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Chapters (43)
  1. Cover Page
  2. The Witch
  3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  4. ABBREVIATIONS
  5. INTRODUCTION
  6. FURTHER READING
  7. The Witch
  8. [DRAMATIS PERSONAE]
  9. THE WITCH
  10. [Act I,] Scene ii
  11. Act II, Scene i
  12. [Act II,] Scene ii
  13. [Act II,] Scene iii
  14. Act III, Scene i
  15. [Act III,] Scene ii
  16. [Act III,] Scene iii
  17. Act IV, Scene i
  18. [Act IV,] Scene ii
  19. [Act IV,] Scene iii
  20. Act V, Scene i
  21. [Act V,] Scene ii
  22. [Act V,] Scene iii
  23. APPENDIX
  24. In a maiden time profess’d
  25. Come Away, Hecate!
  26. Notes
  27. Thomas Holmes, Esquire
  28. Act I, Scene i
  29. [Act I,] Scene ii
  30. Act II, Scene i
  31. [Act II,] Scene ii
  32. [Act II,] Scene iii
  33. Act III, Scene i
  34. [Act III,] Scene ii
  35. [Act III,] Scene iii
  36. Act IV, Scene i
  37. [Act IV,] Scene ii
  38. Act IV Scene iii
  39. Act V, Scene i
  40. [Act V,] Scene ii
  41. [Act V,] Scene iii
  42. Appendix
  43. Footnotes
My lord, let her speak truth or may she perish!
AMORETTA
Then, sir, by all the hopes of a maid’s comfort
Either in faithful service or blessed marriage,
The woman that his blinded folly knew 115
Was only a hired strumpet, a professor
Of lust and impudence, which here is ready
To approve what I have spoken.
ALMACHILDES      A common strumpet?
This comes of scarves! I’ll never more wear
An haberdasher’s shop before mine eyes again. 120
GOVERNOR
My sword is proud thou art lightened of that sin.
Die then a murd’ress only!
[DUKE rises]
DUKE      Live a duchess!
Better than ever loved, embraced and honoured.
DUCHESS
My lord!
DUKE
Nay, since in honour thou canst justly rise, 125
Vanish all wrongs, thy former practice dies.
I thank thee, Almachildes, for my life,
This lord for truth, and heaven for such a wife,
Who, though her intent sinned, yet she makes amends
With grief and honour, virtue’s noblest ends. 130
What grieved you then shall never more offend you –
Your father’s skull with honour we’ll inter,
And give the peace due to the sepulchre –
And in all times, may this day ever prove
A day of triumph, joy and honest love. 135
Exeunt

Finis

APPENDIX

The music reproduced below is edited and arranged by Ian Spink and should be easy to use for non-specialists.1 Those wishing to consult the original need Drexel MS 4357, No. 32 (used by Spink) or Bodleian Library MS Mus.b.l.f.21. for ‘In a maiden-time professed’ (The Witch II.i.l25ff.) and Drexel MS 4175. Liiii (used by Spink) or Fitzwilliam MU.MS.782 for ‘Come away’ (The Witch III.iii.39ff.). Spink’s use of Drexel as his copy text has recently been criticised by Nicholas Brooke in Appendix B of his edition of Macbeth (p. 225). Both songs and music which was possibly used for the witches’ dance called for at V.ii.82 are reproduced in La Musique de scène de la troupe de Shakespeare The King’s Men sous le règne de Jacques 1er, ed. John Cutts (revised ed. 1971). ‘Come away, Hecate!’ appears on a CD disc published by Virgin Classics (Veritas) entitled Shakespeare’s Lutenist: Theatre Music by Robert Johnson (VC 7593212).

In a maiden time profess’d

JOHN WILSON

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3. Whilst the world continued good,

People lov’d for flesh and blood;

Men about them bore the dart

That would catch a woman’s heart.

Women likewise, great and small,

With a pretty thing they call

Cunny, cunny, won the men;

And this was all the Cupid then.

Come Away, Hecate!

Quickly, and in free rhythm

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Notes

2–3 Long … Blackfriars See Introduction, p. xxiv.

5 Ravenna a token location given the details of London life, the use of a Scottish accent in II.i and the MS reference to Urbin at V.iii.54

13 fantastical foppish in attire

14 GASPERO sometimes called Gasper

17 DUCHESS called Rosamund in Machiavelli but here called Amoretta so that the joke of II.ii will work