QUOTES FROM THE BARD

PLAY: The Comedy of Errors
ACT/SCENE: 2.2
SPEAKER: Adriana
CONTEXT:
ADRIANA
Ay, ay, Antipholus, look strange and frown.
Some other mistress hath thy sweet aspects.
I am not Adriana, nor thy wife.
The time was once when thou unurged wouldst vow
That never words were music to thine ear,
That never object pleasing in thine eye,
That never touch well welcome to thy hand,
That never meat sweet-savored in thy taste,
Unless I spake, or looked, or touched, or carved to thee.
How comes it now, my husband, O, how comes it
That thou art thus estranged from thyself?
Thy “self” I call it, being strange to me,
That, undividable, incorporate,
Am better than thy dear self’s better part.
Ah, do not tear away thyself from me!
For know, my love, as easy mayest thou fall
A drop of water in the breaking gulf,
And take unmingled thence that drop again
Without addition or diminishing,
As take from me thyself and not me too.
How dearly would it touch thee to the quick,
Shouldst thou but hear I were licentious
And that this body, consecrate to thee,
By ruffian lust should be contaminate!
Wouldst thou not spit at me, and spurn at me,
And hurl the name of husband in my face,
And tear the stained skin off my harlot brow,
And from my false hand cut the wedding ring,
And break it with a deep-divorcing vow?
I know thou canst, and therefore see thou do it.
I am possessed with an adulterate blot;
My blood is mingled with the crime of lust;
For if we two be one, and thou play false,
I do digest the poison of thy flesh,
Being strumpeted by thy contagion.
Keep then fair league and truce with thy true bed,
I live disstained, thou undishonorèd.

DUTCH:
Want zijn wij tweeën één en zijt gij valsch,
Dan stroomt het gif van uw bloed in het mijn’,
En door uw smetstof word ik tot boelin.

MORE:
Look strange=Look confused, unknowing
Incorporate=Of one body
Possession=Akin to ‘infect’
Harlot brow=Branding on the forehead with a hot iron was punishment for prostitution
Strumpeted=Turned into a strumpet, prostitute (by contamination)
Unstained=Undefiled (some editors use disstain here)
The quick=The core
Licentious=Unfaithful
Blot=Stain
Compleat:
Incorporated=Ingelyfd
To enter into a league=In een verbond treeden, een verbond aangaan
Truce=Een bestand, stilstand van wapenen, treves
Possession=Bezetenheyd
Harlot=Boer, snol
Strumpet=Hoer
Licentious=Ongebonden, los, toomeloos
Blot=Een klad, vlak, vlek, spat

Topics: loyalty, ruin, reputation, marriage, love, respect