QUOTES FROM THE BARD

PLAY: Timon of Athens
ACT/SCENE: 1.2
SPEAKER: Timon
CONTEXT:
TIMON
Ceremony was but devised at first
To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes,
Recanting goodness, sorry ere ’tis shown;
But where there is true friendship, there needs none.
Pray, sit; more welcome are ye to my fortunes
Than my fortunes to me.
FIRST LORD
My lord, we always have confessed it.
APEMANTUS
Ho, ho, confessed it! hanged it, have you not?

DUTCH:

Plichtplegingen zijn enkel uitgedacht
Om koele daden, holle vriend’lijkheid
Met glans te sieren; om berouwde goedheid
Vóor ‘t hand’len te herroepen, zijn zij noodig

MORE:
Proverb: Ceremony was but devised at first to set a gloss on faint deeds
Proverb: Full of courtesy full of craft

Ceremony=Rituals, formalities
Set a gloss=Give meaning, make something look good
Recanting=Denying
Hollow=Meaningless
Confessed=Said so, known (not confessed in a criminal or religious sense)
Compleat:
Ceremony=Plegtigheyd
To set a gloss upon a thing=Iets een schoonen opschik geeven
To recant=Herroepen, wederroepen, weer in zyn hals haalen, verzaaken
Hollow=Hol, uytgehold; Hollow-hearted=Geveinst


Burgersdijk notes:
En niet gehangen. Toespeling op het spreekwordelijk zeggen, tegen spitsboeven in gebruik: Confess and be hanged, „Beken en laat je hangen.”

Topics: honesty, manipulation, proverbs and idioms, appearance