| Play | Key Line | Modern Text | Original Text |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW V.iii.158 | I am, my lord, a wretched Florentine, | I am my Lord a wretched Florentine, |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC III.vi.76.2 | Ay me most wretched, | Aye me most wretched, |
| Antony and Cleopatra | AC V.ii.302 | Which is my heaven to have. (To an asp) Come, thou mortal wretch, | Which is my heauen to haue. Come thou mortal wretch, |
| As You Like It | AYL II.i.36 | The wretched animal heaved forth such groans | The wretched annimall heau'd forth such groanes |
| As You Like It | AYL II.iv.65 | Else are they very wretched. | Else are they very wretched. |
| As You Like It | AYL III.v.37 | Over the wretched? What though you have no beauty – | Ouer the wretched? what though you hau no beauty |
| As You Like It | AYL IV.iii.107 | A wretched ragged man, o'ergrown with hair, | A wretched ragged man, ore-growne with haire |
| The Comedy of Errors | CE II.i.34 | A wretched soul, bruised with adversity, | A wretched soule bruis'd with aduersitie, |
| The Comedy of Errors | CE IV.iv.113 | Hast thou delight to see a wretched man | Hast thou delight to see a wretched man |
| The Comedy of Errors | CE V.i.27 | Fie on thee, wretch. 'Tis pity that thou livest | Fie on thee wretch, 'tis pitty that thou liu'st |
| The Comedy of Errors | CE V.i.241 | A needy, hollow-eyed, sharp-looking wretch, | A needy-hollow-ey'd-sharpe-looking-wretch; |
| Coriolanus | Cor I.ix.48 | Or foiled some debile wretch, which without note | or foyl'd some debile Wretch, / Which without note, |
| Coriolanus | Cor III.i.163.2 | Thou wretch, despite o'erwhelm thee! | Thou wretch, despight ore-whelme thee: |
| Cymbeline | Cym II.iii.112 | The contract you pretend with that base wretch, | The Contract you pretend with that base Wretch, |
| Cymbeline | Cym III.iv.19 | And you shall find me – wretched man – a thing | And you shall finde me (wretched man) a thing |
| Cymbeline | Cym III.iv.62 | From most true wretchedness: so thou, Posthumus, | From most true wretchednesse. So thou, Posthumus |
| Cymbeline | Cym III.vi.7 | Foundations fly the wretched: such, I mean, | Foundations flye the wretched: such I meane, |
| Cymbeline | Cym V.i.11 | Me, wretch, more worth your vengeance. But alack, | Me (wretch) more worth your Vengeance. But alacke, |
| Cymbeline | Cym V.iv.127 | And so I am awake. Poor wretches, that depend | And so I am awake. Poore Wretches, that depend |
| Cymbeline | Cym V.v.181 | And she alone were cold: whereat I, wretch, | And she alone, were cold: Whereat, I wretch |
| Hamlet | Ham I.v.51 | Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor | Vpon a wretch, whose Naturall gifts were poore |
| Hamlet | Ham II.ii.168 | But look where sadly the poor wretch comes reading. | But looke where sadly the poore wretch / Comes reading. |
| Hamlet | Ham III.i.156 | And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, | Haue I of Ladies most deiect and wretched, |
| Hamlet | Ham III.iii.67 | O, wretched state! O, bosom black as death! | Oh wretched state! Oh bosome, blacke as death! |
| Hamlet | Ham III.iv.32 | Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! | Thou wretched, rash, intruding foole farewell, |
| Hamlet | Ham IV.vii.182 | Pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay | Pul'd the poore wretch from her melodious buy, |
| Hamlet | Ham V.ii.327 | I am dead, Horatio. Wretched Queen, adieu! | I am dead Horatio, wretched Queene adiew, |
| Henry IV Part 1 | 1H4 IV.iii.57 | Sick in the world's regard, wretched and low, | Sicke in the Worlds regard, wretched, and low, |
| Henry IV Part 2 | 2H4 I.i.140 | And as the wretch whose fever-weakened joints, | And as the Wretch, whose Feauer-weakned ioynts, |
| Henry V | H5 I.ii.244 | As is our wretches fettered in our prisons: | As is our wretches fettred in our prisons, |
| Henry V | H5 II.ii.53 | Are heavy orisons 'gainst this poor wretch! | Are heauy Orisons 'gainst this poore wretch: |
| Henry V | H5 II.ii.178 | Poor miserable wretches, to your death; | (Poore miserable wretches) to your death: |
