From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 5):
RICHARD PLANTAGENET:
This day, in argument upon a case,
Some words there grew ‘twixt Somerset and me;
Among which terms he used his lavish tongue
And did upbraid me with my father’s death.
lavish tongue: unrestrained expression or language, a standard Elizabethan dramatic cliche
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Posted on January 14th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 5):
MORTIMER:
And these grey locks, the pursuivants of death,
Nestor-like aged in an age of care,
Argue the end of Edmund Mortimer.
pursuivants: 1. An officer in the British Colleges of Heralds who ranks below a herald.
2. A follower or attendant.
[Middle English pursevant, attendant, from Old French poursuivant, from present participle [...]
Posted on January 14th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 4):
WARWICK:
Between two hawks, which flies the higher pitch;
Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth;
Between two blades, which bears the better temper:
Between two horses, which doth bear him best;
Between two girls, which hath the merriest eye;
I have perhaps some shallow spirit of judgement;
But in these nice sharp [...]
Posted on January 14th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 3):
TALBOT:
Be not dismay’d, fair lady; nor misconster
The mind of Talbot, as you did mistake
The outward composition of his body.
misconster: misconstrue
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Posted on January 14th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 3):
COUNTESS OF AUVERGNE:
Victorious Talbot! pardon my abuse:
I find thou art no less than fame hath bruited
And more than may be gather’d by thy shape.
bruited: A din; a clamor; proclaim with noise, announce loudly
[From Middle English, noise, from Old French, past participle of bruire, to roar, from Vulgar [...]
Posted on January 14th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 3):
TALBOT:
These are his substance, sinews, arms and strength,
With which he yoketh your rebellious necks,
Razeth your cities and subverts your towns
And in a moment makes them desolate.
subverts: To bring about the downfall of: bring down, overthrow, overturn, topple, tumble, unhorse.
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Posted on January 14th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 3):
COUNTESS OF AUVERGNE:
This is a riddling merchant for the nonce;
He will be here, and yet he is not here:
How can these contrarieties agree?
contrarities: contradictions
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Posted on January 14th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 3):
COUNTESS OF AUVERGNE:
But now the substance shall endure the like,
And I will chain these legs and arms of thine,
That hast by tyranny these many years
Wasted our country, slain our citizens
And sent our sons and husbands captivate.
captivate: past participle of captured, made prisoner
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Posted on January 14th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 1):
First Sentinel:
Thus are poor servitors,
When others sleep upon their quiet beds,
Constrain’d to watch in darkness, rain and cold.
servitor: One that performs the duties of a servant to another; an attendant; in this case, soldiers.
[Middle English servitour, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin servītor, from servīre, to serve.]
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Posted on January 13th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (I: 6):
CHARLES:
‘Tis Joan, not we, by whom the day is won;
For which I will divide my crown with her,
And all the priests and friars in my realm
Shall in procession sing her endless [...]
Posted on January 13th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (I: 6):
CHARLES:
Divinest creature, Astraea’s daughter,
How shall I honour thee for this success?
Astraea: in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of justice; daughter of Zeus and Themis. Because of the wickedness of man, she withdrew from the earth at the end of the Golden Age and was placed among the [...]
Posted on January 13th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (I: 5):
TALBOT:
My thoughts are whirled like a potter’s wheel;
I know not where I am, nor what I do;
A witch, by fear, not force, like Hannibal,
Drives back our troops and conquers as she lists:
So bees with smoke and doves with noisome stench
Are from their hives and houses driven away.
They [...]
Posted on January 13th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (I: 4):
TALBOT:
Accursed tower! accursed fatal hand
That hath contrived this woful tragedy!
contrived: planned, devised
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Posted on January 13th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (I: 4):
Master Gunner:
The prince’s espials have informed me
How the English, in the suburbs close intrench’d,
Wont, through a secret grate of iron bars
In yonder tower, to overpeer the city,
And thence discover how with most advantage
They may vex us with shot, or with assault.
espials: spies; the act of noting, observing, [...]
Posted on January 13th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (I: 4):
Enter, on the walls, a Master Gunner and his Boy
Master-Gunner:
Sirrah, thou know’st how Orleans is besieged,
And how the English have the suburbs won.
sirrah: a contemptuous term of address to an inferior man or boy; often used in anger
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Posted on January 13th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (I: 3):
Mayor:
Fie, lords! that you, being supreme magistrates,
Thus contumeliously should break the peace!
contumeliously : Exhibiting contumely; rudely contemptuous; insolent; disdainful.
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Posted on January 13th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (I:2):
JOAN LA PUCELLE:
Glory is like a circle in the water,
Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself
Till by broad spreading it disperse to nought.
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Posted on January 13th, 2007 by Scott Granneman
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