Twelfth Night (34 page)

48
Pandarus
uncle to

48
Phrygia
country in Asia Minor where Troy was situated

48
Cressida
and go-between for his niece and her lover
Troilus

53
Cressida … beggar
in some versions of the story, Cressida became a beggar with leprosy

54
conster
explain

55
out … welkin
beyond me

55
welkin
sky, heavens

55
element
sphere of knowledge/sky

58
craves
requires

60
quality
character/rank

61
haggard
untrained hawk

61
check
swoop

62
practice
occupation

64
is fit
suits the purpose

65
folly-fall’n
stooping to foolishness

68
Dieu … monsieur
“God save you, sir” (French)

69
Et … serviteur
“And you, too. [I am] your servant” (French)

71
encounter
approach/enter

72
trade
business, with sexual innuendo

72
to
with, concerning

73
bound to
heading for

73
list
limit, objective

75
Taste
try out

76
understand
support/comprehend

79
gait and entrance
corresponding nouns to Sir Toby’s verbs;
gait
puns on “gate”

80
prevented
anticipated/forestalled

81
the
may the

81
odours
sweet smells

85
hath no voice
cannot be uttered

86
pregnant
receptive

86
vouchsafed
(kindly) bestowed, i.e. attentive

88
all ready
committed to memory, ready for use

90
hearing
audience (with Cesario)

95
’Twas … world
proverbial: things haven’t been the same

96
lowly feigning
pretended modesty

96
compliment
courtesy

98
yours
your servant

98
his
i.e. his servants

100
For
as for

101
blanks
blank paper/unstamped coins

106
suit
petition, courtship

107
solicit
urge

108
music … spheres
planets and stars were thought to be surrounded by hollow spheres that produced beautiful music as they rotated

110
leave
permission (to speak)

112
abuse
wrong/disgrace

114
construction
judgment/interpretation (of my conduct)

115
To force
for forcing

117
stake
post to which a bear is chained for baiting by dogs

119
receiving
understanding

120
cypress
light transparent material

123
degree
step

124
grize
step

124
vulgar proof
common experience

126
smile again
i.e. throw off melancholy

129
lion
a more noble adversary

133
proper
handsome/worthy

135
disposition
state of mind

137
You’ll
you’ll send

140
what you are
i.e. in love with me (a woman/a servant)

145
I … fool
you make me look foolish

146
deal
quantity

149
love’s … noon
i.e. despite trying to conceal itself, love is obvious

151
maidhood
virginity

152
maugre
in spite of

153
Nor
neither

154
extort … clause
extract reason from this premise

155
For that
because

155
no cause
need to woo in return

156
reason … fetter
restrain your reason with the following reasoning

163
deplore
lament, recount sorrowfully

Act 3 Scene 2

2
venom
venomous person

6
i’th’orchard
in the garden

7
the while
at the time

9
argument
proof

12
it
my case

12
oaths
sworn testament

15
Noah
biblical character who survived a mighty flood sent by God

17
dormouse
sleepy

19
fire-new … mint
i.e. like a freshly minted coin

20
banged
struck

22
balked
avoided/neglected

22
double gilt
i.e. golden
(opportunity)

23
north
cold region

26
policy
strategy

28
lief
willingly

28
Brownist
follower of Robert Browne, founder of an extreme puritan sect

28
politician
schemer

29
build me
build

30
Challenge me
challenge

32
love-broker
go-between

37
martial hand
military style/handwriting

37
curst
quarrelsome

38
so
provided that

38
invention
innovation

39
licence of ink
freedom encouraged by writing rather than speaking

39
thou’st
call him “thou,” an insult to a stranger (“you” is the polite form)

40
lies
accusations of lying

42
bed of Ware
famous bed, able to hold twelve people

43
gall
bile, anger/an ingredient in ink (oak-gall)

43
goose-pen
quill-pen made from a goose’s feather (may play on sense of
goose
as “fool”)

46
cubiculo
“bedroom” (Latin)

47
manikin
little man, puppet

48
dear
costly

48
two thousand
probably ducats (gold coins)

50
rare
marvelous, i.e. entertaining

53
wainropes
wagon ropes, pulled by
oxen

53
hale
haul, drag

56
th’anatomy
i.e. his skeleton/body

57
opposite
adversary

57
visage
appearance/face

58
presage
indication

59
youngest wren
the wren is a small bird (a play on Maria’s size); some editors emend “mine” to “nine”

60
spleen
fit of laughter (the
spleen
was thought to be the seat of laughter)

61
gull
fool, dupe

62
renegado
deserter of his religion

64
passages of grossness
i.e. the ludicrous statements in Maria’s letter

66
villainously
offensively, horribly

66
pedant
schoolmaster

67
dogged
followed closely

69
new … Indies
probably refers to a map published in 1599 that showed the East Indies in much greater detail than previously

71
forbear
desist from

Act 3 Scene 3

3
chide
scold

5
filèd
sharpened

6
all
only (out of)

6
so much
enough (love)

8
jealousy
concern, apprehension (about)

9
skill-less in
unacquainted with

9
stranger
foreigner

12
rather
more readily

16
ever oft
very often

17
shuffled off
shrugged aside

17
uncurrent
worthless

18
worth
financial means

18
conscience
feeling of obligation

18
firm
substantial/reliable

19
dealing
treatment/reward

20
relics
antiquities, old sights

25
renown
make famous

28
count his
count’s, i.e. duke’s

28
galleys
ships usually propelled by oars as well as sails

30
it … answered
it would be virtually impossible to account for it/make reparation (i.e. Antonio’s life would be in danger)

31
Belike
presumably

33
Albeit
even though

34
bloody argument
cause for shedding blood

35
answered
requited

36
traffic’s
trade’s

38
lapsèd
apprehended/caught out

40
open
publicly

41
doth not fit
does not suit/is not appropriate for

42
Elephant
name of an inn

43
bespeak our diet
order our food

44
beguile
while away

45
have
meet

47
Haply
perhaps

47
toy
trifle

48
store
available money

49
idle markets
trivial purchases

Act 3 Scene 4

1
him
i.e. Cesario

2
of
on

5
sad
serious

5
civil
decorous

9
possessed
by evil spirits, i.e. mad

19
sad
serious/melancholy

22
sonnet
song/poem

22
‘Please … all’
a ballad about women having their own way sexually

25
black
melancholic (from an excess of black bile)

25
It
i.e. the letter

26
his
i.e. Malvolio’s

27
Roman hand
fashionable Italian style of handwriting

28
go to bed
i.e. to rest (but Malvolio takes this as sexually suggestive)

30
kiss thy hand
a fashionable greeting among courtiers

33
daws
jackdaws, birds of the crow family/fools

51
midsummer
proverbially the season for
madness

53
hardly
with difficulty

53
attends
awaits

58
miscarry
come to harm

59
come near
begin to understand/appreciate

65
consequently
subsequently

66
reverend carriage
dignified bearing

67
habit
manner/clothing

67
sir of note
distinguished man

68
limed
caught; birdlime was a sticky substance smeared on branches to trap birds

70
Fellow
equal

70
after my degree
according to my position

71
dram
tiny amount

72
scruple
small quantity/doubt

72
incredulous
incredible

73
unsafe
unreliable

78
drawn in little
gathered in a small space/painted in miniature