| Henry V | H5 III.vii.129 | What a wretched and peevish fellow is this King | What a wretched and peeuish fellow is this King |
| Henry V | H5 IV.chorus.41 | That every wretch, pining and pale before, | That euery Wretch, pining and pale before, |
| Henry V | H5 IV.i.261 | Can sleep so soundly as the wretched slave, | Can sleepe so soundly, as the wretched Slaue: |
| Henry V | H5 IV.i.271 | And but for ceremony, such a wretch, | And but for Ceremonie, such a Wretch, |
| Henry V | H5 IV.iii.87 | From off these fields, where, wretches, their poor bodies | From off these fields: where (wretches) their poore bodies |
| Henry V | H5 IV.v.8 | Be these the wretches that we played at dice for? | Be these the wretches that we plaid at dice for? |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 I.i.48 | Posterity, await for wretched years, | Posteritie await for wretched yeeres, |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 I.iv.70 | O Lord, have mercy on us, wretched sinners! | O Lord haue mercy on vs, wretched sinners. |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 I.iv.97 | Wretched shall France be only in my name. | Wretched shall France be onely in my Name. |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 II.iii.43 | Laughest thou, wretch? Thy mirth shall turn to moan. | Laughest thou Wretch? / Thy mirth shall turne to moane. |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 V.iv.7 | Decrepit miser! Base ignoble wretch! | Decrepit Miser, base ignoble Wretch, |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.i.211 | And binds the wretch, and beats it when it strays, | And binds the Wretch, and beats it when it strayes, |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.ii.72 | Ah, woe is me for Gloucester, wretched man! | Ah woe is me for Gloster, wretched man. |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.ii.73 | Be woe for me, more wretched than he is. | Be woe for me, more wretched then he is. |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.ii.307 | Fie, coward woman and soft-hearted wretch! | Fye Coward woman, and soft harted wretch, |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.iii.20 | Look with a gentle eye upon this wretch; | Looke with a gentle eye vpon this Wretch, |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.iii.22 | That lays strong siege unto this wretch's soul, | That layes strong siege vnto this wretches soule, |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 IV.ix.49 | For yet may England curse my wretched reign. | For yet may England curse my wretched raigne. |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 IV.x.75 | Die, damned wretch, the curse of her that bare thee; | Die damned Wretch, the curse of her that bare thee: |
| Henry VI Part 3 | 3H6 I.i.216 | Ah, wretched man! Would I had died a maid, | Ah wretched man, would I had dy'de a Maid? |
| Henry VI Part 3 | 3H6 I.i.231 | I shame to hear thee speak. Ah, timorous wretch! | I shame to heare thee speake: ah timorous Wretch, |
| Henry VI Part 3 | 3H6 I.iii.12 | So looks the pent-up lion o'er the wretch | So looks the pent-vp Lyon o're the Wretch, |
| Henry VI Part 3 | 3H6 II.v.76 | Weep, wretched man; I'll aid thee tear for tear; | Weepe wretched man: Ile ayde thee Teare for Teare, |
| Henry VI Part 3 | 3H6 III.i.47 | That she, poor wretch, for grief can speak no more; | That she (poore Wretch) for greefe can speake no more: |
| Henry VIII | H8 II.i.110 | Being distressed, was by that wretch betrayed, | Being distrest; was by that wretch betraid, |
| Henry VIII | H8 II.i.120 | A little happier than my wretched father: | A little happier then my wretched Father: |
| Henry VIII | H8 III.i.106 | The cordial that ye bring a wretched lady, | The Cordiall that ye bring a wretched Lady? |
| Henry VIII | H8 III.i.123 | To me above this wretchedness? All your studies | To me, aboue this wretchednesse? All your Studies |
| Henry VIII | H8 III.i.146 | What will become of me now, wretched lady? | What will become of me now, wretched Lady? |
