The Two Noble Kinsmen Act Three – “Alas, dissolve, my life, let not my sense unsettle, lest I should drown, or stab, or hang myself.”

The Two Noble Kinsmen Act Three – “Alas, dissolve, my life, let not my sense unsettle, lest I should drown, or stab, or hang myself.”

In a forest near Athens, we encounter Arcite professing his love and admiration for Emilia. Palamon then appears, still in the shackles from his imprisonment. He has overheard Arcite and accuses Arcite of being a traitor for loving Emilia who he claims he loved first.

“Traitor kinsman,

Thou shouldst perceive my passion, if these signs

Of prisonment were off me, and this hand

But owner of a sword! By all oaths in one,

I, and the justice of my love, would make thee

A confess’d traitor! O thou most perfidious

That ever gently look’d! The void’st of honor

That ev’r bore gentle token! Falsest cousin

That ever blood made kin, call’st thou her thine?

I’ll prove it in my shackles, with these hands

Void of appointment, that thou li’st, and art

A very thief in love, a chaffy lord,

Nor worth the name of villain! Had I a sword,

And these house-clogs away— “

They argue over who loves and deserves Emilia more and challenge one another to a duel that very evening. Palamon wants the duel to be even and asks Arcite to bring him food and weapons for the fight. Arcite agrees to return later with both.

In another part of the forest, the Jailor’s Daughter is roaming alone after helping Palamon to escape. She realizes that Palamon does not love her and she is starting to turn mad with the thought that Palamon will never love her as she loves him and she desires to die:

“He has mistook the brake I meant, is gone

After his fancy. ’Tis now well-nigh morning;

No matter, would it were perpetual night,

And darkness lord o’ th’ world! Hark, ’tis a wolf!

In me hath grief slain fear, and but for one thing,

I care for nothing, and that’s Palamon.

I reck not if the wolves would jaw me, so

He had this file. What if I hallow’d for him?

I cannot hallow. If I whoop’d, what then?

If he not answer’d, I should call a wolf,

And do him but that service. I have heard

Strange howls this livelong night; why may’t not be

They have made prey of him? He has no weapons,

He cannot run, the jingling of his gyves

Might call fell things to listen, who have in them

A sense to know a man unarm’d, and can

Smell where resistance is. I’ll set it down

He’s torn to pieces. They howl’d many together,

And then they fed on him. So much for that,

Be bold to ring the bell. How stand I then?

All’s char’d when he is gone. No, no, I lie:

My father’s to be hang’d for his escape,

Myself to beg, if I priz’d life so much

As to deny my act, but that I would not,

Should I try death by dozens. I am mop’d:

Food took I none these two days—

Sipp’d some water. I have not clos’d mine eyes

Save when my lids scour’d off their brine. Alas,

Dissolve, my life, let not my sense unsettle

Lest I should drown, or stab, or hang myself.

O state of nature, fail together in me,

Since thy best props are warp’d! So which way now?

The best way is, the next way to a grave;

Each errant step beside is torment. Lo

The moon is down, the crickets chirp, the screech owl

Calls in the dawn! All offices are done

Save what I fail in. But the point is this—

An end, and that is all.”

Arcite returns to the forest with food and wine for Palamon so that they can fight fairly over Emilia. As Palamon eats and drinks, they talk of women and love. Arcite promises to return in two hours with weapons for their duel.

We cross back to the Jailor’s daughter who is going steadily mad and sings to herself as she imagines her father has already been put to death for her releasing the prisoner Palamon:

“I am very cold, and all the stars are out too,

The little stars and all, that look like aglets.

The sun has seen my folly. Palamon!

Alas, no; he’s in heaven. Where am I now?

Yonder’s the sea, and there’s a ship. How’t tumbles!

And there’s a rock lies watching under water;

Now, now, it beats upon it—now, now, now!

There’s a leak sprung, a sound one. How they cry!

Open her before the wind! You’ll lose all else.

Up with a course or two, and tack about, boys!

Good night, good night, y’ are gone. I am very hungry:

Would I could find a fine frog! He would tell me

News from all parts o’ th’ world. Then would I make

A carreck of a cockleshell, and sail

By east and north-east to the King of Pigmies,

For he tells fortunes rarely. Now my father,

Twenty to one, is truss’d up in a trice

Tomorrow morning; I’ll say never a word.

(Singing) ‘For I’ll cut my green coat a foot above my knee,

And I’ll clip my yellow locks an inch below mine e’e.

