уильям шекспир - King Lear

37 entertainemploy

39 Persiani.e. gorgeous, luxurious

41 curtainsLear imagines that he is in a curtained bed

48 littervehicle containing a bed, here apparently drawn by horses

49 Doverport on the south coast

54 to … conducti.e. hastily guide you to the necessary supplies for your journey

Act 3 Scene 7

3.7 Location: the Earl of Gloucester’s residence

1 Posttravel swiftly

7 sistersister-in-law, i.e. Goneril

8 Advisecounsel, urge

9 dukei.e. the Duke of Albany

9 festinate preparationhasty preparation of troops

10 postsmessengers

11 intelligentpossessed of information

12 lord of GloucesterEdmund’s new title (though when Oswald uses it, he refers to Edmund’s father)

17 questristsseekers

18 the lord’si.e. Gloucester’s

25 Pinion himbind his arms

26 pass … justiceissue a death sentence without a formal trial

28 do a court’sybow, yield

31 corkywithered, dry

3.7 plucks his beard a highly insulting gesture

41 whitei.e. old, dignified

42 Naughtywicked

43 ravishseize forcibly, pluck

44 quickencome to life

45 hospitable favourswelcoming (facial) features

46 ruffletreat roughly/snatch

48 Be simple answeredanswer straightforwardly

50 Late footedrecently landed

52 guessinglywithout certain knowledge

54 opposedi.e. to the dukes

59 charged at perilcommanded on peril of your life

61 tied to th’stakelike a bear in the popular sport of bear-baiting

61 standendure

61 coursedesignated bout, during which the bear was attacked by dogs

65 anointedi.e. holy (having been anointed with holy oil at the coronation)

67 buoyedswelled, risen

68 stellèdstarry

69 holphelped

69 holp … raini.e. by weeping

70 sterncruel, unyielding

71 turn the keyi.e. to let them in

72 All … subscribei.e. in such circumstances, all other cruel people would sanction a kind action

73 wingèd vengeancei.e. vengeance of the gods

74 Fellowsservants

86 shake … quarreli.e. defy you (or “challenge you to a fight”) over this cause

86 What … mean?What do you think you are doing?

87 villainservant

88 chance of angerrisk of what anger may bring (in a fight)

91 mischief on himinjury done to him

95 sparks of naturewarmth of natural filial affection

96 quitrequite, avenge

97 Outexpression of impatience and disgust

99 overturedisclosure

101 abusedwronged, maligned

105 How look you?How are you?

108 apacerapidly

109 Untimelyat the wrong time (with war imminent)

3.7 Exeunt here the Quarto text has an additional sequence in which loyal servants apply a palliative to Gloucester’s eye sockets (see “Quarto Passages That Do Not Appear in the Folio,” p. 134)

Act 4 Scene 1

4.1 Location: somewhere out in the open, not far from the Earl of Gloucester’s residence

1 thusi.e. a beggar

1 contemneddespised

2 contemned and flattereddespised secretly though flattered to your face

4 esperancehope

5 The … laughterthe most miserable kind of change is a decline in fortunes; when things are at their worst they can only get better

10 poorly ledled by a poor man/led in a way unsuitable to his status

12 Butwere it not

12 mutationschanges/fickleness

13 Life … agewe would not accept old age

15 fourscoreeighty

18 Thee … hurti.e. you may be punished for helping me

22 means secure uswealth gives us false security, overconfidence

22 mere defectssheer deficiencies

23 Prove our commoditiesturn out to be benefits

24 abusèddeceived

31 is nothas not yet arrived

36 reasonrationality, sanity

41 wantonunruly/cruelly mischievous

44 tradecourse of action/practice

50 ancient loveold affection

54 plagueaffliction

56 the restall

57 ’pparelapparel, clothing

58 Come … willwhatever may come of it

60 daub itput on a false face, pretend

68 strokesblows, afflictions

69 happiermore fortunate

70 superfluousimmoderate, extravagant, overindulgent

70 lust-dietedfed solely by pleasure

71 slaves your ordinancesubjects your laws to his desires

72 feelempathize, feel compassion (sense then shifts to “experience”)

72 quicklysoon/while he is alive/sharply

76 bendingoverhanging

77 confinèdchanneled (between England and France)

78 brimedge

80 about methat I have on my person

Act 4 Scene 2

4.2 Location: outside Goneril and the Duke of Albany’s residence

1 my lordi.e. Edmund

4 armyi.e. French army

8 ‘sot’fool

9 turned … outturned inside out, got things the wrong way round (clothing metaphor)

13 cowishcowardly

14 undertaketake action

15 tie … answeroblige him to respond

15 on the wayi.e. that we expressed during the journey here

16 prove effectsbe fulfilled

16 brotherbrother-in-law, i.e. Cornwall

17 mustersgathering of troops

17 conduct his powersescort his forces

18 changeexchange

18 distaffspindle for weaving, common symbol of womanhood or wifeliness

20 likelikely

4.2 favor love token

22 mistressruler/lover

24 thyGoneril starts to use the more intimate pronoun to Edmund

24 spiritsplays on sense of “penis”

25 conceiveunderstand/imagine (with procreative connotations)

26 deathplays on sense of “orgasm”

29 servicessexual services

30 fooli.e. Albany

30 usurpswrongfully possesses

32 worth the whistleworth looking for (from the proverb “it is a poor dog that is not worth the whistling”)