Shakespeare, The Plague, Isolation and Lockdown

Shakespeare, the Plague and Lockdown. In these times when 2 to 5% of those who contract Coronavirus will die, it might be timely to think of Shakespeare's time when the Plague killed 50% of those who contracted it.

As a young boy, William Shakespeare probably avoided the smaller plagues that hit Stratford upon Avon by spending time by the fire. The fleas from rats would avoid the heat and smoke of the fire. During Shakespeare's time he experienced four great periods of lockdown from the Plague. One in 1582 when he was 18 years old and had just married Ann Hathaway and she was three months pregnant. It is likely that Shakespeare had no work at this time and they lived as a young couple with his parents so he probably spent most of his time indoors.

The second was in 1592-1593. Shakespeare was in London at time and he used his time to make the transition from actor to playwright writing 2 to 3 plays during the lockdown. he was probably locked down for 30 days at a time and every time there was a new set of outbreaks, the 30 days would start again.

Late in July 1596, a small bout of the plague hit Stratford upon Avon. In early August 1596, Shakespeare's son Hamnet died at the age of eleven. Shakespeare probably could not get back into Stratford upon Avon for the funeral.

The 1603 lockdown and closures of theatres was different since early in 1603, Queen Elizabeth I had died. 33,347 died in England in 1603 due to The Plague according to the Bills of Mortality. When the lockdowns started late in 1603, they were long. Shakespeare probably did a set of three or four 30 day lockdowns. Food and beer would have been delivered to his room in London. He spent the time collecting together his sonnets and writing more and getting them ready for publication. In 1603, the Elizabethan pamphleteer Thomas Dekker wrote a chilling account of the chaos and despair brought by the plague:

"Imagine then that all this while, Death (like a Spanish Leagar, or rather like stalking Tamberlaine) hath pitched his tents, (being nothing but a heape of winding sheets tacked together) in the sinfully-polluted Suburbes: the Plague is Muster-maister and Marshall of the field: Burning Feauers, Boyles, Blaines, and Carbuncles, the Leaders, Lieutenants, Serieants, and Corporalls: the maine Army consisting (like Dunkirke) of a mingle-mangle, viz. dumpish Mourners, merry Sextons, hungry Coffin-sellers, scrubbing Bearers, and nastie Graue-makers: but indeed they are the Pioners of the Campe, that are imployed onely (like Moles) in casting up of earth and digging of trenches; Feare and Trembling (the two catch-polles of Death) arrest every one: No parley will be graunted, no composition stood vpon, But the Allarum is strucke up, the Toxin ringes out for life, and no voice heard but Tue, Tue, Kill, Kill." (The Wonderful Yeare, 1603)

There are a few references to plague in Shakespeare's plays. The most notable is when Shakespeare has Romeo and Juliet die because a message is delayed due to a town's closure due to the Plague. He also refers to the plague in many other plays including The Tempest (I, ii, 426), Timon of Athens (IV, iii, 120) and finally in 'King Lear' (II, iv, 242) when King Lear describes his daughter Goneril:

"But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter;

Or rather a disease that's in my flesh,

Which I must needs call mine: thou art a boil,

A plague-sore, an embossed carbuncle,

In my corrupted blood."

Finale - "To be or not to be..."

This is the 200th and final blog in 'My Year With The Bard' - 2013. It is certainly the last for the year 2013 but it may be the last entry on this blog. So let's start. Your stats are in and your top 10 Shakespeare works or hits in order are:
1. Shakespeare's Sonnets
2. Romeo and Juliet
3. Hamlet
4. Taming of the Shrew
5. Henry VIII
6. King Lear
7. Macbeth
8. A Midsummer's Night's Dream
9. Henry V
10. Julius Caesar

In Shakespeare's time, audience numbers and anecdotal evidence in diaries of the period would seem to indicate that a top ten in Shakespeare's time could probably have been:
1. Romeo and Juliet
2. Henry V
3. The Merry Wives of Windsor
4. Julius Caesar
5. Twelfth Night
6. Richard III
7. Henry IV Part 1
8. A Midsummer's Night's Dream
9. Macbeth
10. Anthony and Cleopatra

