Hippolytus (Seneca's Fourth Tragedy) · chunk 28 of 30
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1581 · first performed or written 1567 (Annals) tragedy T36 Hell, Furies and the language of punishm typicality 0.83 · 505 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T36: hell, earth, gods, death, ghosts, blood, bloody, heaven, night, ghost.
Or else what Minotaur of Crete that grim twi-shaped Bull With horny head (that Dedalls ues with loing sleth Hath thee in fitters torn? (aye me) where is thy beauty fled? Where are our twinkling stars thine eyes? alas, and art thou dead? Appear a while, receive my words, for speak I shall none ill. This hand shall strike the stroke, wherewith thy vengeance quite I will. And sith that I, I caitiff, ay, abridged have thy life, Lo here I am content, to yield thee mine with bloody knife. If ghost may here be given for ghost, and breath may serve for breath, Hippolytus take thou my soul, and come again from death. Behold my bowels yet are safe my limbs in lusty plight. Would God that as they serve for me, thy body serve they might, Mine eyes to render kindly light unto thy Carcase dead, Lo for thy use this hand of mine shall pluck them from my head, And set them in these empty cells and vacant holes of thine. Thy weal of me a wicked Wight to win, do not repine. And if a woman's woeful heart in place of thine may rest, My bosom straight break up I shall, and tear it from my breast. But courage stout of thine doth loathe faint woman's heart to have Thy Noble mind would rather go with manly heart to grave. Alas be not so manly now, this manliness forbear, And rather choose to live a man with woman's sprite and fear, Then as no man with manly heart in darkness deep to sit: Have thou thy life, give me thy death that more deserveth it. Can not my proffer purchase place? yet vengeance, shall thou have, Hell shall not hold me from thy side nor death of dampish grave. Sith fates will not permit thee life, though I behest thee mine, myself I shall in spite of fate my fatal twist untwine. This blade shall rive my bloody breast, myself I will despoil Of soul, and sin at once: through floods and Tartar gulfs that boil, Through Styx and through the burning Lakes I will come after thee: Thus may we please the lowering shades, receive thou here of me The parings of my Poll, and Locks cut off from forehead torn, Our hearts we could not join in one, yet wretches now forlorn. We shall together in one day our fatal hour close: If thou be loyal to thy spouse, for him thy life then lose: But if thou be uncestuous, die for thy lovers sake. Shall I unto my husbands bed again my corpse betake, Polluted with so heinous crime? O death the chiefest joy Of wounding shame: Death only ease of stinging Loves annoy: We run to thee: embrace our souls within thy gladsome breast: Hark Athens, hark unto my talk, and thou above the rest, Thou Father worse unto thy Child than bloody stepdame I. False forged tales I told with shame, I feigning that did lie,
seed 43: T32 · seed 44: T26 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Or elſe what Minotaur of Crete that grim twiſhaped Bull With horny head (that Dedalls ues with loing ſleth Hath thee in fitters torne? (aie me) where is thy beauty fled? Where are our twinckling ſtars thine eyes? alas, and art thou ded? Appeare a while, receiue my words, for ſpeake I ſhall none yll. This hand ſhal ſtrike the ſtroake, wherwith thy bengeance quite I wil. And ſith that I, I Caife, I, abridged haue thy life, Lo here I aut content, thee mine with bloudy knife. If ghoſt may here be giuen for ghoſt, and breath may ſerue for breath, Hippolytus take thou my ſoule, and come againe from death. Behold my bowels yet are ſafe my lims in luſty plight. Would God that as they ſerue for me, thy body ſerue they might, Mine eies to render kindly light vnto thy Carkaſſe ded, Lo for thy vſe this hand of mine ſhall pluck them from my hed, And ſet them in theſe empty cells and vacant holes of thine. Thy weale of me a wicked Wight to win, do not repine. And if a womans wofull heart in place of thine may reſt, My boſom ſtraight breake vp I ſhall, and teare it from my breſt. But courage ſtout of thine doth loth aint womans heart to haue Thy Noble minde would rather go with manly heart to graue. Alas be not ſo manly now, this manlineſſe forheare, And rather chooſe to liue a man with womans ſprite and feare, Then as no man with manly heart in darckneſſe deepe to ſit: Haue thou thy life, giue me thy death that more deſerueth it. Can not my profer purchaſe place? yet vengeance, ſhal thou haue, Hell ſhall not hold me from thy ſyde nor death of dompiſh graue. Sith fates wil not permit thee life, though I beheſt thee mine, My ſelfe I ſhall in ſpite of fate my fatall twiſt vntwine. This blade ſhall riue my bloudy breaſt, my ſelfe I will diſpoile Of ſoule, and ſinne at once: through floods and▪ Tactor gulphes y• boyle, Through Syx and through the burning Lakes I wil come after thee: Thus may we pleaſe the lowring ſhades, receiue thou heere of me The parings of my Poll, and Locks cut off from forehead torne, Our hearts we could not ioyne in one, yet wretches now farlorne. We ſhal togeather in one day our fatall hower cloſe: If thou be loyall to thy ſpouſe, for him thy life then loſe: But if thou be vnceſtuous, dye for thy louers ſake. Shall I vnto my huſbandes bed agayne my corps betake, Polluted with ſo haynous crime? O death the chiefeſt ioy Of wounding ſhame: Death onely eaſe of ſtinging Loues annoy: We runne to thee: embrace our ſowles within thy gladſome breaſt: Harke Athens, harke vnto my talke, and thou aboue the reſte, Thou Father worſe vnto thy Child than bloudy ſtepdame I. Falſe forged tales I told with ſhame, I fayning that did lye,