The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (432 page)

As I agree to neither that, nor any other,
But in the loss of question,--that you, his sister,

Except for the lack of better words,--that you, his sister,
Finding yourself desired of such a person,

Finding that you are desired by such a person,
Whose credit with the judge, or own great place,

Whose influence with the judge, or whose own powerful position,
Could fetch your brother from the manacles

Could free your brother from the handcuffs
Of the all-building law; and that there were

Of the law on which everything is founded; and that there were
No earthly mean to save him, but that either

No other way to save him, except either
You must lay down the treasures of your body

You must surrender your virginity
To this supposed, or else to let him suffer;

To this hypothetical authority figure, or else your brother will suffer;
What would you do?

What would you do?

ISABELLA

As much for my poor brother as myself:

I would do the same for my poor brother as I would for myself:
That is, were I under the terms of death,

That is, if I were under the sentence of death,
The impression of keen whips I'ld wear as rubies,

I would wear the marks of the biting whips as rubies,
And strip myself to death, as to a bed

And bind myself to death, like I would to a bed
That longing have been sick for, ere I'ld yield

That I have been longing, before I would yield
My body up to shame.

My body up to shame.

ANGELO

Then must your brother die.

Then your brother must die.

ISABELLA

And 'twere the cheaper way:

And it would be the less harmful way:
Better it were a brother died at once,

It is better for a brother to die once,
Than that a sister, by redeeming him,

Than for a sister, by saving him,
Should die for ever.

To suffer eternal damnation.

ANGELO

Were not you then as cruel as the sentence

Would that not make you as cruel as the sentence
That you have slander'd so?

That you have spoken out against.

ISABELLA

Ignomy in ransom and free pardon

Disgrace in buying freedom and freedom freely given
Are of two houses: lawful mercy

Are two different things: legal mercy
Is nothing kin to foul redemption.

Is nothing like an evil exchange.

ANGELO

You seem'd of late to make the law a tyrant;

You just recently seemed to portray the law as a tyrant;
And rather proved the sliding of your brother

And rather seemed to see the sinfulness of you brother
A merriment than a vice.

As a light-hearted matter and as a crime.

ISABELLA

O, pardon me, my lord; it oft falls out,

Oh, forgive me, my lord: it often happens,
To have what we would have, we speak not what we mean:

In trying to get what we want, we don’t say what we mean:
I something do excuse the thing I hate,

I do somewhat make excuses for the thing I hate,
For his advantage that I dearly love.

For the advantage of the one whom I love dearly.

ANGELO

We are all frail.

We are all weak.

ISABELLA

Else let my brother die,

Then let my brother die,
If not a feodary, but only he

If he is not a servant to this weakness, and instead it is he who solely
Owe and succeed thy weakness.

Owns and inherits the weakness that you speak of.

ANGELO

Nay, women are frail too.

No, women are weak too.

ISABELLA

Ay, as the glasses where they view themselves;

Yes, as the mirrors where they view themselves;
Which are as easy broke as they make forms.

Which are broken as easily as they reflect images.
Women! Help Heaven! men their creation mar

Women! Heaven help them! Men ruin their own power
In profiting by them. Nay, call us ten times frail;

By abusing women.  No, call us ten times more week;
For we are soft as our complexions are,

For we are as soft as our complexions,
And credulous to false prints.

And believe in men’s falsehoods.

ANGELO

I think it well:

I agree:
And from this testimony of your own sex,--

And this a statement speaking about your own gender,--
Since I suppose we are made to be no stronger

Since I suggest we are made to be no stronger
Than faults may shake our frames,--let me be bold;

Then the weaknesses we fall prey to,--let me be blunt;
I do arrest your words. Be that you are,

I do take heed of your words.  Be what you are,
That is, a woman; if you be more, you're none;

That is, a woman; if you are more than that, then you’re not a woman;
If you be one, as you are well express'd

If you are one, as you clearly seem to be
By all external warrants, show it now,

By your outward appearance, show it now,
By putting on the destined livery.

By demonstrating women’s weakness.