I have been asked a couple of times what were the best or most enjoyable works I read and what were the worst. I have conceded and will post these in order in the context that as a theatre director and teacher, I am always looking at how each piece could be staged, delivered, seen and presented. It includes the plays and the poetry. I sometimes was impressed most by the plot, the characters, the sense of mise en scene and I am partial to a fine set of verse. Some plays like 'Hamlet' have it all. Here goes:
1. Hamlet
2. Macbeth
3. Romeo and Juliet
4. Othello
5. The Tempest
6. The Sonnets (poetry)
7. A Midsummer Night's Dream
8. King Lear
9. Richard III
10. Henry VIII
11. Taming of the Shrew
12. Twelfth Night
13. As You Like It
14. A Winter's Tale
15. Much Ado About Nothing
16. Julius Caesar
17. Anthony and Cleopatra
18. The Merchant of Venice
19. Henry IV Part 1
20. Measure for Measure
21. Love's Labour Lost
22. Venus and Adonis (poetry)
23. Troilus and Cressida
24. Timing of Athens
25. Coriolanus
26. Titus Andronicus
27. Richard II
28. Henry VIII
29. Pericles
30. Henry IV Part 2
31. Henry IV Part 3
32. Henry VI Part 3
33. Henry VI Part 1
34. Henry VI Part 2
35. King John
36. A Lover's Complaint (poetry)
37. A Comedy of Errors
38. Cymbeline
39. Two Gentlemen of Verona
40. Al's Well That Ends Well
41. The Merry Wives of Windsor
42. The Rape of Lucrece

Epilogue – A Year With The Bard - “Our revels now are ended. These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits, and are melted into air, into thin air…”

Epilogue – A Year With The Bard - “Our revels now are ended. These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits, and are melted into air, into thin air…”

After the summer of 1613, Shakespeare retired permanently to Stratford and perhaps only visited London a couple of times over the next two and a half years. From the “poor player” who made about £35 for the year, he ended his life in comfortable retirement with probably a healthy income from houses, land, tithes (rents on fields and common land), grain storage, the family wool businesses and storage and also some money would come from his share in the King’s Men and some money would come in from his plays. All of this would add up to about £2000 a year when the average wage was about £75. He probably made only about £1200 in 1615. That means that in today’s terms Shakespeare would probably have been making about £800,000 a year in his retirement. So Edward Bond’s image in his 1973 play ‘Bingo – Scenes of Money and Death’ of Shakespeare spending his last days getting money from the new land enclosures in Warwickshire and drinking with visitors from London like his fellow playwrights Ben Jonson and John Fletcher, his poet friend Michael Drayton and his acting buddies John Heminges and Henry Condell, is probably not too far from the truth. He had blown away much of this before his death, since he seemed to have only about £500 on his death bed (including 40 pounds to buy rings for his friends and about 5 pounds for funeral expenses including a stone covering for his grave which was engraved), 3 houses, 3 tenements, plates, crockery, two beds and a sword.

We know that he visited his son-in-law John Hall (who was married to William Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna) from October until November 1614 in London. This probably related to an accusation which John Lane made of adultery against Susanna and the subsequent defamation case brought against John Lane that saw him found guilty of defamation and excommunicated from the local church and the local Stratford community.

Sometime late in January 1616, Shakespeare called to his house his lawyer Francis Collins, to dictate to him an important document. This draft was not completed and so on March 25^th, 1616, Shakespeare summoned Francis Collins again to his house, along with Julyus Shawe, John Robinson, Hamnet Sadler and Robert Whattcott. Shakespeare’s last piece of writing was dictated to Francis Collins, witnessed by Shawe, Robinson, Sadler and Whattcott and signed by Will’s now shaky hand. It was not a sonnet, nor a long narrative poem nor a play. It was neither comedy, history or tragedy. It had no profound and poetic thoughts, no characterization, metaphors and imagery. It had very little punctuation and no paragraphing. It was Will Shakespeare’s last will and testament which read as follows:

