| Play | Key Line | Modern Text | Original Text |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW I.ii.62 | Mere fathers of their garments; whose constancies | Meere fathers of their garments: whose constancies |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW I.iii.52 | old Poysam the papist, howsome'er their hearts are | old Poysam the Papist, how somere their hearts are |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW II.iii.136 | Than our foregoers. The mere word's a slave, | Then our fore-goers: the meere words, a slaue |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW III.v.50.2 | Whatsome'er he is, | What somere he is |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW III.v.54 | Ay, surely, mere the truth, I know his lady. | I surely meere the truth, I know his Lady. |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW IV.iii.20 | Merely our own traitors. And as in the | Meerely our owne traitours. And as in the |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC II.vi.97 | All men's faces are true, whatsome'er their hands | All mens faces are true, whatsomere their hands |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC III.vii.8 | The horse were merely lost; the mares would bear | the Horse were meerly lost: the Mares would beare |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC III.vii.47 | Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard | Giue vp your selfe meerly to chance and hazard, |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC III.xiii.10 | The mered question. 'Twas a shame no less | The meered question? 'Twas a shame no lesse |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC III.xiii.43 | Our faith mere folly. Yet he that can endure | Our Faith meere folly: yet he that can endure |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC III.xiii.62.1 | But conquered merely. | but conquer'd meerely. |
| As You Like It | AYL I.ii.240 | Is but a quintain, a mere lifeless block. | Is but a quintine, a meere liuelesse blocke. |
| As You Like It | AYL II.i.61 | Are mere usurpers, tyrants, and what's worse | Are meere vsurpers, tyrants, and whats worse |
| As You Like It | AYL II.vii.141 | And all the men and women merely players; | And all the men and women, meerely Players; |
| As You Like It | AYL II.vii.166 | Is second childishness, and mere oblivion, | Is second childishnesse, and meere obliuion, |
| As You Like It | AYL II.vii.182 | Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly; | Most frendship, is fayning; most Louing, meere folly: |
| As You Like It | AYL II.vii.192 | Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly; | |
| As You Like It | AYL III.ii.383 | Love is merely a madness and, I tell you, | Loue is meerely a madnesse, and I tel you, |
| As You Like It | AYL III.ii.402 | nook merely monastic. And thus I cured him, and this | nooke meerly Monastick: and thus I cur'd him, and this |
| The Comedy of Errors | CE V.i.239 | A mere anatomy, a mountebank, | A meere Anatomie, a Mountebanke, |
| Coriolanus | Cor III.i.303 | Merely awry. When he did love his country, | Meerely awry: / When he did loue his Country, |
| Coriolanus | Cor IV.v.85 | I would have 'voided thee; but in mere spite, | I would haue voided thee. But in meere spight |
| Cymbeline | Cym IV.ii.92 | Nay, to thy mere confusion, thou shalt know | Nay, to thy meere Confusion, thou shalt know |
| Cymbeline | Cym V.iii.11 | Merely through fear, that the strait pass was dammed | Meerely through feare, that the strait passe was damm'd |
| Hamlet | Ham I.ii.137 | Possess it merely. That it should come to this – | Possesse it meerely. That it should come to this: |
| Hamlet | Ham I.iii.129 | But mere implorators of unholy suits, | But meere implorators of vnholy Sutes, |
| Hamlet | Ham II.ii.257 | For the very substance of the ambitious is merely the | for the very substance of the Ambitious, is meerely the |
| Hamlet | Ham IV.v.87 | Without the which we are pictures or mere beasts; | Without the which we are Pictures, or meere Beasts. |
| Hamlet | Ham V.i.280.2 | This is mere madness. | This is meere Madnesse: |
| Henry IV Part 1 | 1H4 IV.i.64 | That wisdom, loyalty, and mere dislike | That wisedome, loyaltie, and meere dislike |
| Henry IV Part 1 | 1H4 V.i.140 | is a mere scutcheon – and so ends my catechism. | is a meere Scutcheon, and so ends my Catechisme. |
