William Shakespeare - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

The powers of all women will be with us.

Most royall Brother—

HIPPOLITA.

Sir, by our tye of Marriage—

EMILIA.

By your owne spotlesse honour—

HIPPOLITA.

By that faith,

That faire hand, and that honest heart you gave me.

EMILIA.

By that you would have pitty in another,

By your owne vertues infinite.

HIPPOLITA.

By valour,

By all the chaste nights I have ever pleasd you.

THESEUS.

These are strange Conjurings.

PERITHOUS.

Nay, then, Ile in too:

By all our friendship, Sir, by all our dangers,

By all you love most: warres and this sweet Lady.

EMILIA.

By that you would have trembled to deny,

A blushing Maide.

HIPPOLITA.

By your owne eyes: By strength,

In which you swore I went beyond all women,

Almost all men, and yet I yeelded, Theseus.

PERITHOUS.

To crowne all this: By your most noble soule,

Which cannot want due mercie, I beg first.

HIPPOLITA.

Next, heare my prayers.

EMILIA.

Last, let me intreate, Sir.

PERITHOUS.

For mercy.

HIPPOLITA.

Mercy.

EMILIA.

Mercy on these Princes.

THESEUS.

Ye make my faith reele: Say I felt

Compassion to’em both, how would you place it?

EMILIA.

Vpon their lives: But with their banishments.

THESEUS.

You are a right woman, Sister; you have pitty,

But want the vnderstanding where to use it.

If you desire their lives, invent a way

Safer then banishment: Can these two live

And have the agony of love about ‘em,

And not kill one another? Every day

They’ld fight about you; howrely bring your honour

In publique question with their Swords. Be wise, then,

And here forget ‘em; it concernes your credit

And my oth equally: I have said they die;

Better they fall by’th law, then one another.

Bow not my honor.

EMILIA.

O my noble Brother,

That oth was rashly made, and in your anger,

Your reason will not hold it; if such vowes

Stand for expresse will, all the world must perish.

Beside, I have another oth gainst yours,

Of more authority, I am sure more love,

Not made in passion neither, but good heede.

THESEUS.

What is it, Sister?

PERITHOUS.

Vrge it home, brave Lady.

EMILIA.

That you would nev’r deny me any thing

Fit for my modest suit, and your free granting:

I tye you to your word now; if ye fall in’t,

Thinke how you maime your honour,

(For now I am set a begging, Sir, I am deafe

To all but your compassion.) How, their lives

Might breed the ruine of my name, Opinion!

Shall any thing that loves me perish for me?

That were a cruell wisedome; doe men proyne

The straight yong Bowes that blush with thousand Blossoms,

Because they may be rotten? O Duke Theseus,

The goodly Mothers that have groand for these,

And all the longing Maides that ever lov’d,

If your vow stand, shall curse me and my Beauty,

And in their funerall songs for these two Cosens

Despise my crueltie, and cry woe worth me,

Till I am nothing but the scorne of women;

For heavens sake save their lives, and banish ‘em.

THESEUS.

On what conditions?

EMILIA.

Sweare’em never more

To make me their Contention, or to know me,

To tread upon thy Dukedome; and to be,

Where ever they shall travel, ever strangers

To one another.

PALAMON.

Ile be cut a peeces

Before I take this oth: forget I love her?

O all ye gods dispise me, then! Thy Banishment

I not mislike, so we may fairely carry

Our Swords and cause along: else, never trifle,

But take our lives, Duke: I must love and will,

And for that love must and dare kill this Cosen

On any peece the earth has.

THESEUS.

Will you, Arcite,

Take these conditions?

PALAMON.

He’s a villaine, then.

PERITHOUS.

These are men.

ARCITE.

No, never, Duke: Tis worse to me than begging

To take my life so basely; though I thinke

I never shall enjoy her, yet ile preserve

The honour of affection, and dye for her,

Make death a Devill.

THESEUS.

What may be done? for now I feele compassion.

PERITHOUS.

Let it not fall agen, Sir.

THESEUS.

Say, Emilia,

If one of them were dead, as one must, are you

Content to take th’other to your husband?

They cannot both enjoy you; They are Princes

As goodly as your owne eyes, and as noble

As ever fame yet spoke of; looke upon ‘em,

And if you can love, end this difference.

I give consent; are you content too, Princes?

BOTH.

With all our soules.

THESEUS.

He that she refuses

Must dye, then.

BOTH.

Any death thou canst invent, Duke.

PALAMON.

If I fall from that mouth, I fall with favour,

And Lovers yet unborne shall blesse my ashes.

ARCITE.

If she refuse me, yet my grave will wed me,

And Souldiers sing my Epitaph.

THESEUS.

Make choice, then.

EMILIA.

I cannot, Sir, they are both too excellent:

For me, a hayre shall never fall of these men.

HIPPOLITA.

What will become of ‘em?

THESEUS.

Thus I ordaine it;

And by mine honor, once againe, it stands,

Or both shall dye:—You shall both to your Countrey,

And each within this moneth, accompanied

With three faire Knights, appeare againe in this place,

In which Ile plant a Pyramid; and whether,

Before us that are here, can force his Cosen

By fayre and knightly strength to touch the Pillar,

He shall enjoy her: the other loose his head,

And all his friends; Nor shall he grudge to fall,

Nor thinke he dies with interest in this Lady:

Will this content yee?

PALAMON.

Yes: here, Cosen Arcite,

I am friends againe, till that howre.

ARCITE.

I embrace ye.

THESEUS.

Are you content, Sister?

EMILIA.

Yes, I must, Sir,

Els both miscarry.

THESEUS.

Come, shake hands againe, then;

And take heede, as you are Gentlemen, this Quarrell

Sleepe till the howre prefixt; and hold your course.

PALAMON.

We dare not faile thee, Theseus.

THESEUS.

Come, Ile give ye

Now usage like to Princes, and to Friends:

When ye returne, who wins, Ile settle heere;

Who looses, yet Ile weepe upon his Beere. [Exeunt.]

Actus Quartus.

Scaena 1. (Athens. A room in the prison.)

[Enter Iailor and his friend.]

IAILOR.

Heare you no more? was nothing saide of me

Concerning the escape of Palamon?

Good Sir, remember.

1. FRIEND.

Nothing that I heard,

For I came home before the busines

Was fully ended: Yet I might perceive,

Ere I departed, a great likelihood

Of both their pardons: For Hipolita,

And faire-eyd Emilie, upon their knees

Begd with such hansom pitty, that the Duke

Me thought stood staggering, whether he should follow

His rash oth, or the sweet compassion

Of those two Ladies; and to second them,

That truely noble Prince Perithous,

Halfe his owne heart, set in too, that I hope

All shall be well: Neither heard I one question

Of your name or his scape.

[Enter 2. Friend.]

IAILOR.

Pray heaven it hold so.

2. FRIEND.

Be of good comfort, man; I bring you newes,

Good newes.

IAILOR.

They are welcome,

2. FRIEND.

Palamon has cleerd you,

And got your pardon, and discoverd how

And by whose meanes he escapt, which was your Daughters,