| Play | Key Line | Modern Text | Original Text |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW I.i.61 | Contend for empire in thee, and thy goodness | Contend for Empire in thee, and thy goodnesse |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC II.ii.84 | Be nothing of our strife; if we contend, | Be nothing of our strife: if we contend |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC III.xiii.192 | I'll make death love me, for I will contend | Ile make death loue me: for I will contend |
| Coriolanus | Cor IV.v.116 | Contend against thy valour. Know thou first, | Contend against thy Valour. Know thou first, |
| Hamlet | Ham IV.i.7 | Mad as the sea and wind when both contend | Mad as the Seas, and winde, when both contend |
| Henry V | H5 I.ii.24 | For never two such kingdoms did contend | For neuer two such Kingdomes did contend, |
| Henry V | H5 V.ii.341 | Issue to me, that the contending kingdoms | Issue to me, that the contending Kingdomes |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.ii.384 | And with the southern clouds contend in tears, | And with the Southerne clouds, contend in teares? |
| Henry VI Part 3 | 3H6 II.v.2 | When dying clouds contend with growing light, | When dying clouds contend, with growing light, |
| Henry VI Part 3 | 3H6 II.v.102 | If you contend, a thousand lives must wither. | If you contend, a thousand liues must wither. |
| King Lear | KL III.i.4 | Contending with the fretful elements: | Contending with the fretfull Elements; |
| Macbeth | Mac I.iii.91 | His wonders and his praises do contend | His Wonders and his Prayses doe contend, |
| Macbeth | Mac I.vi.16 | Were poor and single business to contend | Were poore, and single Businesse, to contend |
| Macbeth | Mac II.ii.7 | That death and nature do contend about them | That Death and Nature doe contend about them, |
| Macbeth | Mac II.iv.17 | Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would | Contending 'gainst Obedience, as they would |
| Measure for Measure | MM III.ii.222 | One that, above all other strifes, contended | One, that aboue all other strifes, / Contended |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV III.ii.141 | Like one of two contending in a prize, | Like one of two contending in a prize |
| Pericles | Per I.ii.17 | 'Gainst whom I am too little to contend, | Gainst whom I am too little to contend, |
| Pericles | Per II.iii.24 | Contend not, sir, for we are gentlemen | Contend not sir, for we are Gentlemen, |
| Pericles | Per Chorus.IV.30 | This Philoten contends in skill | This Phyloten contends in skill |
| The Taming of the Shrew | TS V.ii.158 | What is she but a foul contending rebel | What is she but a foule contending Rebell, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC IV.v.206 | As they contend with thee in courtesy. | As they contend with thee in courtesie. |
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | TG I.ii.129 | Now kiss, embrace, contend, do what you will. | Now kisse, embrace, contend, doe what you will. |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK I.iii.37 | Peril and want contending; they have skiffed | Perill and want contending, they have skift |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK IV.ii.66 | Your two contending lovers are returned, | Your two contending Lovers are return'd, |