506 falcon puns on falchion
507 Coucheth causes to hide
508 Whose refers to the falcon
mount flies up
509 insulting insolent, scornful
falchion curved sword
511 bells attached to straps around the legs of birds that were being trained 513 deny refuse
514 destroy kill
520 mark target, object
522 blurred tainted
nameless having no legal right to a name (as the father is unknown) 523 obloquy disgrace
524 trespass sin, fault
526 rest remain
secret friend lover
529 For ... enacted is deemed permissible/becomes enshrined in law 530 simple herb or plant used for medicinal purposes compacted mixed
534 Tender my suit grant my request
535 device measure, contrivance/heraldic emblem
537 wipe mark (either from a blow or lash, or from the brand with which slaves were marked) birth-hour's blot a birthmark
538 descried observed
540 cockatrice basilisk (a mythical reptile whose gaze could kill); slang term for a prostitute 541 rouseth up himself with connotations of penile erection 543 hind female deer
gripe vulture or griffin (a mythological creature, part eagle, part lion); plays on sense of the verb, i.e. "grip"
544 Pleads plays on the legal sense
545 gentle noble
546 aught anything
549 doth get is created
550 pitchy black
their biding where they hang
551 their present fall i.e. the imminent storm 552 unhallowed wicked, profane
553 Pluto god of the classical underworld; he was notoriously ill-tempered but so charmed by Orpheus' musical skill that he allowed him to retrieve his wife, Eurydice, from the underworld as long as he refrained from looking at her as they made their way back; unfortunately, as she called to him, Orpheus turned around and she was lost again winks shuts his eyes
554 dally toy with her/delay
555 holdfast tenacious
556 vulture folly predatory madness
557 gulf stomach/appetite
558 admits allows to enter/acknowledges/concedes the validity of 559 penetrable i.e. really effective, moving plaining lamentation, complaints
560 harden with phallic connotations
565 puts ... place does not pause in the usual places period full stop
566 accent speech
568 conjures him by appeals to him in the name of
Jove supreme Roman god
569 gentry the quality of being a gentleman
570 untimely ill-timed, inopportune
571 troth loyalty, honesty, good faith
573 borrowed i.e. guest's
retire return/military retreat
574 stoop yield, submit
576 pretended offered
577 Mud soil, muddy (an image suggestive of staining the vaginal fountain with semen) 578 Mar spoil
thing may play on sense of "vagina"
579 aim intention/marksman's aim
shoot plays on sense of "ejaculation"
ended completed and goal-achieving (plays on sense of "in the vagina") 580 woodman huntsman (plays on sense of "womanizer") 581 strike plays on sense of "have sex with/rape"
unseasonable out of season
586 heave remove
587 moved emotionally affected/ physically displaced 590 wrack-threat'ning shipwreck-threatening
597 shape appearance
602 everything i.e. including their passions 603 be seeded ripen, mature
605 hope expectation (of being king) outrage violence/rape
608 vassal actors lowborn who perform such deeds
609 hid in clay buried, hidden
610 for out of
611 happy fortunate
still always
feared revered, held in awe
612 With ... prove you will necessarily have to put up with sinful offenders because their actions match your own 614 thy will remove change your mind/abandon your intentions 615 glass mirror
618 lectures lessons
620 warrant authorization
621 privilege grant immunity to
622 back'st support
laud praise
623 bawd pimp
624 command military authority/self-control
626 iniquity sin, injury to another
627 brood offspring (of iniquity)
628 office role and responsibilities
629 patterned by with the model of
636 infamies disgrace, shameful acts
637 askance turn aside
638 heaved-up raised
639 relier dependant/quality on which you depend
640 exiled majesty's repeal the return of the dignity and greatness you have banished from yourself 641 flatt'ring false, delusory
642 respect respectful consideration/dignity
643 eyne eyes
644 state regal status/ condition
