â
these
: Edward's arms.
341Â Â Â Â Â Â
sovereign's
: For Q's
soveraigne.
350Â Â Â Â Â Â
bear the sword
: The sword was a symbol of state power, usually carried before the monarch during processions.
358Â Â Â Â Â Â
Chirk
: Mortimer Senior's estate which bordered Shropshire and Wales.
374Â Â Â Â Â Â
Against
: In preparation for the time when.
377Â Â Â Â Â Â
made him sure
: Betrothed.
378Â Â Â Â Â Â
Gloucester's heir
: I.e. Lady Margaret de Clare.
381Â Â
triumph
: I.e. the jousting tournament (cf. 375).
390â96Â Â
mightiest kings⦠Alcibiades
: Mortimer Senior tries to placate his nephew by citing classical examples of homoerotic love. See (N).
392Â Â Â Â Â Â
Hercules
: Q's
Hector
mangles the myth.
406Â Â Â Â Â Â
He wears⦠his back
: Proverbial (Tilley L452).
407â8
Midas-like⦠heels
: He struts around in court decked in gold, with a train of low-born foreign rascals (literally, âtesticles').
415Â Â Â Â Â Â
other
: Others.
Scene
5
14Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
preferred⦠to
: (i) Put me forward for promotion, (ii) liked me more than.
20Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
our lady
: Margaret de Clare.
30Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
read unto her
: Tutored her.
32Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
court it
: Behave like a courtier.
33â4
black coat⦠serge
: Baldock wears the modest, and cheap, clothes of a scholar.
band
: collar.
Serge
: A cheap material.
38Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
making low legs
: Bowing obsequiously.
44Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
formal toys
: Trivial politenesses.
53Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
propterea quod
: Because. Baldock satirizes the Latinate rhetoric of scholarship.
54Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
quandoquidem
: Because. The joke is unclear.
55Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
form
: Conjugate.
71Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
coach
: Coaches were not widely used in England until the 1560s.
Scene
6
11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
device
: An emblematic painting and motto which decorated a shield.
20Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Aeque tandem
: Equal at last.
28Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Undique mors est
: Death is on all sides.
35Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
my brother
: I.e. Gaveston.
40Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
jesses
: For Q's
gresses.
42Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Britainy
: Britain.
62Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
painted
: Decorated with flowers.
73Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Return⦠throats
: Defy them.
74Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Base leaden earls
: âSpurious nobles (like coin of alloy rather than of true metal)' (Forker 1994).
75Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
eat⦠beef
: I.e. the nobles are beef-witted (stupid) and parasitic.
81Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Here, here
: Pembroke points at Gaveston.
12.2Â Â
gather head
: Raise an army.
146Â Â Â Â Â Â
the broad seal
: Letters patent under the Great Seal, which gave the bearer the right to collect money for a special purpose without fear of being prosecuted for begging.
158Â Â Â Â Â Â
treasure
: Treasury.
159Â Â Â Â Â Â
The murmuring⦠hath
: And has overtaxed the discontented common people.
163Â Â Â Â Â Â
O'Neill
: Irish clan-leader during Edward II's reign.
164Â Â Â Â Â Â
the English pale
: English settlement around Dublin.
165Â Â Â Â Â Â
made road
: Made raid.
167Â Â Â Â Â Â
narrow seas
: English Channel.
171Â Â Â Â Â Â
Valois
: Philip of Valois, King of France.
186Â Â Â Â Â Â
women's favours
: Love-tokens given to knights and often worn in combat.
189â94Â Â
Maids⦠rumbelow:
From Robert Fabyan's
Chronicle
(1559).
190Â Â Â Â Â Â
Bannocksbourn
: Edward's forces were famously crushed by the Scots at the Battle of Bannockburn (24 June 1314).
194Â Â Â Â Â Â
rumbelow
: A meaningless refrain.
195Â Â Â Â Â Â
Wigmore shall fly
: I.e. Mortimer Junior's Herefordshire estate, Wigmore Castle, shall be sold.
202â3Â Â
cockerels⦠lion
: Traditionally, lions feared the cock's crowing.
225Â Â Â Â Â Â
him
: I.e. Mortimer Junior.
241Â Â Â Â Â Â
arms
: Coat of arms.
242â3Â Â
gentry⦠Oxford
: An MA degree conferred gentlemanly status.
248Â Â Â Â Â Â
well allied
: Of good stock.
264Â Â Â Â Â Â
Have at
: (Imperative) let us attack.