“In the name of god Amen I William Shackspeare, of Stratford upon Avon in the countrie of Warr., gent., in perfect health and memorie, God be praysed, doe make and ordayne this my last will and testament in manner and forme followeing, that ys to saye, ffirst, I comend my soule into the hands of God my Creator, hoping and assuredlie beleeving, through thonelie merites, of Jesus Christe my Saviour, to be made partaker of lyfe everlastinge, and my bodye to the earth whereof yt ys made. Item, I gyve and bequeath unto my [sonne and] daughter Judyth one hundred and fyftie poundes of lawfull English money, to be paid unto her in the manner and forme foloweng, that ys to saye, one hundred poundes in discharge of her marriage porcion within one yeare after my deceas, with consideracion after the rate of twoe shillings in the pound for soe long tyme as the same shalbe unpaied unto her after my deceas, and the fyftie poundes residwe thereof upon her surrendring of, or gyving of such sufficient securitie as the overseers of this my will shall like of, to surrender or graunte all her estate and right that shall discend or come unto her after my deceas, or that shee nowe hath, of, in, or to, one copiehold tenemente, with thappurtenaunces, lyeing and being in Stratford upon Avon aforesaied in the saied countrye of Warr., being parcell or holden of the mannour of Rowington, unto my daughter Susanna Hall and her heires for ever. Item, I gyve and bequeath unto my saied daughter Judith one hundred and fyftie poundes more, if shee or anie issue of her bodie by lyvinge att thend of three yeares next ensueing the daie of the date of this my will, during which tyme my executours are to paie her consideracion from my deceas according to the rate aforesaied; and if she dye within the saied tearme without issue of her bodye, then my will us, and I doe gyve and bequeath one hundred poundes thereof to my neece Elizabeth Hall, and the fiftie poundes to be sett fourth by my executours during the lief of my sister Johane Harte, and the use and proffitt thereof cominge shalbe payed to my saied sister Jone, and after her deceas the saied l.li.12 shall remaine amongst the children of my saied sister, equallie to be divided amongst them; but if my saied daughter Judith be lyving att thend of the saied three yeares, or anie yssue of her bodye, then my will ys, and soe I devise and bequeath the saied hundred and fyftie poundes to be sett our by my executours and overseers for the best benefitt of her and her issue, and the stock not to be paied unto her soe long as she shalbe marryed and covert baron [by my executours and overseers]; but my will ys, that she shall have the consideracion yearelie paied unto her during her lief, and, after her ceceas, the saied stocke and consideracion to be paied to her children, if she have anie, and if not, to her executours or assignes, she lyving the saied terme after my deceas. Provided that yf suche husbond as she shall att thend of the saied three years be marryed unto, or att anie after, doe sufficientlie assure unto her and thissue of her bodie landes awnswereable to the porcion by this my will gyven unto her, and to be adjudged soe by my executours and overseers, then my will ys, that the said cl.li.13 shalbe paied to such husbond as shall make such assurance, to his owne use. Item, I gyve and bequeath unto my saied sister Jone xx.li. and all my wearing apparrell, to be paied and delivered within one yeare after my deceas; and I doe will and devise unto her the house with thappurtenaunces in Stratford, wherein she dwelleth, for her naturall lief, under the yearlie rent of xij.d. Item, I gyve and bequeath unto her three sonnes, William Harte, ---- Hart, and Michaell Harte, fyve pounds a peece, to be paied within one yeare after my deceas [to be sett out for her within one yeare after my deceas by my executours, with thadvise and direccions of my overseers, for her best frofitt, untill her mariage, and then the same with the increase thereof to be paied unto her]. Item, I gyve and bequeath unto [her] the