646 swells with phallic connotations
let hindrance, obstruction
650 salt sovereign i.e. the sea
655 blood nobility/bloodline
657 hearsed buried, entombed
659 these slaves i.e. the petty ills
666 vassals subordinates owing allegiance
669 coy gentle
670 despitefully cruelly/contemptuously
671 rascal groom lowborn servingman
672 doom fate
677 seized fastened its claws upon; the Latin for "to seize" is rapere, the etymology of "to rape"
678 white fleece i.e. nightclothes
controlled smothered
679 fold plays on sense of "sheep pen" (an image maintained by pens) 680 nightly linen bedclothes or perhaps a smock (though Elizabethans usually slept naked) 684 prone eager/horizontal/evilly disposed
685 could weeping if weeping could
689 league union
692 rifled plundered
694 gorged crammed with food
695 Unapt unready
696 balk refuse
698 surfeit-taking overindulging
701 bottomless conceit limitless imagining
702 still imagination silent thought
703 receipt what he has received
705 pride state of sexual arousal
exclamation protest
707 jade worn-out horse
710 recreant cowardly, fainthearted
712 The ... proud humanity being arrogant/the penis being erect 713 there i.e. in the flesh
revels makes merry/has sex
when that decays when such pleasures subside/when the erection is lost 714 remission pardon, release from debt
717 doom judgment, sentence
721 spotted princess i.e. Tarquin's morally blemished soul 722 subjects i.e. will and passions
724 mortal deadly/human
725 thrall a slave
727 prescience foreknowledge
controlled still always (in theory) controlled
728 But i.e. but even
733 spoil sexual plunder (Lucrece); with connotations of damage perplexed afflicted
734 load of lust emotional burden and repercussions of his lust/semen 739 desperate in a state of spiritual hopelessness (thought to precede suicide) 740 faintly flies flees in a cowardly manner
741 exclaiming on blaming, crying out against
743 heavy convertite sad penitent
744 castaway one who has been abandoned
747 scapes moral transgressions, sins
open lay disclose, reveal
749 cunning brow sly, crafty countenance
750 think not but can only think
752 would ... be they wish to remain always in darkness 755 grave engrave (with connotations of death and burial) 761 close enclose
762 spite reproach, outrage
765 register record/registrar
notary recorder
766 Black stage poss
ibly refers to an Elizabethan practice of draping the stage with black for the performance of a tragedy, although the evidence for this is fairly slight fell savage, cruel
767 chaos the formless void from which the ordered universe emerged blame blameworthiness, guilt
768 defame dishonor
770 close-tongued secretive/silent
773 Muster assemble for war
774 proportioned ... time i.e. the regular passing of day and night (so that night may be prolonged to conceal shame) 776 wonted usual, customary
777 Knit draw closely together
778 damps fogs, mists
ravish carry off by force (the word could also, of course, mean "rape") 780 life life-giving properties
781 arrive arrive at
noontide prick the dot of noon (marked on a sundial)
786 silver-shining queen i.e. the moon, symbol of chastity distain defile, dishonor/cause to look dim
787 handmaids i.e. the stars
791 palmers pilgrims who had been to the Holy Land, signified by the carrying of a palm leaf 793 cross their arms a conventional posture of grief 795 pine suffer
798 wasting ... moans transitory memorials to permanent grief 799 foul-reeking "reeking" meant "steaming, smoking" in the period; sense of "smelling" was not yet active 805 sepulchred entombed
806 object a sight, spectacle
811 cipher read, decipher
812 quote observe, notice
my loathsome trespass the vile shame done to me, the abhorrent breach of my person 815 deck adorn
816 couple link (plays on sense of "unite sexually") 817 Feast-finding minstrels musicians looking for feasts at which to play and sing tuning my defame making a song about my dishonor
818 tie oblige
819 I Collatine i.e. how I wronged Collatine 820 senseless reputation reputation for lacking sensuality 822 theme for disputation subject of debate
