First folio
| Modern text
| Definitions
| Key line
| |
| Enter Thersites in excursion. | Alarum; excursions. Enter Thersites | | TC V.iv.1.1 | |
| Ther. | THERSITES | | | |
| Now they are clapper-clawing one another, | Now they are clapper-clawing one another; | clapper-claw (v.) beat up, thrash, scratch | TC V.iv.1 | |
| Ile goe looke on: that dissembling abhominable varlet | I'll go look on. That dissembling abominable varlet | varlet (n.)knave, rogue, rascal, ruffian | TC V.iv.2 | |
| | dissembling (adj.)deceitful, hypocritical, false | | |
| Diomede, has got that same scuruie, doting, foolish yong | Diomed has got that same scurvy doting foolish young | scurvy (adj.)contemptible, despicable, wretched | TC V.iv.3 | |
| knaues Sleeue of Troy, there in his Helme: I would faine | knave's sleeve of Troy there in his helm. I would fain | knave (n.)boy, lad, fellow | TC V.iv.4 | |
| | fain (adv.)gladly, willingly | | |
| | helm (n.)helmet | | |
| see them meet; that, that same yong Troian asse, that | see them meet, that that same young Trojan ass, that | | TC V.iv.5 | |
| loues the whore there, might send that Greekish | loves the whore there, might send that Greekish | Greekish (adj.)Greek, Grecian | TC V.iv.6 | |
| whore-maisterly villaine, with the Sleeue, backe to the | whoremasterly villain with the sleeve back to the | whoremasterly (adj.)lecherous, having the character of a whoremaster | TC V.iv.7 | |
| dissembling luxurious drabbe, of a sleeuelesse errant. | dissembling luxurious drab of a sleeveless errand. | sleeveless (adj.)futile, fruitless, unproductive | TC V.iv.8 | |
| | luxurious (adj.)lustful, lecherous, lascivious | | |
| | drab (n.)harlot, slut, whore | | |
| | dissembling (adj.)deceitful, hypocritical, false | | |
| O'th'tother side, the pollicie of those craftie swearing | O'th't' other side, the policy of those crafty-swearing | crafty-swearing (adj.)making devious vows | TC V.iv.9 | |
| | policy (n.)stratagem, cunning, intrigue, craft | | |
| rascals; that stole old Mouse-eaten dry cheese, Nestor: | rascals – that stale old mouse-eaten dry cheese, Nestor, | | TC V.iv.10 | |
| and that same dog-foxe Vlisses is not prou'd | and that same dog-fox, Ulysses – is not proved | | TC V.iv.11 | |
| worth a Black-berry. They set me vp in pollicy, that | worth a blackberry. They set me up in policy that | | TC V.iv.12 | |
| mungrill curre Aiax, against that dogge of as bad a kinde, | mongrel cur, Ajax, against that dog of as bad a kind, | | TC V.iv.13 | |
| Achilles. And now is the curre Aiax prouder then the curre | Achilles; and now is the cur Ajax prouder than the cur | | TC V.iv.14 | |
| Achilles, and will not arme to day. Whereupon, the Grecians | Achilles, and will not arm today; whereupon the Grecians | | TC V.iv.15 | |
| began to proclaime barbarisme; and pollicie growes | begin to proclaim barbarism, and policy grows | policy (n.)statecraft, statesmanship, diplomacy | TC V.iv.16 | |
| into an ill opinion. | into an ill opinion. | ill (adj.)bad, adverse, unfavourable | TC V.iv.17 | |
| | opinion (n.)reputation, character, honour | | |
| Enter Diomed and Troylus. | Enter Diomedes and Troilus | | TC V.iv.18.1 | |
| Soft, here comes Sleeue, and th'other. | Soft! Here comes sleeve, and t' other. | soft (int.)[used as a command] not so fast, wait a moment, be quiet | TC V.iv.18 | |
| Troy. | TROILUS | | | |
| Flye not: for should'st thou take the Riuer Stix, | Fly not, for shouldst thou take the river Styx, | take (v.)take refuge in, go into, enter [for safety] | TC V.iv.19 | |
| | Styx (n.)the principal mythological river of the underworld | | |
| I would swim after. | I would swim after. | | TC V.iv.20.1 | |
| Diom. | DIOMEDES | | | |
| Thou do'st miscall retire: | Thou dost miscall retire; | miscall (v.)misname, call by a wrong name | TC V.iv.20.2 | |
| | retire (n.)retreat, withdrawal | | |
| I doe not flye; but aduantagious care | I do not fly, but advantageous care | advantageous (adj.)providing advantage, opportune, timely | TC V.iv.21 | |
| | care (n.)attentiveness, heedfulness, diligence | | |
| Withdrew me from the oddes of multitude: | Withdrew me from the odds of multitude. | multitude (n.)large numbers, great host | TC V.iv.22 | |
| | odds (n. plural)inequalities, unfavourable circumstances | | |
| Haue at thee? | Have at thee. | | TC V.iv.23 | |
| Ther. | THERSITES | | | |
| Hold thy whore Grecian: now for thy | Hold thy whore, Grecian! Now for thy | | TC V.iv.24 | |
| whore Troian: Now the Sleeue, now the Sleeue. | whore, Trojan! Now the sleeve, now the sleeve! | | TC V.iv.25 | |
| Exeunt Troilus and Diomedes, fighting | | TC V.iv.25 | |
| Euter Hector. | Enter Hector | | TC V.iv.26 | |
| Hect. | HECTOR | | | |
| What art thou Greek? art thou for Hectors match? | What art thou, Greek? Art thou for Hector's match? | | TC V.iv.26 | |
| Art thou of bloud, and honour? | Art thou of blood and honour? | | TC V.iv.27 | |
| Ther. | THERSITES | | | |
| No, no: I am a rascall: a scuruie railing knaue: | No, no, I am a rascal, a scurvy railing knave, | railing (adj.)abusive, derisive, haranguing | TC V.iv.28 | |
| | knave (n.)scoundrel, rascal, rogue | | |
| | scurvy (adj.)contemptible, despicable, wretched | | |
| a very filthy roague. | a very filthy rogue. | | TC V.iv.29 | |
| Hect. | HECTOR | | | |
| I doe beleeue thee, liue. | I do believe thee – live. | | TC V.iv.30 | |
| Exit | | TC V.iv.30 | |
| Ther. | THERSITES | | | |
| God a mercy, that thou wilt beleeue me; but | God-a-mercy that thou wilt believe me; but | God-a-mercyexclamation of thanks, applause, surprise, etc [God have mercy] | TC V.iv.31 | |
| a plague breake thy necke---for frighting me: what's | a plague break thy neck – for frighting me! What's | fright (v.), past form frightedfrighten, scare, terrify | TC V.iv.32 | |
| become of the wenching rogues? I thinke they haue | become of the wenching rogues? I think they have | wenching (adj.)someone who hangs around with women | TC V.iv.33 | |
| swallowed one another. I would laugh at that miracle---- | swallowed one another. I would laugh at that miracle – | | TC V.iv.34 | |
| yet in a sort, lecherie eates it selfe: Ile seeke them. | yet, in a sort, lechery eats itself. I'll seek them. | sort (n.)way, manner | TC V.iv.35 | |
| Exit. | Exit | | TC V.iv.35 | |