| Henry IV Part 2 | 2H4 IV.i.138 | But this is mere digression from my purpose. | But this is meere digression from my purpose. |
| Henry IV Part 2 | 2H4 IV.iii.113 | and learning a mere hoard of gold kept by a devil, till | and Learning, a meere Hoord of Gold, kept by a Deuill, till |
| Henry V | H5 II.iii.7 | Would I were with him, wheresome'er he is, | Would I were with him, wheresomere hee is, |
| Henry V | H5 V.ii.303 | summered and warm kept, are like flies at Bartholomew-tide, | Summer'd, and warme kept, are like Flyes at Bartholomew-tyde, |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 IV.vii.54 | Submission, Dauphin? 'Tis a mere French word; | Submission Dolphin? Tis a meere French word: |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 IV.vii.65 | Lord Strange of Blackmere, Lord Verdun of Alton, | Lord Strange of Blackmere, Lord Verdon of Alton, |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 V.iv.125 | Of mere compassion and of lenity, | Of meere compassion, and of lenity, |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.ii.250 | And mere instinct of love and loyalty, | And meere instinct of Loue and Loyaltie, |
| Henry VIII | H8 I.iii.6 | Have got by the late voyage is but merely | Haue got by the late Voyage, is but meerely |
| Henry VIII | H8 II.i.162 | And merely to revenge him on the Emperor | And meerely to reuenge him on the Emperour, |
| Henry VIII | H8 III.i.112 | Madam, this is a mere distraction. | Madam, this is a meere distraction, |
| Henry VIII | H8 III.ii.324 | That out of mere ambition you have caused | That out of meere Ambition, you haue caus'd |
| Henry VIII | H8 III.ii.329 | You have for dignities, to the mere undoing | You haue for Dignities, to the meere vndooing |
| Henry VIII | H8 IV.i.59.1 | With the mere rankness of their joy. | With the meere ranknesse of their ioy. |
| Julius Caesar | JC I.ii.39 | Merely upon myself. Vexed I am | Meerely vpon my selfe. Vexed I am |
| Julius Caesar | JC I.ii.234 | was mere foolery; I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony | was meere Foolerie, I did not marke it. I sawe Marke Antony |
| King John | KJ IV.i.67 | Are you more stubborn-hard than hammered iron? | Are you more stubborne hard, then hammer'd Iron? |
| King Lear | KL II.iv.85 | They have travelled all the night? Mere fetches, | They haue trauail'd all the night? meere fetches, |
| King Lear | KL IV.i.20 | Our means secure us, and our mere defects | Our meanes secure vs, and our meere defects |
| Love's Labour's Lost | LLL I.i.146 | She must lie here on mere necessity. | She must lye here on meere necessitie. |
| Love's Labour's Lost | LLL I.i.152 | I am forsworn on mere ‘ necessity.’ | I am forsworne on meere necessitie. |
| Love's Labour's Lost | LLL I.ii.33 | He speaks the mere contrary – crosses love | He speakes the meere contrary, crosses loue |
| Macbeth | Mac II.iii.92 | The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees | The Wine of Life is drawne, and the meere Lees |
| Macbeth | Mac IV.iii.89 | Of your mere own. All these are portable, | Of your meere Owne. All these are portable, |
| Macbeth | Mac IV.iii.152 | The mere despair of surgery, he cures, | The meere dispaire of Surgery, he cures, |
| Measure for Measure | MM III.i.11 | Hourly afflict. Merely, thou art death's fool, | Hourely afflict: Meerely, thou art deaths foole, |
| Measure for Measure | MM III.i.30 | The mere effusion of thy proper loins, | The meere effusion of thy proper loines |
| Measure for Measure | MM V.i.152 | Of a strange fever. Upon his mere request, | Of a strange Feauor: vpon his meere request |
| Measure for Measure | MM V.i.451.1 | Intents but merely thoughts. | Intents, but meerely thoughts. |
| Measure for Measure | MM V.i.451.2 | Merely, my lord. | Meerely my Lord. |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV III.ii.262 | Engaged my friend to his mere enemy, | Ingag'd my friend to his meere enemie |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV IV.i.336 | He shall have merely justice and his bond. | He shall haue meerly iustice and his bond. |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | MW IV.v.59 | Out, alas, sir, cozenage, mere cozenage! | Out alas (Sir) cozonage: meere cozonage. |
| Much Ado About Nothing | MA II.iii.213 | that's the scene that I would see, which will be merely a | that's the Scene that I would see, which will be meerely a |
