The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (434 page)

To be a pit as deep as hell.

CLAUDIO

The prenzie Angelo!

The princely Angelo!

ISABELLA

O, 'tis the cunning livery of hell,

Oh, it’s the cunning uniform of hell,
The damned'st body to invest and cover

The most damned body to dress and cover
In prenzie guards! Dost thou think, Claudio?

In princely embroidered clothes! Don’t you think so, Claudio?
If I would yield him my virginity,

If I would give him my virginity,
Thou mightst be freed.

You would be freed.

CLAUDIO

O heavens! it cannot be.

Oh heavens! It cannot be.

ISABELLA

Yes, he would give't thee, from this rank offence,

Yes, he would give it to you, with his own terrible offence,
So to offend him still. This night's the time

So you could continue to commit the crime.  This night is the time
That I should do what I abhor to name,

That I could do what I detest to name,
Or else thou diest to-morrow.

Or else you will die tomorrow.

CLAUDIO

Thou shalt not do't.

You will not do it.

ISABELLA

O, were it but my life,

Oh, If it was only my life,
I'ld throw it down for your deliverance

I would throw it down for you freedom
As frankly as a pin.

As freely as a pin

CLAUDIO

Thanks, dear Isabel.

Thanks dear Isabel.

ISABELLA

Be ready, Claudio, for your death tomorrow.

Be ready, Claudio, for you death romorrow.

CLAUDIO

Yes. Has he affections in him,

Yes, He does have lustful passions in him,
That thus can make him bite the law by the nose,

That force him to abuse the law,
When he would force it? Sure, it is no sin,

When he is the one who enforeces it? Sure, it is no sin,
Or of the deadly seven, it is the least.

Or at least out of the seven deadly sins, it is the least.

ISABELLA

Which is the least?

Which is the least?

CLAUDIO

If it were damnable, he being so wise,

If it were so damnable, with him being so wise,
Why would he for the momentary trick

Why would he, for just the momentary sexual tryst
Be perdurably fined? O Isabel!

Be eternally punished? Oh, Isabel!

ISABELLA

What says my brother?

What are you saying, my brother?

CLAUDIO

Death is a fearful thing.

Death is a fearful thing.

ISABELLA

And shamed life a hateful.

And a shamed life is a hateful thing.

CLAUDIO

Ay, but to die, and go we know not where;

Yes, but to die and go somewhere we don’t even know where it is;
To lie in cold obstruction and to rot;

To lie in cold motionlessness and to rot;
This sensible warm motion to become

This feeling warm movement in life to become
A kneaded clod; and the delighted spirit

A lump of earth in death; and the spirit once capable of delight
To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside

To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside
In thrilling region of thick-ribbed ice;

In a extremely cold place of thick, ridged ice;
To be imprison'd in the viewless winds,

To be imprisoned in the invisible winds,
And blown with restless violence round about

And be blown with restless violence around
The pendent world; or to be worse than worst

The world as it hangs; or to be worse than the worst
Of those that lawless and incertain thought

Of those that terrible and uncertain thought
Imagine howling: 'tis too horrible!

Imagine howling: it’s too horrible!
The weariest and most loathed worldly life

The weariest and most hated life in this world
That age, ache, penury and imprisonment

The fact that age, pain, poverty and imprisonment
Can lay on nature is a paradise

Can be endured by human nature is a paradise
To what we fear of death.

In comparison to what we fear in death.

ISABELLA

Alas, alas!

Oh dear, oh dear!

CLAUDIO

Sweet sister, let me live:

Sweet sister, let me live:
What sin you do to save a brother's life,

What sin you commit in order to save your brother’s life,
Nature dispenses with the deed so far

Heavenly nature forgives the deed so much
That it becomes a virtue.

That it becomes a virtue.

ISABELLA

O you beast!

Oh you beast!
O faithless coward! O dishonest wretch!

You faithless coward! You dishonest wretch!
Wilt thou be made a man out of my vice?

Will you be given life out of my sin?
Is't not a kind of incest, to take life

Is that not a kind of incest, to take life
From thine own sister's shame? What should I think?

From your own sister’s deflowering? What should I think
Heaven shield my mother play'd my father fair!

Heaven forbid my mother was never  unfaithful to my father!
For such a warped slip of wilderness

For such a wretched offspring
Ne'er issued from his blood. Take my defiance!