| Henry VIII | H8 III.ii.366 | I feel my heart new opened. O, how wretched | I feele my heart new open'd. Oh how wretched |
| Henry VIII | H8 IV.ii.84 | And leave me here in wretchedness behind ye? | And leaue me heere in wretchednesse, behinde ye? |
| Henry VIII | H8 IV.ii.140 | Upon my wretched women, that so long | Vpon my wretched women, that so long |
| Julius Caesar | JC I.ii.117 | A wretched creature, and must bend his body | A wretched Creature, and must bend his body, |
| King Edward III | E3 III.ii.75 | Ah, wretched France, I greatly fear thy fall: | Ah wreched France, I greatly feare thy fal, |
| King Edward III | E3 III.iii.60 | I hold thee for a false pernicious wretch; | I hould thee for a false pernitious wretch, |
| King Edward III | E3 IV.ii.12 | You wretched patterns of despair and woe, | You wretched patterns of dispayre and woe, |
| King Edward III | E3 IV.v.119 | And thence behold the wretched Prince of Wales, | and thence behold the wretched prince of Wales, |
| King John | KJ III.i.115 | That bloody spoil. Thou slave, thou wretch, thou coward! | That bloudy spoyle: thou slaue thou wretch, yu coward, |
| King Lear | KL I.i.212 | Than on a wretch whom Nature is ashamed | Then on a wretch whom Nature is asham'd |
| King Lear | KL II.ii.141 | Is such as basest and contemned'st wretches | |
| King Lear | KL II.iv.268 | As full of grief as age, wretched in both; | As full of griefe as age, wretched in both, |
| King Lear | KL III.ii.51 | Find out their enemies now. Tremble, thou wretch | Finde out their enemies now. Tremble thou Wretch, |
| King Lear | KL III.iv.28 | Poor naked wretches, wheresoe'er you are, | Poore naked wretches, where so ere you are |
| King Lear | KL III.iv.34 | Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel, | Expose thy selfe to feele what wretches feele, |
| King Lear | KL IV.i.8 | The wretch that thou hast blown unto the worst | The Wretch that thou hast blowne vnto the worst, |
| King Lear | KL IV.i.64 | Have humbled to all strokes:. That I am wretched | Haue humbled to all strokes: that I am wretched |
| King Lear | KL IV.vi.61 | Is wretchedness deprived that benefit | Is wretchednesse depriu'd that benefit |
| King Lear | KL IV.vi.204 | A sight most pitiful in the meanest wretch, | A sight most pittifull in the meanest wretch, |
| King Lear | KL V.i.42 | For him that brought it. Wretched though I seem, | For him that brought it: wretched though I seeme, |
| Love's Labour's Lost | LLL IV.iii.78 | And wretched fools' secrets heedfully o'ereye. | And wretched fooles secrets heedfully ore-eye. |
| Love's Labour's Lost | LLL V.ii.841 | With groaning wretches; and your task shall be | With groaning wretches: and your taske shall be, |
| Macbeth | Mac IV.iii.141 | Ay, sir. There are a crew of wretched souls | I Sir: there are a crew of wretched Soules |
| Macbeth | Mac V.vi.27 | I cannot strike at wretched kerns, whose arms | I cannot strike at wretched Kernes, whose armes |
| Measure for Measure | MM III.i.140 | O faithless coward! O dishonest wretch! | Oh faithlesse Coward, oh dishonest wretch, |
| Measure for Measure | MM IV.iii.79 | Persuade this rude wretch willingly to die. | Perswade this rude wretch willingly to die. |
| Measure for Measure | MM IV.iii.120 | Unhappy Claudio! Wretched Isabel! | Vnhappie Claudio, wretched Isabell, |
| Measure for Measure | MM IV.iii.133 | And you shall have your bosom on this wretch, | And you shal haue your bosome on this wretch, |
| Measure for Measure | MM V.i.105 | By heaven, fond wretch, thou know'st not what thou speak'st, | By heauen (fond wretch) yu knowst not what thou speak'st, |
| Measure for Measure | MM V.i.132 | And to set on this wretched woman here | And to set on this wretched woman here |