| Othello | Oth I.i.26 | As masterly as he. Mere prattle, without practice | As Masterly as he. Meere pratle (without practise) |
| Othello | Oth I.iii.331 | It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of | It is meerly a Lust of the blood, and a permission of |
| Othello | Oth I.iii.383 | But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, | But I, for meere suspition in that kinde, |
| Othello | Oth II.i.232 | than in putting on the mere form of civil and | then in putting on the meere forme of Ciuill, and |
| Othello | Oth II.ii.3 | the mere perdition of the Turkish fleet, every man put | the meere perdition of the Turkish Fleete: euery man put |
| Pericles | Per IV.ii.116 | mere profit. | meere profite. |
| Richard II | R2 II.i.243 | Merely in hate 'gainst any of us all, | Meerely in hate 'gainst any of vs all, |
| Richard II | R2 IV.i.296 | Are merely shadows to the unseen grief | Are meerely shadowes, to the vnseene Griefe, |
| Richard III | R3 III.vii.232 | Your mere enforcement shall acquittance me | Your meere enforcement shall acquittance me |
| The Taming of the Shrew | TS induction.1.21 | He cried upon it at the merest loss, | He cried vpon it at the meerest losse, |
| The Tempest | Tem I.i.54 | We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards. | We are meerly cheated of our liues by drunkards, |
| Timon of Athens | Tim I.i.170 | A mere satiety of commendations. | A meere saciety of Commendations, |
| Timon of Athens | Tim IV.i.32 | Be merely poison. Nothing I'll bear from thee | Be meerely poyson. Nothing Ile beare from thee |
| Timon of Athens | Tim IV.iii.232 | Answer mere nature – bid them flatter thee. | Answer meere Nature: bid them flatter thee. |
| Timon of Athens | Tim IV.iii.378 | But even the mere necessities upon't. | But euen the meere necessities vpon't: |
| Timon of Athens | Tim IV.iii.402 | The mere want of gold, and the falling-from of his | the meere want of Gold, and the falling from of his |
| Timon of Athens | Tim IV.iii.518 | That which I show, heaven knows, is merely love, | That which I shew, Heauen knowes, is meerely Loue, |
| Timon of Athens | Tim V.iv.14 | When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit, | When thy first greefes were but a meere conceit, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC I.iii.111 | In mere oppugnancy: the bounded waters | In meere oppugnancie. The bounded Waters, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC I.iii.287 | And may that soldier a mere recreant prove | And may that Souldier a meere recreant proue, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC II.ii.147 | Sir, I propose not merely to myself | Sir, I propose not meerely to my selfe, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC IV.iv.103 | I with great truth catch mere simplicity; | I, with great truth, catch meere simplicitie; |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC V.iii.107 | Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart; | Words, words, meere words, no matter from the heart; |
| Twelfth Night | TN II.i.9 | No, sooth, sir; my determinate voyage is mere | No sooth sir: my determinate voyage is meere |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK I.ii.42.1 | Such things to be, mere monsters. | Such things to be meere Monsters. |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK II.i.112 | I see two comforts rising, two mere blessings, | I see two comforts rysing, two meere blessings, |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK IV.ii.26 | Is but his foil; to him, a mere dull shadow. | Is but his foyle, to him, a meere dull shadow, |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK IV.ii.44 | Thou art a changeling to him, a mere gypsy, | Thou art a changling to him, a meere Gipsey. |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK IV.ii.52 | I may go look. What a mere child is fancy, | I may goe looke; What a meere child is Fancie, |
| The Winter's Tale | WT II.ii.49 | Who but today hammered of this design, | Who, but to day hammered of this designe, |
| The Winter's Tale | WT II.iii.2 | To bear the matter thus, mere weakness. If | To beare the matter thus: meere weaknesse, if |
| The Winter's Tale | WT III.ii.139 | The sessions shall proceed: this is mere falsehood. | The Sessions shall proceed: this is meere falsehood. |
| The Winter's Tale | WT III.ii.142 | The Prince your son, with mere conceit and fear | The Prince your Sonne, with meere conceit, and feare |