823 branches ... root i.e. Collatine's family tree will be destroyed (branches plays on sense of "divisions of an argument") 825 clear innocent
attaint stain of dishonor
828 Crest-wounding damaging the family crest (may also suggest the pain of cuckoldry: the husband of an unfaithful wife was supposed to grow horns on his head) 830 mot motto
835 bereft stolen
836 drone-like the male honeybee is a nonworker whose function is to impregnate the queen bee 837 perfection i.e. honey
838 injurious damaging
841 wrack wreck, overthrow
842 entertain him receive him as a guest (Lucrece unwittingly plays on sense of "have sex with him") 843 put him back refuse to receive him
844 disdain treat with contempt
848 worm cankerworm, a parasitic grub that destroys plants (here symbolic of the penis) 849 cuckoos birds that lay their eggs in other birds' nests 850 founts fountains
venom toads were thought to be poisonous
851 folly lust
gentle noble/benign
852 behests vows/commands
855 coffers up hoards in a chest
858 still-pining constantly tormented/always yearning/forever starving Tantalus in Greek mythology, a king who stole from the gods and was condemned to stand in a pool below a fruit tree that remained just out of his reach 859 barns puts in a barn
864 presently immediately
874 ill-annexed Opportunity circumstances (opportunity) that lend themselves to evil 875 Or ... or either ... or
quality special character/excellence
877 execut'st carries out
878 sets places
879 point'st decides, appoints
season time, occasion
880 spurn'st aims a kick at, rejects
881 cell small dwelling
883 vestal virgin
884 temperance moderation, self-restraint
885 honesty integrity/ chastity
troth loyalty, honesty, good faith
887 laud praise
889 gall bitterness/poison
892 smoothing flattering
ragged name damaged or worthless reputation
893 wormwood a plant known for its bitter taste
894 vanities empty, worthless delights
897 suppliant's petitioner's
899 sort choose
901 physic medicine
902 halt limp
905 pines starves
907 Advice medical counsel
sporting at play
910 as their pages like their personal servants
912 crosses obstacles
914 gratis freely
apaid rewarded
916 else otherwise
917 stayed prevented
919 subornation inducing a person to commit an evil action 920 shift trickery, subterfuge
922 inclination nature, disposition
924 general doom the end of the world, Judgment Day 925 copesmate partner, accomplice/sexual partner
926 post messenger
carrier bearer, messenger
928 watch of woes watchman who brings bad news
packhorse horse used to carry heavy burdens
931 since of since you are guilty of
935 date period, duration
936 office duty
fine finish/penalize, punish
937 opinion report, rumor
939 contending fighting, antagonistic
942 sentinel stand guard over
944 ruinate bring to ruin
949 quills large feathers
950 springs new growth, shoots
952 Fortune's wheel the Roman goddess Fortuna was conventionally depicted turning a wheel, which raised men up before casting them down 953 beldame grandmother/old woman
954 man a child old and weak, as in second childhood/allow the man to father a child 957 the subtle crafty people
in themselves beguiled self-deluded/foiled by their own guile 958 increaseful productive, fruitful
959 waste erode, destroy
960 mischief wickedness
962 retiring returning
964 Lending ... lends i.e. giving a poor decision-maker the wisdom of hindsight 967 ceaseless lackey constant servant (specifically, a footman who ran beside his master's carriage; lackey has connotations of obsequiousness) 968 cross thwart, obstruct
971 ghastly frightening/ghostly
lewd wicked, unprincipled
974 trances states between sleep and waking/states of extreme dread 976 bechance befall
985 orts scraps, leftovers
986 one ... live i.e. a beggar, dependent on charity 987 Disdain ... give disdain to give him even the scraps from his own meal of leftovers disdained already scorned, despised
989 to ... resort gather to mock him
992 sport entertainment/pleasure/sex