ISABELLA

I have no tongue but one: gentle my lord,

I do not tell lies: my gentle lord,
Let me entreat you speak the former language.

I ask you to speak plainly as you did before.

ANGELO

Plainly conceive, I love you.

Plainly understand, I love you.

ISABELLA

My brother did love Juliet,

My brother did love Juliet,
And you tell me that he shall die for it.

And you tell me that he will die for it.

ANGELO

He shall not, Isabel, if you give me love.

He will not, Isabel, if you give yourself over to my love.

ISABELLA

I know your virtue hath a licence in't,

I know your goodness has an authority to it,
Which seems a little fouler than it is,

Which seems a little more horrible than it is,
To pluck on others.

In order to test others.

ANGELO

Believe me, on mine honour,

Believe me, on my honor,
My words express my purpose.

The words I say express what I want.

ISABELLA

Ha! little honour to be much believed,

Ha! You have little honor to so believe,
And most pernicious purpose! Seeming, seeming!

And a terrible desire! Deception, deception!
I will proclaim thee, Angelo; look for't:

I will accuse you, Angelo; look for it
Sign me a present pardon for my brother,

Immediately sign me a pardon for my brother,
Or with an outstretch'd throat I'll tell the world aloud

Or as loud as I can, I’ll tell the whole world
What man thou art.

What kind of man you are.

ANGELO

Who will believe thee, Isabel?

Who would believe you, Isabel?
My unsoil'd name, the austereness of my life,

My un-dirtied name, the strictness of my life,
My vouch against you, and my place i' the state,

My testimony against you, and my authority in the governement,
Will so your accusation overweigh,

Will overpower your accusations so much,
That you shall stifle in your own report

That you will silence your own story
And smell of calumny. I have begun,

And seem like slander.  I have begun,
And now I give my sensual race the rein:

And now I allow my desires to run freely:
Fit thy consent to my sharp appetite;

Make your agreement fit my intense appetite:
Lay by all nicety and prolixious blushes,

Put aside all coyness and delaying blushes,
That banish what they sue for; redeem thy brother

That send away what they ask for; save your brother
By yielding up thy body to my will;

By giving up your body to my passion;
Or else he must not only die the death,

Or else me will not only die,
But thy unkindness shall his death draw out

But your refusal will make his death so slow
To lingering sufferance. Answer me to-morrow,

He lingers before death and suffers.  Answer me tomorrow
Or, by the affection that now guides me most,

Or, by the desire that now guides me most,
I'll prove a tyrant to him. As for you,

I will prove myself a tyrant to him.  As for you,
Say what you can, my false o'erweighs your true.

Say what you will, but my lies will overpower your truth.

Exit

ISABELLA

To whom should I complain? Did I tell this,

Who could I tell this?  If I told this to someone,
Who would believe me? O perilous mouths,

Who would believe me? Oh, terrible voices,
That bear in them one and the self-same tongue,

That can only tell truths,
Either of condemnation or approof;

Either of blame or approval;
Bidding the law make court'sy to their will:

Asking the law to go along with their desires:
Hooking both right and wrong to the appetite,

Attaching both good and bad to the longing,
To follow as it draws! I'll to my brother:

To follow along as it makes things up!  I’ll go to my brother:
Though he hath fallen by prompture of the blood,

Though he has fallen prey to the urging of passion,
Yet hath he in him such a mind of honour.

Still he has in him an honorable mind.
That, had he twenty heads to tender down

I know, if he had twenty head to lay down
On twenty bloody blocks, he'ld yield them up,

On twenty bloody blocks, he would give them up,
Before his sister should her body stoop

Before his sister should give up her body
To such abhorr'd pollution.

To such terrible contamination.
Then, Isabel, live chaste, and, brother, die:

So, Isabel will live a virgin, and her brother will die:
More than our brother is our chastity.

Our chastity is worth more than our brother.
I'll tell him yet of Angelo's request,

I’ll tell him of Angelo’s request,
And fit his mind to death, for his soul's rest.

And prepare his mind for death, and his soul for heaven.

Exit