saied Elizabeth Hall, all my plate, except my brod silver and gilt bole, that I now have att the date of this my will. Item, I gyve and bequeath unto the poore of Stratford aforesaied tenn poundes; to Mr. Thomas Combe my sword; to Thomas Russell esquier fyve poundes; and to Frauncis Collins, of the borough of Warr. in the countie of Warr. gentleman, thirteene poundes, sixe shillinges, and eight pence, to be paied within one yeare after my deceas. Item, I gyve and bequeath to [Mr. Richard Tyler thelder] Hamlett Sadler xxvj.8. viij.d. to buy him a ringe; to William Raynoldes gent., xxvj.8. viij.d. to buy him a ringe; to my dogson William Walker xx8. in gold; to Anthonye Nashe gent. xxvj.8. viij.d. [in gold]; and to my fellowes John Hemynges, Richard Brubage, and Henry Cundell, xxvj.8. viij.d. a peece to buy them ringes, Item, I gyve, will, bequeath, and devise, unto my daughter Susanna Hall, for better enabling of her to performe this my will, and towards the performans thereof, all that capitall messuage or tenemente with thappurtenaunces, in Stratford aforesaid, called the New Place, wherein I nowe dwell, and two messuages or tenementes with thappurtenaunces, scituat, lyeing, and being in Henley streete, within the borough of Stratford aforesaied; and all my barnes, stables, orchardes, gardens, landes, tenementes, and hereditamentes, whatsoever, scituat, lyeing, and being, or to be had, receyved, perceyved, or taken, within the townes, hamletes, villages, fieldes, and groundes, of Stratford upon Avon, Oldstratford, Bushopton, and Welcombe, or in anie of them in the saied countie of Warr. And alsoe all that messuage or tenemente with thappurtenaunces, wherein one John Robinson dwelleth, scituat, lyeing and being, in the Balckfriers in London, nere the Wardrobe; and all my other landes, tenementes, and hereditamentes whatsoever, To have and to hold all and singuler the saied premisses, with theire appurtenaunces, unto the saied Susanna Hall, for and during the terme of her naturall lief, and after her deceas, to the first sonne of her bodie lawfullie yssueing, and to the heires males of the bodie of the saied first sonne lawfullie yssueinge; and for defalt of such issue, to the second sonne of her bodie, lawfullie issueing, and to the heires males of the bodie of the saied second sonne lawfullie yssueinge; and for defalt of such heires, to the third sonne of the bodie of the saied Susanna lawfullie yssueing, and of the heires males of the bodie of the saied third sonne lawfullie yssueing; and for defalt of such issue, the same soe to be and remaine to the ffourth [sonne], ffyfth, sixte, and seaventh sonnes of her bodie lawfullie issueing, one after another, and to the heires males of the bodies of the bodies of the saied fourth, fifth, sixte, and seaventh sonnes lawfullie yssueing, in such manner as yt ys before lymitted to be and remaine to the first, second, and third sonns of her bodie, and to theire heires males; and for defalt of such issue, the said premisses to be and remaine to my sayed neece Hall, and the heires males of her bodie lawfullie yssueinge; and for defalt of such issue, to my daughter Judith, and the heires males of her bodie lawfullie issueinge; and for defalt of such issue, to the right heires of me the saied William Shackspeare for ever. Item, I gyve unto my wief my second best bed with the furniture, Item, I gyve and bequeath to my saied daughter Judith my broad silver gilt bole. All the rest of my goodes, chattel, leases, plate, jewels, and household stuffe whatsoever, after my dettes and legasies paied, and my funerall expenses dischardged, I give, devise, and bequeath to my sonne in lawe, John Hall gent., and my daughter Susanna, his wief, whom I ordaine and make executours of this my last will and testament. And I doe intreat and appoint the saied Thomas Russell esquier and Frauncis Collins gent. to be overseers hereof, and doe revoke all former wills, and publishe this to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto put my [seale] hand, the daie and yeare first abovewritten.”