Scene
7
5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
of policy
: As an act of politic deception.
20Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
give the onset
: Begin the attack.
23Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
the name of Mortimer
: Historically, the family took its name from Mortemer in Normandy, but Mortimer prefers the association with the Dead Sea (
Mortuum Mare
) and the Crusades.
Scene
8
4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
hold
: Fortress.
46Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Flemish hoy
: Small fishing vessels used in the North Sea by the Flemish.
Scene
9
4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
unsurprised
: Uncaptured.
5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
malgrado
: Italian, in spite of.
14Â Â Â Â
welter in thy gore
: Be soaked in your own blood.
15Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
the Greekish strumpet
: Helen of Troy.
27â8Â Â
But⦠our hands
: Gaveston is to be beheaded, a privileged form of execution reserved for the nobility.
62â3Â Â
seize⦠possess
: Get hold of⦠keep.
64Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
in keep
: In custody.
67Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
for
: Because.
69Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
To make⦠thief
: To kill a man of honour who has stood hostage for a dishonest man.
72Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Question⦠thy mates
: Bandy arguments with your equals.
84Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
had-I-wist
: (Literally) had I known (proverbial; Tilley H8). Warwick is reluctant to let Gaveston escape, only to repent of it later.
85Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
over-woo
: Plead excessively to.
88Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
in this
: In this matter.
Scene
10
1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
wrong thy friend
: I.e. betray Pembroke.
5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Centre⦠bliss
: ? Applied to the king.
13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
watched it well
: I.e. kept a vigilant guard over Gaveston.
14Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
shadow
: Ghost.
Scene
11
13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
braves
: Insults.
14Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
beard me
: Pluck my beard (i.e. defy me).
20Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
preach on poles
: Cf. 1.117n.
27Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
We'll steel⦠tops
: We'll sharpen our swords against their helmets and cut off (âpoll') their heads.
29Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
affection
: Desire.
31.2Â Â
SD
truncheon
: A staff which symbolized authority.
36Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
bowmen⦠pikes
: Lances with sharp metal tips at both ends were driven into the ground just in front of the archers to protect them in battle (Wiggins and Lindsey 1997).
37Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Brown bills
: Soldiers carrying halberds (covered in bronze to prevent rusting).
42Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
in him
: In his person, to the advantage of his family.
43â4
an it⦠pours
: If it please your grace, one who poursâ¦
53Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Lord Bruce⦠land
: Holinshed reports that when William de Bruce offered to sell some of his land in the Welsh Marches to the Mortimers to pay his debts, they were outbid, with the king's help, by Spencer Junior.
54Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
in hand withal
: Are negotiating for it.
57Â Â Â Â
Soldiers, a largess
: Edward promises the soldiers a generous gift of money for their loyalty.
66Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Sib
: Kinswoman (i.e. wife), or a contraction of her name.
76â7Â Â
heaven's⦠shoulder
: Atlas (N) is here imagined supporting the roof-beams of the heavens.
79Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
towardness
: Boldness.
87Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
once
: Once and for all.
121Â Â Â Â Â Â
part
: Action.
127Â Â Â Â Â Â
fire⦠starting-holes
: Smoke them out of their lairs (like animals).
129Â Â Â Â Â Â
moving orbs
: The heavenly spheres which, according to Ptolemaic cosmology, moved in their concentric orbits around the earth.
145Â Â Â Â Â Â
merely
: Purely.
152Â Â Â Â Â Â
iwis
: I know.
158Â Â Â Â Â Â
plainer
: Complainant (who brings an allegation).
163Â Â Â Â Â Â
deads
: Deadens.
royal vine
: Edward's crown was in fact adorned with strawberry leaves, but the association of the vine with royalty was traditional.
Scene 12
0.1Â Â Â SD
excursions
: Soldiers rush across the stage, emulating the confusion of battle.
9Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
retire
: Retreat.
18Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Thou'd best⦠them⦠trains
: You had better quickly abandon them and their intrigues. Q reads
Th'ad⦠thee
.
20Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
on thy face
: Apparently a variant of the more usual riposte âin thy face'.
23Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
trow ye
: Think you.
35Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Saint George
: Established as the patron saint of England during Edward III's reign.
Scene 13
3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
hang the heads
: As in French, Elizabethan English could use the definite article where modern English uses a possessive.
4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
advance
: Raise their heads on poles (punning on âadvance' = to promote).
22Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
but temporal
: I.e. Edward can only inflict physical torment, and not spiritual suffering.