| Measure for Measure | MM V.i.164 | O heaven, the vanity of wretched fools! | Oh heauen, the vanity of wretched fooles. |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV IV.i.4 | A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch, | A stonie aduersary, an inhumane wretch, |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV IV.i.266 | To let the wretched man outlive his wealth | To let the wretched man out-liue his wealth, |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | MND V.i.85 | I love not to see wretchedness o'ercharged, | I loue not to see wretchednesse orecharged; |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | MND V.i.367 | Puts the wretch that lies in woe | Puts the wretch that lies in woe, |
| Othello | Oth I.i.115 | What profane wretch art thou? | What prophane wretch art thou? |
| Othello | Oth III.iii.90 | Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul, | Excellent wretch: Perdition catch my Soule |
| Othello | Oth III.iii.372 | God bu'y you: take mine office. O wretched fool, | God buy you: take mine Office. Oh wretched Foole, |
| Othello | Oth IV.ii.14 | If any wretch have put this in your head, | If any wretch haue put this in your head, |
| Othello | Oth IV.ii.127.1 | It is my wretched fortune. | It is my wretched Fortune. |
| Othello | Oth V.i.41 | O wretched villain! | Oh wretched Villaine. |
| Othello | Oth V.ii.293 | This wretch hath part confessed his villainy. | This wretch hath part confest his Villany: |
| Pericles | Per III.i.54 | As you think meet. Most wretched queen! | As you thinke meet; for she must ouer board straight: / Most wretched Queene. |
| Richard II | R2 I.ii.27 | In that thou seest thy wretched brother die, | In that thou seest thy wretched brother dye, |
| Richard II | R2 III.iv.26 | My wretchedness unto a row of pins | My wretchednesse, vnto a Rowe of Pinnes, |
| Richard II | R2 III.iv.80 | Camest thou by this ill tidings? Speak, thou wretch! | Cam'st thou by this ill-tydings? Speake thou wretch. |
| Richard II | R2 IV.i.237 | Whilst that my wretchedness doth bait myself, | Whil'st that my wretchednesse doth bait my selfe, |
| Richard III | R3 I.ii.17 | More direful hap betide that hated wretch | More direfull hap betide that hated Wretch |
| Richard III | R3 I.ii.18 | That makes us wretched by the death of thee | That makes vs wretched by the death of thee, |
| Richard III | R3 I.iii.202 | Outlive thy glory, like my wretched self! | Out-liue thy glory, like my wretched selfe: |
| Richard III | R3 II.i.95 | Deserve not worse than wretched Clarence did, | Deserue not worse then wretched Clarence did, |
| Richard III | R3 II.ii.6 | And call us orphans, wretches, castaways, | And call vs Orphans, Wretches, Castawayes, |
| Richard III | R3 II.iv.18 | He was the wretched'st thing when he was young, | He was the wretched'st thing when he was yong, |
| Richard III | R3 III.iv.93 | Is lighted on poor Hastings' wretched head! | Is lighted on poore Hastings wretched Head. |
| Richard III | R3 III.iv.105 | That ever wretched age hath looked upon. | That euer wretched Age hath look'd vpon. |
| Richard III | R3 IV.iv.8 | Withdraw thee, wretched Margaret! Who comes here? | Withdraw thee wretched Margaret, who comes heere? |
| Richard III | R3 IV.iv.139 | From all the slaughters, wretch, that thou hast done! | From all the slaughters (Wretch) that thou hast done. |
| Richard III | R3 V.ii.7 | The wretched, bloody, and usurping boar, | The wretched, bloody, and vsurping Boare, |
| Richard III | R3 V.iii.160 | Richard, thy wife, that wretched Anne thy wife, | Richard, thy Wife, / That wretched Anne thy Wife, |
| Richard III | R3 V.v.5 | From the dead temples of this bloody wretch | From the dead Temples of this bloudy Wretch, |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ I.iii.45 | The pretty wretch left crying and said ‘ Ay.’ | the pretty wretch lefte crying, & said I: |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ III.i.130 | Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here, | Thou wretched Boy that didst consort him here, |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ III.v.160 | Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch! | Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch, |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ III.v.184 | And then to have a wretched puling fool, | And then to haue a wretched puling foole, |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ IV.v.43 | Accursed, unhappy, wretched, hateful day! | Accur'st, vnhappie, wretched hatefull day, |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ V.i.52 | Here lives a caitiff wretch would sell it him.’ | Here liues a Caitiffe wretch would sell it him. |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ V.i.68 | Art thou so bare and full of wretchedness | Art thou so bare and full of wretchednesse, |