On either Friday April 22^nd or Saturday April 23^rd 1616, Michael Drayton and Ben Jonson arrived from London and either took William Shakespeare out to celebrate his 52^nd birthday or had considerable alcohol delivered by cart from the local tavern to Will's house. Then as the Vicar of the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford relates in his diary:

"Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted."

Another possible cause of Shakespeare’s death could have been Typhus, since a new outbreak seemed to happen in Stratford around this time. C. Martin Mitchell, uses the death mask made of Shakespeare, his will and last signatures to conclude that Shakespeare died of cerebral hemorrhage or apoplexy.

William Shakespeare probably died in his own bed on his 52^nd birthday on Saturday April 23^rd 1616 late in the evening. His own son-in-law John Hall, who was a doctor, probably pronounced him officially dead. I do not know exactly why Shakespeare left his “second best bed" to his wife but I would like to think that this was their matrimonial bed and rich in sentimental significance. On Monday April 25^th, probably around 11 am since this was the custom at this time of year, William Shakespeare was buried in the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. A stone slab with engraving covering was probably added a few days later when the carving was completed. It is Shakespeare’s final epitaph and it includes a final curse to those who wish to disturb the remains of William Shakespeare:

“Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,


To digg the dvst encloased heare.


Bleste be ye man yt spares thes stones,


And cvrst be he yt moves my bones.”

I have thoroughly enjoyed my 'Year With The Bard. I have blogged approximately 300,000 words on Shakespeare (about 50,000 are direct quotes from Shakespeare so I have written about 250,000 words). I have blogged on 199 occasions this year about Shakespeare’s plays and poems. I had almost 19,000 views of the blog to date. The most popular blog has been the one on ‘Taming of the Shrew’ followed by the one on the Sonnets where I blogged about Sonnet 18 “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day…” The joint third place in popularity were the blogs on ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ followed in fifth place by the blogs on ‘Macbeth’ and sixth place for ‘The Tempest’. November 25^th was the day when the blog received the most views (for ‘The Tempest’).

About 58% of my views were done in Australia, 19% in the United States and 5% in Russia (both places where I don’t know anyone). This is followed by about 3% in both Germany and China and about 1.5% in the United Kingdom, India, France and South Korea. All in all I got hits from people in 62 countries on six continents.

My favourite plays to re-read were ‘Macbeth’, ‘Hamlet’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘King Lear’ and these were also the hardest and most enjoyable to blog about.

So some final stats on Shakespeare:

·      Shakespeare wrote about 845,000 words

·      Shakespeare wrote between 36 to 39 plays and co-wrote 1 or 2 plays

·      About 50% of Shakespeare’s plays are comedies, 25% are tragedies and 25% are histories

·      Shakespeare invented about 28,820 new words

·      Outside of common words like articles such as “the”, the word which Shakespeare uses the most is “sweet” which appears 840 times in his complete works.

The final words should rest with William Shakespeare himself who once gave the character of the melancholic Jacques in ‘As You Like It’, the following now famous ‘seven ages of man’ speech:

“All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”

The Two Noble Kinsmen Act Five – “That we should things desire which do cost us the loss of our desire!”

The Two Noble Kinsmen Act Five – “That we should things desire which do cost us the loss of our desire!”

The final act of ‘The Two Noble Kinsmen’ starts before the Temples of Mars, Venus and Diana. Three altars dominate the stage as Theseus enters so that proper offerings can be made before the duel for Emilia’s hand between Arcite and Palamon. Theseus directs the proceedings:

(Before the Temples of Mars, Venus, and Diana)

“Now let ’em enter, and before the gods

Tender their holy prayers. Let the temples

Burn bright with sacred fires, and the altars

In hallowed clouds commend their swelling incense

To those above us. Let no due be wanting;

They have a noble work in hand will honor

The very powers that love ’em…

You valiant and strong-hearted enemies,

You royal germane foes, that this day come

To blow that nearness out that flames between ye,

Lay by your anger for an hour, and dove-like,

Before the holy altars of your helpers,

The all-fear’d gods, bow down your stubborn bodies.

Your ire is more than mortal; so your help be;

And as the gods regard ye, fight with justice.

I’ll leave you to your prayers, and betwixt ye

I part my wishes.”

