First folio
| Modern text
| Definitions
| Key line
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| Enter Edgar. | Enter Edgar | | KL II.iii.1.1 | |
| Edg. | EDGAR | | | |
| I heard my selfe proclaim'd, | I heard myself proclaimed, | proclaim (v.) officially declare to be an outlaw | KL II.iii.1 | |
| And by the happy hollow of a Tree, | And by the happy hollow of a tree | happy (adj.)opportune, appropriate, propitious, favourable | KL II.iii.2 | |
| Escap'd the hunt. No Port is free, no place | Escaped the hunt. No port is free, no place | port (n.)portal, entrance, gateway | KL II.iii.3 | |
| That guard, and most vnusall vigilance | That guard and most unusual vigilance | | KL II.iii.4 | |
| Do's not attend my taking. Whiles I may scape | Does not attend my taking. Whiles I may 'scape | scape, 'scape (v.)escape, avoid | KL II.iii.5 | |
| | attend (v.)await, wait for, expect | | |
| I will preserue myselfe: and am bethought | I will preserve myself; and am bethought | bethink (v.), past form bethoughtresolve, decide, have a mind | KL II.iii.6 | |
| To take the basest, and most poorest shape | To take the basest and most poorest shape | base (adj.)poor, wretched, of low quality | KL II.iii.7 | |
| That euer penury in contempt of man, | That ever penury, in contempt of man, | man (n.)human nature, humanity [as opposed to beasts] | KL II.iii.8 | |
| Brought neere to beast; my face Ile grime with filth, | Brought near to beast. My face I'll grime with filth, | | KL II.iii.9 | |
| Blanket my loines, elfe all my haires in knots, | Blanket my loins, elf all my hair in knots, | elf (v.)tangle, mat, twist | KL II.iii.10 | |
| And with presented nakednesse out-face | And with presented nakedness outface | outface (v.)defy, intimidate, overcome by confronting | KL II.iii.11 | |
| | presented (adj.)displayed, exhibited, paraded | | |
| The Windes, and persecutions of the skie; | The winds and persecutions of the sky. | | KL II.iii.12 | |
| The Country giues me proofe, and president | The country gives me proof and precedent | precedent (n.)example, instance, case | KL II.iii.13 | |
| | proof (n.)evidence, demonstration, testimony | | |
| Of Bedlam beggers, who with roaring voices, | Of Bedlam beggars, who, with roaring voices, | Bedlam (n./adj.)colloquial form of Bethlehem Hospital for the insane, in London | KL II.iii.14 | |
| Strike in their num'd and mortified Armes. | Strike in their numbed and mortified bare arms | mortified (adj.)deadened, dead to feeling, numbed | KL II.iii.15 | |
| Pins, Wodden-prickes, Nayles, Sprigs of Rosemarie: | Pins, wooden pricks, nails, sprigs of rosemary; | prick (n.)spike, skewer, prong | KL II.iii.16 | |
| | rosemary (n.)aromatic shrub, associated with remembering | | |
| And with this horrible obiect, from low Farmes, | And with this horrible object, from low farms, | object (n.)spectacle, sight, object of attention | KL II.iii.17 | |
| | low (adj.)humble, lowly, inferior | | |
| Poore pelting Villages, Sheeps-Coates, and Milles, | Poor pelting villages, sheepcotes, and mills | pelting (adj.)paltry, petty, worthless, insignificant | KL II.iii.18 | |
| | sheepcote (n.)building where sheep shelter | | |
| Sometimes with Lunaticke bans, sometime with Praiers | Sometimes with lunatic bans, sometime with prayers, | sometime (adv.)sometimes, now and then | KL II.iii.19 | |
| | ban (n.)curse, malediction | | |
| Inforce their charitie: poore Turlygod poore Tom, | Enforce their charity: ‘ Poor Turlygod! Poor Tom!’ | Turlygod (n.)[unclear meaning] possibly an allusion to 'turlupin' for a person of no value, from the name of a medieval French heretical sect | KL II.iii.20 | |
| That's something yet: Edgar I nothing am. | That's something yet: Edgar I nothing am. | | KL II.iii.21 | |
| Exit. | Exit | | KL II.iii.21 | |