4 Put case assuming
vicious i.e. full of vice
6 conscionable scrupulous
7 Art artifice, cunning
closeness secrecy
9 apparent open, obvious
15 fear for fear
20 glist’ring … serpent She is ‘glist’ring’ and linked with the serpent (= devil) because she is in the ‘court sun’s’ glare, and her new status and rich clothing reflect its light as a serpent’s skin the sun.
22 LEANTIO This speech ascription comes before 1. 23 in O.
24 at setting forth to begin with
25 and if
30 of even hand in an equal position
37 base stamp base nature; false impression on face of a coin
38 base mettle base disposition; base metal (linked to coin metaphor in previous line)
40 own ed. (not in O)
44 heart-string nerve or tendon supposed to sustain heart
46 string i.e. string of musical instrument
48 Shift for thyself i.e. make your own escape
53 without voice silently, without warning
60 prodigy unnatural marvel
67 close secret
71 ignorant wilfully disregarding
72 strange new, unfamiliar
74–5 it … breast i.e. my treachery has been returned upon me
80–1 see’t? / A ed. (see’t, a O)
82–4 arranged as verse in O
84 Sunday when wives will be well-dressed and apparently virtuous, yet actually flirtatious with others. Proverbial misogyny: ̵Who will have a handsome wife let him choose her upon Saturday and not upon Sunday’ (Tilley, W 378).
88–9 wore … nimbler i.e. was characterized by actions more energetic (‘nimbler’) than fire
91 list listen
92 quoth’a said he
93 plum-tree i.e. female genitals
guardianer’s a gardener’s grafting of two unlike plants together; the guardian’s marrying of two unlike people
grafting ed. (graffing O)
94–8 worse … not a‘plum-tree’but another kind of ’fruit’ (= female genitals). The ‘more open one’ is the ‘medlar’, a small pulpy apple, nearly ‘rotten’ as soon as it is ‘ripe’; because of these characteristics, reminiscent of the symptoms of venereal disease, the medlar was frequently associated with the degenerate sexuality of ‘queans’ (whores). The ‘open one’ also alludes to the dialect name for the medlar, ‘open-arse’; see Romeo and Juliet II.i.39.
104 tumble do acrobatics; have sexual intercourse
105 qualities skills, accomplishments. Some writers of the time argued that (over-) educated women were untrustworthy.
113–14 farthingale a framework of hoops, worn about the waist, which extended a woman’s dress
114 peep … millstone i.e. see acutely, resolve difficulties; proverbial (Tilley, M 965)
115 going walking (i.e. while she’s walking)
i’th’bottom at the bottom; at her genitals
116–19 arranged as verse in O
117–18 small … chorister i.e. he was surprised she sang so softly (perhaps also at a treble pitch) because she was no young girl. He now claims it was the unborn baby’s voice.
119 singing in my head alleged symptom of cuckoldry
120 cinquepace galliard (a lively French dance)
122 horns cuckold’s horns
pillowberes pillowcases
123–4 hogshead of angels barrel of gold coins (an ‘angel’ coin had a picture of St Michael on one side)
125 scrivener’s sand-box perforated box filled with sand, used for blotting ink
127 confusion ruin
129 blood kinship
137 basilisks mythical reptiles (part cock, part serpent), able to kill by their glance
141 miss you i.e. to avoid meeting him ‘everlastingly’, in Hell
158–60 fear … marriage-triumph i.e. the law would be suspended (‘privilege’ = legal immunity) during the ‘marriage-triumph’, the masque performed for the marriage. As Middleton notes in The Revenger’s Tragedy: ‘A masque is treason’s licence: that build upon- / ’Tis murder’s best face, when a vizard’s on!’ (V.i.177–8).
162 all’s all as if
163–5 got … conceive … longing … fruits These words also refer to conception and pregnancy.
174 resolved satisfied, informed
180 hindrance incapacity
183 thus Many editors emend to ‘this is’, supplying the supposedly missing verb; but Guardiano’s line could be either an exclamation or a suspicious question, since O frequently uses question-marks and exclamation-marks interchangeably.
185 approve prove, demonstrate
201 invention literary composition
his own Guardiano’s
202 pains effort
charge bestowed cost paid out
208 voice support
210 make one play a part
plot’s full the cast is complete; the revenge plot is ready
211 make shift for improvise as
214 Juno Pronuba Juno watched over the arrangement of marriages – a highly ironic role for Livia to be playing.
218 list choose
219–20 more … incensed i.e. she would seem more stately if she were angry. Mulryne also suggests an unwitting pun on incense (part of the ‘sacrifice’, 1. 216), since Livia will be killed by poisoned incense.
224 project drawn the plan of the masque written out
225 weigh care
225 s.d. Many editions send everyone except Livia off the stage at this point, but Holdsworth (p. 90) offers a convincing argument that Hippolito’s solitary exit in O suggests his new isolation.