Measure for Measure, with line numbers E-Book

William Shakespeare

• Herausgeber: Seltzer Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 118

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

One of Shakespeare's "problem" plays. (Not quite a comedy, not quite a romance). According to Wikipedia: "Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was originally classified as a comedy, but is now also classified as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. Originally published in the First Folio of 1623, the play's first recorded performance was in 1604. The play deals with the issues of mercy, justice, truth and their relationship to pride and humility: "Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall"

Leseprobe

Measure For Measure By William Shakespeare

published by Samizdat Express, Orange, CT, USA

established in 1974, offering over 14,000 books

Other comedies by William Shakespeare:

All's Well That Ends Well

As You Like It

The Comedy of Errors

Love's Labour's Lost

The Merchant of Venice

The Merry Wives of Windsor

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Much Ado About Nothing

The Taming of the Shrew

Twelfth Night

Two Gentlemen of Verona

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Dramatis Personae

Measure for Measure

Act I

Scene I An Apartment In The Duke's Palace.

Scene II A Street.

Scene III A Monastery.

Scene IV A Nunnery.

Act II

Scene I A Hall In Angelo's House.

Scene II Another Room In The Same.

Scene III A Room In A Prison.

Scene IV A Room In Angelo's House.

Act III

Scene I A Room In The Prison.

Scene II The Street Before The Prison.

Act IV

Scene I The Moated Grange At St. Luke's.

Scene II A Room In The Prison.

Scene III Another Room In The Same.

Scene IV A Room In Angelo's House.

Scene V Fields Without The Town.

Scene VI Street Near The City Gate.

Act V

Scene I The City Gate.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Vincentio, The Duke. (Duke Vincentio)

Angelo, Deputy

Escalus, An Ancient Lord

Claudio, A Young Gentleman

Lucio, A Fantastic.

Two other gentlemen.

(First Gentleman:)

(Second Gentleman:)

Provost

Two Friars

Peter(Friar Peter:)

Thomas(Friar Thomas:)

A Justice

Varrius

Elbow, A Simple Constable

Froth, A Foolish Gentleman

Pompey, Servant To Mistress Overdone

Abhorson, An Executioner

Barnardine, A Dissolute Prisoner

Isabella, Sister To Claudio

Marian, A Betrothed To Angelo

Juliet, Beloved Of Claudio

Francisca, A Nun

Mistress Overdone, A Bawd

Lords, Officers, Citizens, Boy, and Attendant

(Servant:)

(Messenger:)

SCENE Vienna

MEASURE FOR MEASURE

ACT I

SCENE I An apartment in the DUKE'S palace.

[Enter DUKE VINCENTIO, ESCALUS, LORDS and ATTENDANTS]

(1) DUKE VINCENTIO Escalus.

ESCALUS My lord.

DUKE VINCENTIO Of government the properties to unfold,

Would seem in me to affect speech and discourse;

Since I am put to know that your own science

Exceeds, in that, the lists of all advice

My strength can give you: then no more remains,

But that to your sufficiency [           ]

[               ] as your Worth is able,

(10) And let them work. The nature of our people,

Our city's institutions, and the terms

For common justice, you're as pregnant in

As art and practise hath enriched any

That we remember. There is our commission,

From which we would not have you warp. Call hither,

I say, bid come before us Angelo.

[Exit an ATTENDANT]

What figure of us think you he will bear?

For you must know, we have with special soul

Elected him our absence to supply,

(20) Lent him our terror, dress'd him with our love,

And given his deputation all the organs

Of our own power: what think you of it?

ESCALUS If any in Vienna be of worth

To undergo such ample grace and honour,

It is Lord Angelo.

DUKE VINCENTIO      Look where he comes.

[Enter ANGELO]

ANGELO Always obedient to your grace's will,

I come to know your pleasure.

DUKE VINCENTIO Angelo,

There is a kind of character in thy life,

That to the observer doth thy history

(30) Fully unfold. Thyself and thy belongings

Are not thine own so proper as to waste

Thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee.

Heaven doth with us as we with torches do,

Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues

Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike

As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touch'd

But to fine issues, nor Nature never lends

The smallest scruple of her excellence

But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines

(40) Herself the glory of a creditor,

Both thanks and use. But I do bend my speech

To one that can my part in him advertise;

Hold therefore, Angelo:--

In our remove be thou at full ourself;

Mortality and mercy in Vienna

Live in thy tongue and heart: old Escalus,

Though first in question, is thy secondary.

Take thy commission.

ANGELO Now, good my lord,

Let there be some more test made of my metal,

(50) Before so noble and so great a figure

Be stamp'd upon it.