Theseus exits and Arcite and Palamon embrace. Arcite and his knights go before the altar of Mars. Arcite asks Mars to honour him in his quest as thunder and clamor of armour is heard:

“Knights, kinsmen, lovers, yea, my sacrifices,

True worshippers of Mars, whose spirit in you

Expels the seeds of fear, and th’ apprehension

Which still is farther off it, go with me

Before the god of our profession. There

Require of him the hearts of lions and

The breath of tigers, yea, the fierceness too,

Yea, the speed also—to go on, I mean,

Else wish we to be snails. You know my prize

Must be dragg’d out of blood; force and great feat

Must put my garland on, where she sticks

The queen of flowers. Our intercession then

Must be to him that makes the camp a cestron

Brimm’d with the blood of men. Give me your aid

And bend your spirits towards him...

O great corrector of enormous times,

Shaker of o’er-rank states, thou grand decider

Of dusty and old titles, that heal’st with blood

The earth when it is sick, and cur’st the world

O’ th’ plurisy of people! I do take

Thy signs auspiciously, and in thy name

To my design march boldly…”

Then the audience sees Palamon and his knights enter and Palamon prays to Venus for success as music is heard and doves flutter:

“Hail, sovereign queen of secrets, who hast power

To call the fiercest tyrant from his rage,

And weep unto a girl; that hast the might,

Even with an eye-glance, to choke Mars’s drum

And turn th’ alarm to whispers; that canst make

A cripple flourish with his crutch, and cure him

Before Apollo; that mayst force the king

To be his subject’s vassal, and induce

Stale gravity to dance; the poll’d bachelor,

Whose youth, like wanton boys through bonfires,

Have skipp’d thy flame, at seventy thou canst catch,

And make him, to the scorn of his hoarse throat,

Abuse young lays of love. What godlike power

Hast thou not power upon? To Phoebus thou

Add’st flames, hotter than his; the heavenly fires

Did scorch his mortal son, thine him…

O then, most soft sweet goddess,

Give me the victory of this question, which

Is true love’s merit, and bless me with a sign

Of thy great pleasure…

O thou that from eleven to ninety reign’st

In mortal bosoms, whose chase is this world,

And we in herds thy game, I give thee thanks

For this fair token, which being laid unto

Mine innocent true heart, arms in assurance

My body to this business…”

Then Emilia, dressed in white with flowers in her hair and carrying incense and with ambient music playing approaches the Altar of Diana, sets fire to it and kneels:

“O sacred, shadowy, cold, and constant queen,

Abandoner of revels, mute, contemplative,

Sweet, solitary, white as chaste, and pure

As wind-fann’d snow, who to thy female knights

Allow’st no more blood than will make a blush,

Which is their order’s robe: I here, thy priest,

Am humbled ’fore thine altar. O, vouchsafe,

With that thy rare green eye—which never yet

Beheld thing maculate—look on thy virgin,

And, sacred silver mistress, lend thine ear

(Which nev’r heard scurril term, into whose port

Ne’er ent’red wanton sound) to my petition,

Season’d with holy fear. This is my last

Of vestal office; I am bride-habited,

But maiden-hearted. A husband I have ’pointed,

But do not know him. Out of two I should

Choose one, and pray for his success, but I

Am guiltless of election. Of mine eyes

Were I to lose one, they are equal precious,

I could doom neither; that which perish’d should

Go to’t unsentenc’d. Therefore, most modest queen,

He of the two pretenders that best loves me

And has the truest title in’t, let him

Take off my wheaten garland, or else grant

The file and quality I hold I may

Continue in thy band.

(A rose tree ascends with a rose on it)

See what our general of ebbs and flows

Out from the bowels of her holy altar

With sacred act advances: but one rose!

If well inspir’d, this battle shall confound

Both these brave knights, and I, a virgin flow’r,

Must grow alone, unpluck’d.

(Sudden twang of instruments, and the rose falls from the tree, which vanishes under the altar.)

The flow’r is fall’n, the tree descends. O mistress,

Thou here dischargest me. I shall be gather’d,

I think so, but I know not thine own will:

Unclasp thy mystery.—I hope she’s pleas’d,

Her signs were gracious.”

The action of the play crosses back to a darkened room in the prison, where the Doctor hears from the Wooer of the success of plan to treat the Jailor’s Daughter’s madness through having the Wooer pretend to be Palamon. The Wooer relates:

“…the maids that kept her company

Have half persuaded her that I am Palamon.