Never came from his blood. Take my rejection!
Die, perish! Might but my bending down

Die, perish! If my payers might
Reprieve thee from thy fate, it should proceed:

Save you from your fate, you should still suffer it:
I'll pray a thousand prayers for thy death,

I’ll pray a thousand prayers for your death,
No word to save thee.

But not one for your life.

CLAUDIO

Nay, hear me, Isabel.

No, listen to me Isabel.

ISABELLA

O, fie, fie, fie!

Oh shame on you! For shame!
Thy sin's not accidental, but a trade.

Your sin is not an accident, but a habit.
Mercy to thee would prove itself a bawd:

Mercy given to you would turn into a whore:
'Tis best thou diest quickly.

It is best that you die quickly.

CLAUDIO

O hear me, Isabella!

Oh listen to me, Isabella!

Re-enter DUKE VINCENTIO

DUKE VINCENTIO

Vouchsafe a word, young sister, but one word.

 
Permit me to say a word, young sister, just one word.

ISABELLA

What is your will?

What is it?

DUKE VINCENTIO

Might you dispense with your leisure, I would by and

Might you give me a moment of our time, I would like to soon
by have some speech with you: the satisfaction I

Talk to you: what I am looking for
would require is likewise your own benefit.

Is also to your benefit.

ISABELLA

I have no superfluous leisure; my stay must be

I have no extra time; my time must be
stolen out of other affairs; but I will attend you awhile.

Taken out of other business; but I will wait for you a while.

Walks apart

DUKE VINCENTIO

Son, I have overheard what hath passed between you

Son, I overheard what was said between you
and your sister. Angelo had never the purpose to

And your sister.  Angelo never had the intention to
corrupt her; only he hath made an essay of her

Corrupt her; he only meant to make a test of her
virtue to practise his judgment with the disposition

Virtue to practice his judge of character:
of natures: she, having the truth of honour in her,

She, having a truly honorable nature,
hath made him that gracious denial which he is most

Gave him the virtuous denial which he was quite
glad to receive. I am confessor to Angelo, and I

Glad to receive. Angelo tells me his confessions, and I
know this to be true; therefore prepare yourself to

Know this is true; so prepare yourself for
death: do not satisfy your resolution with hopes

Death: do not preserve your determination with hopes
that are fallible: tomorrow you must die; go to

That are false: tomorrow you must die;
your knees and make ready.

Kneel for prayer and make ready for death.

CLAUDIO

Let me ask my sister pardon. I am so out of love

Let me as my sister’s forgiveness.  I am so tired
with life that I will sue to be rid of it.

Of life that I will bed to be rid of it.

DUKE VINCENTIO

Hold you there: farewell.

Keep that mindset: good bye.

Exit CLAUDIO

Provost, a word with you!

Provost, I would like a world with you!

Re-enter PROVOST

PROVOST

What's your will, father

What is it, father?

DUKE VINCENTIO

That now you are come, you will be gone. Leave me

Now that you are here, he should go away.  Leave me
awhile with the maid: my mind promises with my

For a little while with the young lady: my mind promises by my
habit no loss shall touch her by my company.

Friar’s habit that nothing shall harm her in my company.

PROVOST

In good time.

Very well.

Exit PROVOST. ISABELLA comes forward

DUKE VINCENTIO

The hand that hath made you fair hath made you good:

The hand that created you beautiful also created you virtuous:
the goodness that is cheap in beauty makes beauty

Those who are beautiful but lacking in virtue make their beauty
brief in goodness; but grace, being the soul of

Short-lived; but divine virtue, being the center of
your complexion, shall keep the body of it ever

Your character, shall keep the rest of it always
fair. The assault that Angelo hath made to you,

Beautiful. The proposition that Angelo made to you
fortune hath conveyed to my understanding; and, but

I have fortunately been made aware of; and, except
that frailty hath examples for his falling, I should

That there are other examples of such bad behavior, I would
wonder at Angelo. How will you do to content this

Be astonished at Angelo. What will you do to make Angelo happy,
substitute, and to save your brother?

And save your brother?

ISABELLA

I am now going to resolve him: I had rather my

I am going to answer him: I would rather my
brother die by the law than my son should be

Brother die by the law than have my son be
unlawfully born. But, O, how much is the good duke

Born out of marriage.  But, oh, how much the good duke
deceived in Angelo! If ever he return and I can

Has been deceived by Angelo! If he ever returns and I can
speak to him, I will open my lips in vain, or