QUOTES BY TOPIC

QUOTES FROM THE BARD

What a strange infection is fall’n into thy ear! What false Italian, as poisonous-tongued as handed, hath prevail’d on thy too ready hearing?

PLAY: Cymbeline
ACT/SCENE: 3.2
SPEAKER: Pisanio
CONTEXT:
PISANIO
How? of adultery? Wherefore write you not
What monster’s her accuser? Leonatus,
O master! what a strange infection
Is fall’n into thy ear! What false Italian,
As poisonous-tongued as handed, hath prevail’d
On thy too ready hearing? Disloyal! No:
She’s punish’d for her truth, and undergoes,
More goddess-like than wife-like, such assaults
As would take in some virtue. O my master!
Thy mind to her is now as low as were
Thy fortunes. How! that I should murder her?
Upon the love and truth and vows which I
Have made to thy command? I, her? her blood?
If it be so to do good service, never
Let me be counted serviceable. How look I,
That I should seem to lack humanity
so much as this fact comes to?
‘Do’t: the letter that I have sent her, by her own command
Shall give thee opportunity.’ O damn’d paper!
Black as the ink that’s on thee! Senseless bauble,
Art thou a feodary for this act, and look’st
So virgin-like without? Lo, here she comes.
I am ignorant in what I am commanded.

DUTCH:
Leonatus!
O, meester! Met wat vreemd vergif werd u
Het oor besmet?

MORE:
Tongued as handed=In words as in deed
Truth=Loyalty
Too ready hearing=Gullibility
Take in=Subdue
To her=Compared to hers
Fact=Offence
Feodary or fedary=Accomplice
I am ignorant in=I will pretend not to know
Compleat:
Fact=Daad, feyt
Feodary=(or feudary and feudatary): Dat noemde men een Amptenaar van een Hof, Court of wards genaamt, die een Register hield van de Leenen des Konings
Ignorant=Onweetend, onkundig, onbewust

Topics: gullibility

Categories: Cymbeline, gullibility|

He used us scornfully: he should have show’d us his marks of merit

PLAY: Coriolanus
ACT/SCENE: 2.3
SPEAKER:
CONTEXT:
SECOND CITIZEN
Not one amongst us, save yourself, but says
He used us scornfully: he should have show’d us
His marks of merit, wounds received for’s country.
SICINIUS
Why, so he did, I am sure.
CITIZENS
No, no; no man saw ’em.
THIRD CITIZEN
He said he had wounds, which he could show in private;
And with his hat, thus waving it in scorn,
‘I would be consul,’ says he: ‘aged custom,
But by your voices, will not so permit me;
Your voices therefore.’ When we granted that,
Here was ‘I thank you for your voices: thank you:
Your most sweet voices: now you have left your voices,
I have no further with you.’ Was not this mockery?
SICINIUS
Why either were you ignorant to see’t,
Or, seeing it, of such childish friendliness
To yield your voices?

DUTCH:
Elk onzer, buiten u, erkent: hij hoonde ons;
Hij had zijn eeremerken moeten toonen,
De voor zijn land ontvangen wonden.

MORE:
Used=Treated
Voices=Votes
No further with you=No further need of you
Childish friendliness=Innocence, gullibility
Yield=Grant
Compleat:
To use one unkindly=Iemand stuursch bejegenen
Voice=Stem, recht van stemmen
Yield=Overgeeven, toegeeven, geeven

Topics: gullibility, manipulation, honesty, integrity

Categories: Coriolanus, gullibility, honesty, integrity|

Now you have left your voices, I have no further with you

DUTCH:
Daarom, uw stemmen!” Toen wij die hem schonken,
Toen heette ‘t: „Dank u voor uw stemmen, — dank u, —
Uw fraaie stemmen; — zoo, nu gaaft ge uw stemmen;
‘k Ben met u klaar.” — Wat dit geen spotternij?