Within this half hour she came smiling to me,

And ask’d me what I would eat, and when I would kiss her.

I told her, presently, and kiss’d her twice.”

The Jailor enters and the Doctor says that all is going well. The Jailor has his doubts and leaves to get his daughter. The Doctor says to the Wooer that if the Jailor’s Daughter makes advances towards him he should succumb. The Jailor enters with his daughter and the Wooer retires. The Jailor’s Daughter waxes lyrical about the virtues of her love. The Wooer reappears. They talk and the Wooer proposes that they get married. The Jailor’s Daughter agrees and they kiss. Still a little deluded and thinking that the Doctor is Arcite while still believing that the Wooer is her Palamon, the Jailor’s Daughter expresses her contentment and plans for the future:

“We shall have many children.—Lord, how y’ are grown!

My Palamon I hope will grow too, finely,

Now he’s at liberty. Alas, poor chicken,

He was kept down with hard meat and ill lodging,

But I’ll kiss him up again.”

In the next scene, Theseus and his party go off to see the contest between Arcite and Palamon. Emilia pleads to not see this event since it will distress her. Theseus eventually allows Emilia to stay and avoid seeing the contest. Emilia weighs up the merits of both men who are her suitors:

“Arcite is gently visag’d; yet his eye

Is like an engine bent, or a sharp weapon

In a soft sheath; mercy and manly courage

Are bedfellows in his visage. Palamon

Has a most menacing aspect, his brow

Is grav’d, and seems to bury what it frowns on,

Yet sometime ’tis not so, but alters to

The quality of his thoughts; long time his eye

Will dwell upon his object; melancholy

Becomes him nobly. So does Arcite’s mirth,

But Palamon’s sadness is a kind of mirth,

So mingled as if mirth did make him sad,

And sadness merry; those darker humors that

Stick misbecomingly on others, on him

Live in fair dwelling.

Cornets. Trumpets sound as to a charge.

Hark how yon spurs to spirit do incite

The princes to their proof! Arcite may win me,

And yet may Palamon wound Arcite to

The spoiling of his figure. O, what pity

Enough for such a chance? If I were by,

I might do hurt, for they would glance their eyes

Toward my seat, and in that motion might

Omit a ward, or forfeit an offense,

Which crav’d that very time. It is much better

I am not there. O, better never born

Than minister to such harm!”

The battle happens off stage and at first the cries indicate Palamon is winning and then the final cries declare that Arcite has won. Theseus enters with Arcite and tells Emilia that the Gods have given her Arcite as her knight and victor:

“…Fairest Emily,

The gods by their divine arbitrement

Have given you this knight: he is a good one

As ever strook at head. Give me your hands.

Receive you her, you him, be plighted with

A love that grows as you decay…

O loved sister,

He speaks now of as brave a knight as e’er

Did spur a noble steed. Surely the gods

Would have him die a bachelor, lest his race

Should show i’ th’ world too godlike. His behavior

So charm’d me that methought Alcides was

To him a sow of lead. If I could praise

Each part of him to th’ all I have spoke, your Arcite

Did not lose by’t; for he that was thus good

Encount’red yet his better. I have heard

Two emulous Philomels beat the ear o’ th’ night

With their contentious throats, now one the higher,

Anon the other, then again the first,

And by and by out-breasted, that the sense

Could not be judge between ’em. So it far’d

Good space between these kinsmen; till heavens did

Make hardly one the winner.—Wear the girlond

With joy that you have won.—For the subdu’d,

Give them our present justice, since I know

Their lives but pinch ’em. Let it here be done.

The scene’s not for our seeing, go we hence,

Right joyful, with some sorrow.—Arm your prize,

I know you will not loose her.—Hippolyta,

I see one eye of yours conceives a tear,

The which it will deliver.”

However, Emilia expresses her distress that Fate has given her a Arcite who she suspects does not love her as much as Palamon does. Emilia accepts her fate although is clearly distressed.