DUKE VINCENTIO No more evasion:

We have with a leaven'd and prepared choice

Proceeded to you; therefore take your honours.

Our haste from hence is of so quick condition

That it prefers itself and leaves unquestion'd

Matters of needful value. We shall write to you,

As time and our concernings shall importune,

How it goes with us, and do look to know

What doth befall you here. So, fare you well;

(60) To the hopeful execution do I leave you

Of your commissions.

ANGELO Yet give leave, my lord,

That we may bring you something on the way.

DUKE VINCENTIO My haste may not admit it;

Nor need you, on mine honour, have to do

With any scruple; your scope is as mine own

So to enforce or qualify the laws

As to your soul seems good. Give me your hand:

I'll privily away. I love the people,

But do not like to stage me to their eyes:

(70) Though it do well, I do not relish well

Their loud applause and Aves vehement;

Nor do I think the man of safe discretion

That does affect it. Once more, fare you well.

ANGELO The heavens give safety to your purposes!

ESCALUS Lead forth and bring you back in happiness!

DUKE I thank you. Fare you well.

[Exit]

ESCALUS I shall desire you, sir, to give me leave

To have free speech with you; and it concerns me

To look into the bottom of my place:

(80) A power I have, but of what strength and nature

I am not yet instructed.

ANGELO 'Tis so with me. Let us withdraw together,

And we may soon our satisfaction have

Touching that point.

ESCALUS I'll wait upon your honour.

[Exeunt]

SCENE II A street.

[Enter LUCIO and TWO GENTLEMEN]

(1) LUCIO If the duke with the other dukes come not to

composition with the King of Hungary, why then all

the dukes fall upon the king.

FIRST GENTLEMAN Heaven grant us its peace, but not the King of

Hungary's!

SECOND GENTLEMAN Amen.

LUCIO Thou concludest like the sanctimonious pirate, that

went to sea with the Ten Commandments, but scraped

one out of the table.

(10) SECOND GENTLEMAN 'Thou shalt not steal'?

LUCIO Ay, that he razed.

FIRST GENTLEMAN Why, 'twas a commandment to command the captain and

all the rest from their functions: they put forth

to steal. There's not a soldier of us all, that, in

the thanksgiving before meat, do relish the petition

well that prays for peace.

SECOND GENTLEMAN I never heard any soldier dislike it.

LUCIO I believe thee; for I think thou never wast where

(20) grace was said.

SECOND GENTLEMAN No? a dozen times at least.

FIRST GENTLEMAN What, in metre?

LUCIO In any proportion or in any language.

FIRST GENTLEMAN I think, or in any religion.

LUCIO Ay, why not? Grace is grace, despite of all

controversy: as, for example, thou thyself art a

wicked villain, despite of all grace.

FIRST GENTLEMAN Well, there went but a pair of shears between us.

(30) LUCIO I grant; as there may between the lists and the

velvet. Thou art the list.

FIRST GENTLEMAN And thou the velvet: thou art good velvet; thou'rt

a three-piled piece, I warrant thee: I had as lief

be a list of an English kersey as be piled, as thou

art piled, for a French velvet. Do I speak

feelingly now?

LUCIO I think thou dost; and, indeed, with most painful

feeling of thy speech: I will, out of thine own

confession, learn to begin thy health; but, whilst I

(40) live, forget to drink after thee.

FIRST GENTLEMAN I think I have done myself wrong, have I not?

SECOND GENTLEMAN Yes, that thou hast, whether thou art tainted or free.

LUCIO Behold, behold. where Madam Mitigation comes! I

have purchased as many diseases under her roof as come to--

SECOND GENTLEMAN To what, I pray?

LUCIO Judge.

(50) SECOND GENTLEMAN To three thousand dolours a year.

FIRST GENTLEMAN Ay, and more.

LUCIO A French crown more.

FIRST GENTLEMAN Thou art always figuring diseases in me; but thou

art full of error; I am sound.

LUCIO Nay, not as one would say, healthy; but so sound as

things that are hollow: thy bones are hollow;

impiety has made a feast of thee.

[Enter MISTRESS OVERDONE]

(60) FIRST GENTLEMAN How now! which of your hips has the most profound sciatica?

MISTRESS OVERDONE Well, well; there's one yonder arrested and carried

to prison was worth five thousand of you all.

SECOND GENTLEMAN Who's that, I pray thee?

MISTRESS OVERDONE Marry, sir, that's Claudio, Signior Claudio.

FIRST GENTLEMAN Claudio to prison? 'tis not so.

MISTRESS OVERDONE Nay, but I know 'tis so: I saw him arrested, saw

him carried away; and, which is more, within these

(70) three days his head to be chopped off.

LUCIO But, after all this fooling, I would not have it so.