993 unrecalling irrevocable, that cannot be called back 994 th'abusing the misuse
996 that to whom
1001 sland'rous deathsman reviled executioner
1002 coming descending
1003 hope future prospects
1005 begets him hate generates hatred of him
1006 waits on accompanies/lies in wait for
state status, high rank
1007 presently immediately
1009 mire mud
1011 like same thing
1013 grooms manservants
1016 Out expression of dismissal
idle worthless
1017 arbitrator impartial person who decides the outcome of a dispute 1018 skill-contending schools competitive formal debates were a feature of life in schools and universities 1021 force ... straw attach no significance to argument (straws were proverbially worthless) 1022 case plays on sense of "vagina"
1023 rail verbally abuse, rant
1025 cavil dispute, find fault
1026 spurn kick out at
confirmed despite established shame
1029 let ... blood bloodletting was a standard medical practice; Lucrece, however, has suicide in mind 1037 betumbled couch disorde
red, unmade bed/bed on which sex ("tumbling") had occurred 1039 imparteth provides
1041 thronging forcing its way
1042 Aetna Mount Etna, a volcano in Sicily
consumes vanishes
1043 fumes smokes
1045 hapless unfortunate, luckless
1046 falchion curved sword
1050 true type honest name/authentic character
1053 spot moral blemish
1054 badge ... livery i.e. Lucrece's shame will be partly moderated by the fact that her death is honorable livery servant's uniform on which a heraldic badge indicated which noble household the servant belonged to 1061 flatter lie to
infringed broken, violated
1062 graff new shoot grafted to mature plant or tree (Lucrece anticipates being pregnant) 1063 stock tree trunk/family
1067 int'rest legal title to property (i.e. right to Lucrece) 1070 with ... dispense will never excuse my sin
1072 attaint infection, stain of dishonor
1073 cleanly coined cleverly forged
1074 sable ground black background (of a heraldic shield) 1075 night's puns on "knight's"
1077 dale valley
1079 this this time, now
Philomel raped by Tereus, Philomel had her tongue cut out to prevent her naming him as the perpetrator; she revealed his identity by weaving an account of what had happened and was turned into a nightingale by the gods (Ovid tells the tale in Metamorphoses) 1084 cloudy sorrowful, darkened by misfortune
1089 pry'st thou do you peer, spy
1092 do do with
1094 fond foolish/mad, dazed
testy irritable/aggressive, rash
1095 wayward willful, obstinate
1096 mild mildly, with patience
1097 Continuance continuity, habit
1100 deep-drenched deeply immersed/drowning
1103 No ... renews everything she sees renews her grief 1104 straight straightaway
1109 mirth ... annoy happiness probes the depths of injury (as if it were a doctor probing a wound) 1112 feelingly sufficed emotionally satisfied
1113 with ... sympathized i.e. it meets with a corresponding emotion 1114 ken sight
1115 pines starves
1116 salve healing ointment
1117 that that which
1119 bounding forming a boundary
1120 dallied trifled with/delayed
nor law nor neither law nor
1124 restless uneasy, troubled/without musical pauses stops nor rests hindrances or intervals (plays on the musical senses: a "stop" is "the closing of a finger hole in a wind instrument" and a "rest" is "an interval of silence during music") 1125 brooks tolerates
1126 Relish sing, warble/make pleasant
pleasing ears i.e. listeners who are pleased
1127 dumps mournful songs
1129 dishevelled a conventional indicator of distress and here reminiscent of the recent rape 1130 languishment grief, suffering
1131 strain will strain melody will squeeze out
1132 diapason bass accompaniment below the melody 1133 burden-wise like a bass accompaniment (burden plays on sense of "heavy load") 1134 Tereus brother-in-law of Philomel who raped her and cut out her tongue descants sing the melodious accompaniment above the melody better skill with better skill than I
1135 against ... waking in order to stay awake and sing of her sorrows all night, the nightingale supposedly rested her breast upon a sharp thorn 1139 wink shut