| The Taming of the Shrew | TS II.i.306 | A meacock wretch can make the curstest shrew. | A meacocke wretch can make the curstest shrew: |
| Timon of Athens | Tim I.ii.161 | That man might ne'er be wretched for his mind. | That man might ne're be wretched for his minde. |
| Timon of Athens | Tim IV.ii.30 | O the fierce wretchedness that glory brings us! | Oh the fierce wretchednesse that Glory brings vs! |
| Timon of Athens | Tim IV.ii.43 | Rich only to be wretched, thy great fortunes | Rich onely to be wretched; thy great Fortunes |
| Timon of Athens | Tim IV.iii.247 | Hath a distracted and most wretched being, | Hath a distracted and most wretched being, |
| Timon of Athens | Tim V.iv.70 | Here lies a wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft. | Heere lies a wretched Coarse, of wretched Soule bereft, |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit III.i.98 | This way to death my wretched sons are gone, | This way to death my wretched sonnes are gone: |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit III.i.137 | See how my wretched sister sobs and weeps. | See how my wretched sister sobs and weeps. |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit III.i.207 | If any power pities wretched tears, | If any power pitties wretched teares, |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit III.i.261 | The closing up of our most wretched eyes. | The closing vp of our most wretched eyes: |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit IV.iv.59 | Sly, frantic wretch, that holp'st to make me great, | Sly franticke wretch, that holp'st to make me great, |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit V.ii.22 | Witness this wretched stump, witness these crimson lines, | Witnesse this wretched stump, / Witnesse these crimson lines, |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit V.ii.179 | Hark, wretches, how I mean to martyr you: | Harke Wretches, how I meane to martyr you, |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit V.iii.44 | For me, most wretched, to perform the like. | For me (most wretched) to performe the like: |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit V.iii.63 | Die, frantic wretch, for this accursed deed. | Die franticke wretch, for this accursed deed. |
| Titus Andronicus | Tit V.iii.176 | Give sentence on this execrable wretch | Giue sentence on this execrable Wretch, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC IV.ii.31 | Ha, ha! Alas, poor wretch! A poor capocchia, | Ha, ha: alas poore wretch: a poore Chipochia, |
| Twelfth Night | TN IV.i.46 | Will it be ever thus? Ungracious wretch, | Will it be euer thus? Vngracious wretch, |
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | TG IV.ii.129.2 | As wretches have o'ernight | As wretches haue ore-night |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK III.i.27 | And therein wretched, although free. But if | And therein wretched, although free; But if |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK III.vi.109 | If we be found, we are wretched. O, retire | If we be found, we are wretched, O retire |
| The Winter's Tale | WT III.iii.48 | And still rest thine. The storm begins. Poor wretch, | And still rest thine. The storme beginnes, poore wretch, |
| The Winter's Tale | WT IV.iv.455 | Where no priest shovels in dust. (To Perdita) O cursed wretch, | Where no Priest shouels-in dust. Oh cursed wretch, |
| The Winter's Tale | WT V.i.198 | Wretches so quake: they kneel, they kiss the earth; | Wretches so quake: they kneele, they kisse the Earth; |