Hey, nonny, nonny, nonny.

He s’ buy me a white cut, forth for to ride,

And I’ll go seek him through the world that is so wide.

Hey, nonny, nonny, nonny.”

O for a prick now, like a nightingale,

To put my breast against! I shall sleep like a top else.’ “

A Schoolmaster and Morris Dancers enter the forest. They dance and are filled with great mirth. The Jailor’s Daughter enters, now in what seems like the complete throngs of madness. The schoolmaster suggests that someone dance with her and see if they can bring her back to her senses.

Then Theseus, Pirthous, Hippolyta, Emilia, Arcite and Theseus’ train enter obviously chasing a stag on a hunt. The Schoolmaster and the Morris Dancers dance to support the hunt. Theseus and the hunt participants exit.

Palamon enters another part of the forest where he agreed to meet Arcite for the duel.

“About this hour my cousin gave his faith

To visit me again, and with him bring

Two swords and two good armors. If he fail,

He’s neither man nor soldier. When he left me,

I did not think a week could have restor’d

My lost strength to me, I was grown so low

And crestfall’n with my wants. I thank thee, Arcite,

Thou art yet a fair foe; and I feel myself,

With this refreshing, able once again

To out-dure danger. To delay it longer

Would make the world think, when it comes to hearing,

That I lay fatting like a swine, to fight,

And not a soldier: therefore this blest morning

Shall be the last; and that sword he refuses,

If it but hold, I kill him with. ’Tis justice.

So, love and fortune for me!”

Arcite enters with the weapons and they commend one another before they prepare to duel. They start the fight, but then Theseus enters. On seeing them both he initially condemns them both to death but they plea with him for mercy. Palamon explains their circumstances:

“Hold thy word, Theseus.

We are certainly both traitors, both despisers

Of thee and of thy goodness. I am Palamon,

That cannot love thee, he that broke thy prison—

Think well what that deserves; and this is Arcite,

A bolder traitor never trod thy ground,

A falser nev’r seem’d friend. This is the man

Was begg’d and banish’d, this is he contemns thee

And what thou dar’st do; and in this disguise,

Against thy own edict, follows thy sister,

That fortunate bright star, the fair Emilia,

Whose servant (if there be a right in seeing,

And first bequeathing of the soul to) justly

I am, and which is more, dares think her his.

This treachery, like a most trusty lover,

I call’d him now to answer. If thou be’st,

As thou art spoken, great and virtuous,

The true decider of all injuries,

Say, “Fight again!” and thou shalt see me, Theseus,

Do such a justice thou thyself wilt envy.

Then take my life, I’ll woo thee to’t…

Thou shalt have pity of us both, O Theseus,

If unto neither thou show mercy. Stop,

As thou art just, thy noble ear against us;

As thou art valiant, for thy cousin’s soul,

Whose twelve strong labors crown his memory,

Let ’s die together, at one instant, Duke.

Only a little let him fall before me,

That I may tell my soul he shall not have her.”

Emilia and Hippolyta, plead on behalf of Palamon and Arcite and Theseus decides to banish them both. Palamon and Arcite both refuse banishment. Theseus then asks Emilia to choose one of them and says that the other will be put to death.

“Say, Emilia,

If one of them were dead, as one must, are you

Content to take th’ other to your husband?

They cannot both enjoy you. They are princes

As goodly as your own eyes, and as noble

As ever fame yet spoke of. Look upon ’em

And if you can love, end this difference.

I give consent.—Are you content too, princes?”

Both Palamon and Arcite like this idea but Emilia cannot chose so Theseus declares that combat will once again decide who will live and who will die and that this combat will take place in one month:

“Thus I ordain it,

And by mine honor, once again it stands,

Or both shall die: you shall both to your country,

And each within this month, accompanied

With three fair knights, appear again in this place,

In which I’ll plant a pyramid; and whether,

Before us that are here, can force his cousin

By fair and knightly strength to touch the pillar,

He shall enjoy her; the other lose his head,

And all his friends; nor shall he grudge to fall,

Nor think he dies with interest in this lady.

Will this content ye?

… Come shake hands again then,

And take heed, as you are gentlemen, this quarrel

Sleep till the hour prefix’d, and hold your course…

Come, I’ll give ye

Now usage like to princes and to friends.

When ye return, who wins I’ll settle here;

Who loses, yet I’ll weep upon his bier.”