| Play | Key Line | Modern Text | Original Text |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW II.v.81 | But, like a timorous thief, most fain would steal | But like a timorous theefe, most faine would steale |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW IV.iii.235 | we shall be fain to hang you. | wee shall be faine to hang you. |
| All's Well That Ends Well | AW V.iii.115 | Which I would fain shut out. If it should prove | Which I would faine shut out, if it should proue |
| As You Like It | AYL I.ii.149 | youth I would fain dissuade him, but he will not be | youth, I would faine disswade him, but he will not bee |
| As You Like It | AYL III.iii.42 | I would fain see this meeting. | I would faine see this meeting. |
| As You Like It | AYL IV.i.53 | Why, horns; which such as you are fain to be | Why hornes: wc such as youare faine to be |
| The Comedy of Errors | CE III.i.66 | Here is neither cheer, sir, nor welcome. We would fain have either. | Heere is neither cheere sir, nor welcome, we would faine haue either. |
| Hamlet | Ham II.ii.131 | I would fain prove so. But what might you think | I wold faine proue so. But what might you think? |
| Hamlet | Ham II.ii.153 | Hath there been such a time – I would fain know that – | Hath there bene such a time, I'de fain know that, |
| Hamlet | Ham III.ii.236 | My spirits grow dull, and fain I would beguile | My spirits grow dull, and faine I would beguile |
| Hamlet | Ham IV.vii.190 | I have a speech o' fire that fain would blaze, | I haue a speech of fire, that faine would blaze, |
| Henry IV Part 2 | 2H4 II.i.140 | fain to pawn both my plate and the tapestry of my | faine to pawne both my Plate, and the Tapistry of my |
| Henry IV Part 2 | 2H4 II.iii.65 | Fain would I go to meet the Archbishop, | Faine would I goe to meet the Arch-bishop, |
| Henry IV Part 2 | 2H4 II.iv.12 | would fain hear some music. | would faine haue some Musique. |
| Henry V | H5 I.i.85 | As I perceived his grace would fain have done, | As I perceiu'd his Grace would faine haue done, |
| Henry V | H5 III.ii.114 | breff and the long. Marry, I wad full fain hear some | breff and the long: mary, I wad full faine heard some |
| Henry V | H5 III.vii.81 | would fain be about the ears of the English. | would faine be about the eares of the English. |
| Henry V | H5 IV.vii.156 | be desired in the hearts of his subjects. I would fain see | be desir'd in the hearts of his Subiects: I would faine see |
| Henry V | H5 IV.vii.158 | aggriefed at this glove, that is all: but I would fain see it | agreefd at this Gloue; that is all: but I would faine see it |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 II.iii.9 | Fain would mine eyes be witness with mine ears, | Faine would mine eyes be witnesse with mine eares, |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 III.ii.114 | Are glad and fain by flight to save themselves. | Are glad and faine by flight to saue themselues. |
| Henry VI Part 1 | 1H6 V.iii.65 | Fain would I woo her, yet I dare not speak. | Faine would I woe her, yet I dare not speake: |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 II.i.8 | Yea, man and birds are fain of climbing high. | Yea Man and Birds are fayne of climbing high. |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.i.244 | Ah, York, no man alive so fain as I. | Ah Yorke, no man aliue, so faine as I. |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.ii.141 | Fain would I go to chafe his paly lips | Faine would I go to chafe his palie lips, |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 IV.ii.154 | fain to go with a staff, but that my puissance holds it up. | faine to go with a staffe, but that my puissance holds it vp. |
| Henry VI Part 3 | 3H6 IV.vii.31 | The good old man would fain that all were well, | The good old man would faine that all were wel, |
| Henry VIII | H8 II.i.24 | All these accused him strongly, which he fain | All these accus'd him strongly, which he faine |
| Henry VIII | H8 V.iv.56 | shot, delivered such a shower of pebbles that I was fain | shot, deliuer'd such a showre of Pibbles, that I was faine |
| Julius Caesar | JC I.ii.237 | once; but for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have | once: but for all that, to my thinking, he would faine haue |
| King Edward III | E3 III.i.182 | That we perforce were fain to give them way, | That we perforce were fayne to giue them way, |
| King Edward III | E3 III.iii.138 | These English fain would spend the time in words, | These English faine would spend the time in wodrs, |
| King Lear | KL I.ii.65 | it were his; but in respect of that I would fain think it | it were his: but in respect of that, I would faine thinke it |
| King Lear | KL I.iv.28 | which I would fain call master. | which I would faine call Master. |
| King Lear | KL I.iv.176 | fool to lie; I would fain learn to lie. | Foole to lie, I would faine learne to lie. |
