Shakespeare, William · published 1623 · first performed or written 1591 [1590-1591] (Annals) history · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.86 · 456 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Why seekest thou to possess me with these fears? Why urgest thou so oft young Arthur's death? Thy hand hath murdered him: I had a mighty cause To wish him dead, but thou hadst none to kill him. No had (my Lord?) why, did you not provoke me? It is the curse of Kings, to be attended By slaves, that take their humours for a warrant, To break within the bloody house of life, And on the winking of Authority To understand a Law; to know the meaning Of dangerous Majesty, when perchance it frowns More upon humour, then advised respect. here is your hand and Seal for what I did. Oh, when the last account twixt heaven & earth Is to be made, then shall this hand and Seal Witness against us to damnation. How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds, Make deeds ill done? Hadst not thou been by, A fellow by the hand of Nature marked, Quoted, and signed to do a deed of shame, This murder had not come into my mind. But taking note of thy abhorred Aspect, Finding thee fit for bloody villainy: Apt, liable to be employed in danger, I faintly broke with thee of Arthur's death: And thou, to be endeared to a King, Made it no conscience to destroy a Prince. My Lord. Hadst thou but shook thy head, or made a pause When I spoke darkly, what I purposed: Or turned an eye of doubt upon my face; As bid me tell my tale in express words: Deep shame had struck me dumb, made me break off, And those thy fears, might have wrought fears in me. But, thou didst understand me by my signs, And didst in signs again parley with sin, Yea, without stop, didst let thy heart consent, And consequently, thy rude hand to act The deed, which both our tongues held vild to name. Out of my sight, and never see me more: My Nobles leave me, and my State is braved, Even at my gates, with ranks of foreign powers; Nay, in the body of this fleshly Land, This kingdom, this Confine of blood, and breathe Hostility, and civil tumult reigns Between my conscience, and my Cousin's death. Arm you against your other enemies: I'll make a peace between your soul, and you. Young Arthur is alive: This hand of mine Is yet a maiden, and an innocent hand. Not painted with the Crimson spots of blood, Within this bosom, never entered yet The dreadful motion of a murderous thought, And you have slandered Nature in my form, Which howsoever rude exteriorly, Is yet the cover of a fairer mind, Then to be butcher of an innocent child.
nodes 1867–1923 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 30 of 41 in this edition
Length
456 words · 581 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.857 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T7 · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Why ſeek'ſt thou to poſſeſſe me with theſe feares? Why vrgeſt thou ſo oft yong Arthurs death? Thy hand hath murdred him: I had a mighty cauſe To wiſh him dead, but thou hadſt none to kill him. No had (my Lord?) why, did you not prouoke me? It is the curſe of Kings, to be attended By ſlaues, that take their humors for a warrant, To breake within the bloody houſe of life, And on the winking of Authoritie To vnderſtand a Law; to know the meaning Of dangerous Maieſty, when perchance it frownes More vpon humor, then aduis'd reſpect. Heere is your hand and Seale for what I did. Oh, when the laſt accompt twixt heauen & earth Is to be made, then ſhall this hand and Seale Witneſſe againſt vs to damnation. How oft the ſight of meanes to do ill deeds, Make deeds ill done? Had'ſt not thou beene by, A fellow by the hand of Nature mark'd, Quoted, and ſign'd to do a deede of ſhame, This murther had not come into my minde. But taking note of thy abhorr'd Aſpect, Finding thee fit for bloody villanie: Apt, liable to be employ'd in danger, I faintly broke with thee of Arthurs death: And thou, to be endeered to a King, Made it no conſcience to deſtroy a Prince. My Lord. Had'ſt thou but ſhooke thy head, or made a pauſe When I ſpake darkely, what I purpoſed: Or turn'd an eye of doubt vpon my face; As bid me tell my tale in expreſſe words: Deepe ſhame had ſtruck me dumbe, made me break off, And thoſe thy feares, might haue wrought feares in me. But, thou didſt vnderſtand me by my ſignes, And didſt in ſignes againe parley with ſinne, Yea, without ſtop, didſt let thy heart conſent, And conſequently, thy rude hand to acte The deed, which both our tongues held vilde to name. Out of my ſight, and neuer ſee me more: My Nobles leaue me, and my State is braued, Euen at my gates, with rankes of forraigne powres; Nay, in the body of this fleſhly Land, This kingdome, this Confine of blood, and breathe Hoſtilitie, and ciuill tumult reignes Betweene my conſcience, and my Coſins death. Arme you againſt your other enemies: Ile make a peace betweene your ſoule, and you. Yong Arthur is aliue: This hand of mine Is yet a maiden, and an innocent hand. Not painted with the Crimſon ſpots of blood, Within this boſome, neuer entred yet The dreadfull motion of a murderous thought, And you haue ſlander'd Nature in my forme, Which howſoeuer rude exteriorly, Is yet the couer of a fayrer minde, Then to be butcher of an innocent childe.