We cross to a place near the lists for the contest. Palamon and three of his knights are pinion’d and a block is made ready for their execution. Palamon prepares himself and his men for death:

“There’s many a man alive that hath outliv’d

The love o’ th’ people, yea, i’ th’ self-same state

Stands many a father with his child. Some comfort

We have by so considering: we expire,

And not without men’s pity; to live still,

Have their good wishes; we prevent

The loathsome misery of age, beguile

The gout and rheum, that in lag hours attend

For grey approachers; we come towards the gods

Young and unwapper’d, not halting under crimes

Many and stale. That sure shall please the gods

Sooner than such, to give us nectar with ’em,

For we are more clear spirits. My dear kinsmen,

Whose lives (for this poor comfort) are laid down,

You have sold ’em too too cheap.”

The Jailor enters and Palamon asks about his daughter who helped him escape. The Jailor says his daughter is restored to health and is to be married soon. Palamon gives his purse to the Jailor for his daughter. His knights do the same. It seems that the end is near for Palamon and his knights. Then a cry of “Hold” is heard and a Messenger, Pirithous and others enter in haste. Pirithous then reveals how fate has twisted its course and intervened once more and he relates how Arcite has been injured and is on the verge of death from a horse riding accident. He relates the story:

“Mounted upon a steed that Emily

Did first bestow on him—a black one, owing

Not a hair-worth of white, which some will say

Weakens his price, and many will not buy

His goodness with this note; which superstition

Here finds allowance—on this horse is Arcite

Trotting the stones of Athens, which the calkins

Did rather tell than trample; for the horse

Would make his length a mile, if’t pleas’d his rider

To put pride in him. As he thus went counting

The flinty pavement, dancing as ’twere to th’ music

His own hoofs made (for as they say from iron

Came music’s origin), what envious flint,

Cold as old Saturn, and like him possess’d

With fire malevolent, darted a spark,

Or what fierce sulphur else, to this end made,

I comment not—the hot horse, hot as fire,

Took toy at this, and fell to what disorder

His power could give his will, bounds, comes on end,

Forgets school-doing, being therein train’d,

And of kind manage; pig-like he whines

At the sharp rowel, which he frets at rather

Than any jot obeys; seeks all foul means

Of boist’rous and rough jad’ry, to disseat

His lord that kept it bravely. When nought serv’d,

When neither curb would crack, girth break, nor diff’ring plunges

Disroot his rider whence he grew, but that

He kept him ’tween his legs, on his hind hoofs

On end he stands,

That Arcite’s legs, being higher than his head,

Seem’d with strange art to hang. His victor’s wreath

Even then fell off his head; and presently

Backward the jade comes o’er, and his full poise

Becomes the rider’s load. Yet is he living,

But such a vessel ’tis that floats but for

The surge that next approaches. He much desires

To have some speech with you. Lo he appears.”

Theseus and his train enters with Arcite on a chair, close to death. Before he dies, Arcite gives Emilia's hand to Palamon. Arcite dies. Theseus ends the play by telling everyone that we cannot know what fortune and the Gods want since they often play with us and we should be thankful for what hand Fortune deals us:

“Never fortune

Did play a subtler game. The conquer’d triumphs,

The victor has the loss; yet in the passage

The gods have been most equal. Palamon,

Your kinsman hath confess’d the right o’ th’ lady

Did lie in you, for you first saw her, and

Even then proclaim’d your fancy. He restor’d her

As your stol’n jewel, and desir’d your spirit

To send him hence forgiven. The gods my justice

Take from my hand, and they themselves become

The executioners. Lead your lady off;

And call your lovers from the stage of death,

Whom I adopt my friends. A day or two

Let us look sadly, and give grace unto

The funeral of Arcite, in whose end

The visages of bridegrooms we’ll put on

And smile with Palamon; for whom an hour,

But one hour since, I was as dearly sorry

As glad of Arcite; and am now as glad

As for him sorry. O you heavenly charmers,

What things you make of us! For what we lack

We laugh, for what we have are sorry, still

Are children in some kind. Let us be thankful

For that which is, and with you leave dispute

That are above our question. Let’s go off,

And bear us like the time.”