Art thou sure of this?

MISTRESS OVERDONE I am too sure of it: and it is for getting Madam

Julietta with child.

LUCIO Believe me, this may be: he promised to meet me two

hours since, and he was ever precise in

promise-keeping.

SECOND GENTLEMAN Besides, you know, it draws something near to the

speech we had to such a purpose.

(80) FIRST GENTLEMAN But, most of all, agreeing with the proclamation.

LUCIO Away! let's go learn the truth of it.

[Exeunt LUCIO and GENTLEMEN]

MISTRESS OVERDONE Thus, what with the war, what with the sweat, what

with the gallows and what with poverty, I am

custom-shrunk.

[Enter POMPEY]

How now! what's the news with you?

POMPEY Yonder man is carried to prison.

MISTRESS OVERDONE Well; what has he done?

POMPEY A woman.

(90) MISTRESS OVERDONE But what's his offence?

POMPEY Groping for trouts in a peculiar river.

MISTRESS OVERDONE What, is there a maid with child by him?

POMPEY No, but there's a woman with maid by him. You have

not heard of the proclamation, have you?

MISTRESS OVERDONE What proclamation, man?

POMPEY All houses in the suburbs of Vienna must be plucked down.

MISTRESS OVERDONE And what shall become of those in the city?

(100) POMPEY They shall stand for seed: they had gone down too,

but that a wise burgher put in for them.

MISTRESS OVERDONE But shall all our houses of resort in the suburbs be

pulled down?

POMPEY To the ground, mistress.

MISTRESS OVERDONE Why, here's a change indeed in the commonwealth!

What shall become of me?

(110) POMPEY Come; fear you not: good counsellors lack no

clients: though you change your place, you need not

change your trade; I'll be your tapster still.

Courage! there will be pity taken on you: you that

have worn your eyes almost out in the service, you

will be considered.

MISTRESS OVERDONE What's to do here, Thomas tapster? let's withdraw.

POMPEY Here comes Signior Claudio, led by the provost to

prison; and there's Madam Juliet.

[Exeunt]

[Enter PROVOST, CLAUDIO, JULIET, and OFFICERS]

(120) CLAUDIO Fellow, why dost thou show me thus to the world?

Bear me to prison, where I am committed.

PROVOST I do it not in evil disposition,

But from Lord Angelo by special charge.

CLAUDIO Thus can the demigod Authority

Make us pay down for our offence by weight

The words of heaven; on whom it will, it will;

On whom it will not, so; yet still 'tis just.

[Re-enter LUCIO and TWO GENTLEMEN]

LUCIO Why, how now, Claudio! whence comes this restraint?

CLAUDIO From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty:

(130) As surfeit is the father of much fast,

So every scope by the immoderate use

Turns to restraint. Our natures do pursue,

Like rats that ravin down their proper bane,

A thirsty evil; and when we drink we die.

LUCIO If could speak so wisely under an arrest, I would

send for certain of my creditors: and yet, to say

the truth, I had as lief have the foppery of freedom

as the morality of imprisonment. What's thy

offence, Claudio?

(140) CLAUDIO What but to speak of would offend again.

LUCIO What, is't murder?

CLAUDIO No.

LUCIO Lechery?

CLAUDIO Call it so.

PROVOST Away, sir! you must go.

CLAUDIO One word, good friend. Lucio, a word with you.

LUCIO A hundred, if they'll do you any good.

Is lechery so look'd after?

CLAUDIO Thus stands it with me: upon a true contract

(150) I got possession of Julietta's bed:

You know the lady; she is fast my wife,

Save that we do the denunciation lack

Of outward order: this we came not to,

Only for propagation of a dower

Remaining in the coffer of her friends,

From whom we thought it meet to hide our love

Till time had made them for us. But it chances

The stealth of our most mutual entertainment

With character too gross is writ on Juliet.

LUCIO With child, perhaps?

(160) CLAUDIO Unhappily, even so.

And the new deputy now for the duke--

Whether it be the fault and glimpse of newness,

Or whether that the body public be

A horse whereon the governor doth ride,

Who, newly in the seat, that it may know

He can command, lets it straight feel the spur;

Whether the tyranny be in his place,

Or in his emmence that fills it up,

I stagger in:--but this new governor

(170) Awakes me all the enrolled penalties

Which have, like unscour'd armour, hung by the wall

So long that nineteen zodiacs have gone round

And none of them been worn; and, for a name,

Now puts the drowsy and neglected act

Freshly on me: 'tis surely for a name.

LUCIO I warrant it is: and thy head stands so tickle on

thy shoulders that a milkmaid, if she be in love,

may sigh it off. Send after the duke and appeal to

him.