| King Lear | KL IV.vii.38 | Against my fire; and wast thou fain, poor father, | against my fire, / And was't thou faine (poore Father) |
| Love's Labour's Lost | LLL V.ii.9 | That he was fain to seal on Cupid's name. | That he was faine to seale on Cupids name. |
| Love's Labour's Lost | LLL V.ii.372 | When they are thirsty, fools would fain have drink. | When they are thirstie, fooles would faine haue drinke. |
| Love's Labour's Lost | LLL V.ii.741 | The holy suit which fain it would convince, | The holy suite which faine it would conuince, |
| Macbeth | Mac V.iii.28 | Which the poor heart would fain deny and dare not. | Which the poore heart would faine deny, and dare not. |
| Measure for Measure | MM IV.iii.151 | thine eyes so red. Thou must be patient. I am fain to | thine eyes so red: thou must be patient; I am faine to |
| Measure for Measure | MM IV.iii.169 | Yes, marry, did I, but I was fain to forswear it. | Yes marrie did I; but I was faine to forswear it, |
| Measure for Measure | MM V.i.15 | That outward courtesies would fain proclaim | That outward curtesies would faine proclaime |
| Measure for Measure | MM V.i.21 | Upon a wronged – I would fain have said, a maid. | Vpon a wrong'd (I would faine haue said a Maid) |
| Measure for Measure | MM V.i.120 | I know you'd fain be gone. An officer! | I know you'ld faine be gone: An Officer: |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | MW II.ii.24 | necessity, am fain to shuffle, to hedge, and to lurch; and | necessity, am faine to shufflle: to hedge, and to lurch, and |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | MW II.ii.141 | would fain speak with you, and be acquainted with | would faine speake with you, and be acquainted with |
| Much Ado About Nothing | MA II.i.340 | th' one with th' other. I would fain have it a match, and | th'one with th'other, I would faine haue it a match, and |
| Much Ado About Nothing | MA III.v.28 | I would fain know what you have to say. | I would faine know what you haue to say. |
| Much Ado About Nothing | MA V.i.122 | are high-proof melancholy, and would fain have it | are high proofe melancholly, and would faine haue it |
| Othello | Oth II.iii.28 | Cyprus gallants that would fain have a measure to the | Cyprus Gallants, that would faine haue a measure to the |
| Othello | Oth IV.i.165 | Well, I may chance to see you: for I would very fain | Well, I may chance to see you: for I would very faine |
| Richard III | R3 I.iv.74 | My soul is heavy, and I fain would sleep. | My Soule is heauy, and I faine would sleepe. |
| Richard III | R3 I.iv.275 | How fain, like Pilate, would I wash my hands | How faine (like Pilate) would I wash my hands |
| Richard III | R3 III.i.29 | Would fain have come with me to meet your grace, | Would faine haue come with me, to meet your Grace, |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ II.ii.88 | Fain would I dwell on form – fain, fain deny | Faine would I dwell on forme, faine, faine, denie |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ II.iv.197 | nobleman in town, one Paris, that would fain lay knife | Noble man in Towne one Paris, that would faine lay knife |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ III.ii.109 | That murdered me. I would forget it fain. | That murdered me, I would forget it feine, |
| The Taming of the Shrew | TS II.i.74 | O pardon me, Signor Gremio, I would fain be doing. | Oh, Pardon me signior Gremio, I would faine be doing. |
| The Tempest | Tem I.i.63 | anything. The wills above be done, but I would fain die | any thing; the wills aboue be done, but I would faine dye |
| Timon of Athens | Tim IV.iii.502 | How fain would I have hated all mankind, | How faine would I haue hated all mankinde, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC III.i.133 | the gallantry of Troy. I would fain have armed today, | the gallantry of Troy. I would faine haue arm'd to day, |
| Troilus and Cressida | TC V.iv.4 | knave's sleeve of Troy there in his helm. I would fain | knaues Sleeue of Troy, there in his Helme: I would faine |
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | TG I.i.120 | Well, I perceive I must be fain to bear with you. | Well, I perceiue I must be faine to beare with you. |
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | TG II.i.165 | victuals, and would fain have meat. O, be not like your | victuals; and would faine haue meate: oh bee not like your |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK II.iii.30 | For I would fain enjoy him. Say I ventured | For I would faine enjoy him? Say I ventur'd |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK III.vi.60.1 | You would fain be at that fight. | You would faine be at that Fight. |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | TNK V.ii.85.2 | O sir, you would fain be nibbling. | O Sir, you would faine be nibling. |
| The Winter's Tale | WT V.ii.87 | fain say bleed tears; for I am sure my heart wept blood. | faine say, bleed Teares; for I am sure, my heart wept blood. |