Topics: gullibility, manipulation, honesty, integrity

Categories: Coriolanus, gullibility, honesty, integrity|

They have chose a consul that will from them take their liberties; make them of no more voice than dogs that are as often beat for barking

PLAY: Coriolanus
ACT/SCENE: 2.3
SPEAKER: Sicinius
CONTEXT:
BRUTUS
Get you hence instantly, and tell those friends,
They have chose a consul that will from them take
Their liberties; make them of no more voice
Than dogs that are as often beat for barking
As therefore kept to do so.
SICINIUS
Let them assemble,
And on a safer judgment all revoke
Your ignorant election; enforce his pride,
And his old hate unto you; besides, forget not
With what contempt he wore the humble weed,
How in his suit he scorn’d you; but your loves,
Thinking upon his services, took from you
The apprehension of his present portance,
Which most gibingly, ungravely, he did fashion
After the inveterate hate he bears you.
BRUTUS
Lay
A fault on us, your tribunes; that we laboured,
No impediment between, but that you must
Cast your election on him.
SICINIUS
Say, you chose him
More after our commandment than as guided
By your own true affections, and that your minds,
Preoccupied with what you rather must do
Than what you should, made you against the grain
To voice him consul: lay the fault on us.

DUTCH:
Gaat, spoedt u tot die vrienden; maakt hun duid’lijk,
Dat zij een consul kozen, die hun rechten
Hun nemen zal, hun zooveel stem zal laten
Als honden, die men ranselt om hun blaffen
En toch voor ‘t blaffen houdt.

MORE:
Proverb: Goes against the grain

Took from you the apprehension …portance=Blinded you to his behaviour
Ungravely=Without appropriate gravity or seriousness
Fashion after=Frame to conform with
Gibingly=Mockingly
Portance=Carriage, demeanour
Weeds=Clothing
Inveterate=Long-standing
Compleat:
Weeds (habit or garment)=Kleederen, gewaad
Inveterate=Verouderd, ingeworteld
The inveterate hatred=Een ingeworteld haat
To gibe=Boerten, gekscheeren
To fashion=Een gestalte geeven, vormen, fatzoeneeren

Topics: appearance, deceit, blame, gullibility, proverbs and idioms

Categories: appearance, blame, Coriolanus, gullibility, proverbs and idioms|

Tis holy sport to be a little vain when the sweet breath of flattery conquers strife

PLAY: The Comedy of Errors
ACT/SCENE: 3.2
SPEAKER: Luciana
CONTEXT:
LUCIANA
And may it be that you have quite forgot
A husband’s office? Shall, Antipholus,
Even in the spring of love thy love-springs rot?
Shall love, in building, grow so ruinous?
If you did wed my sister for her wealth,
Then for her wealth’s sake use her with more kindness.
Or if you like elsewhere, do it by stealth—
Muffle your false love with some show of blindness.
Let not my sister read it in your eye;
Be not thy tongue thy own shame’s orator;
Look sweet, be fair, become disloyalty;
Apparel vice like virtue’s harbinger.
Bear a fair presence, though your heart be tainted.
Teach sin the carriage of a holy saint.
Be secret-false. What need she be acquainted?
What simple thief brags of his own attaint?
‘Tis double wrong to truant with your bed
And let her read it in thy looks at board.
Shame hath a bastard fame, well managèd;
Ill deeds is doubled with an evil word.
Alas, poor women, make us but believe,
Being compact of credit, that you love us.
Though others have the arm, show us the sleeve;
We in your motion turn, and you may move us.
Then, gentle brother, get you in again.
Comfort my sister, cheer her, call her wife.
‘Tis holy sport to be a little vain
When the sweet breath of flattery conquers strife.

DUTCH:
Een weinig huich’lens is een vroom bedrog,
Als zoete vleitaal twist bedwingen kan.

MORE:
Proverb: Fine words dress ill deeds

Attaint=Offence, disgrace, corruption
Well-managed=Put a good spin on
Bastard fame=Illegitimate honour
Compact of credit=Made of credulity, entirely believable
Compleat:
To attaint=Overtuigen van misdaad, schuldig verklaaren, betichten; bevlekken, bederf aanzetten
Attainted=Overtuigd van misdaad, misdaadig verklaard
To compact=In een trekken, dicht t’saamenvoegen
Credit=Geloof, achting, aanzien, goede naam

Topics: flattery, offence, appearance, gullibility

Categories: appearance, flattery, gullibility, The Comedy of Errors|

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