82 of yours of your peace

83 her herself

[Act IV,] Scene ii

5 vow-making i.e. the betrothal between Isabella and Sebastian

12–20 Sebastian is arguing that a full marriage service would only be an earthly witness to the more important heavenly union which he and Isabella have already been through in their betrothal.

17 least i.e. the earthly marriage service

22 s.d. two lines earlier in MS

25 she Isabella

26 him Antonio

27 this Florida

she ed. (he MS) MS confuses his/her at IV.iii.36, so this emendation is plausible and it helps to make sense of an otherwise incomprehensible narrative: who would the ‘he’ be? If the ‘she’ is read as Isabella the meaning is that Isabella will ’compound’ with Florida and so will already be half-convinced of the truth of Sebastian’s allegations.

compound bargain, agree

29 carriage management

34 garden-side gate

betimes in good time

35 Closely See II.iii.4.

take take my place in

lodging Isabella’s bedchamber. This results in Florida being stabbed by Antonio

because of Francisca’s plot.

42 market custom as prostitute

43 you … neither don’t waste time

44 Cf. Francisca’s plot, IV.iii.34.

45 mainly with force, vigour, violence. Cf. Tilley S 714: ‘Of a little spark a great fire’.

59 feed ed. (feele MS)

69 ladyship As an aristocrat Isabella is not used to being called by the lower-class title of ‘gentlewoman’.

79 on’s of his

82 This confirms that Isabella has been talking with Florida.

90 disease disturb

92 first love This is the audience’s first hint of the trick Antonio played on Isabella.

98 this i.e. the rape

109 affect feel affection for

117 Cf. Tilley M 298: ‘Man proposes, God disposes’.

Act IV Scene iii

0 s.d. chamber bedchamber. Subsequent action makes clear this must be ‘above’.

1 time the time he said he would arrive

5–6 Once Isabella is publicly dishonoured, no-one will believe her word, so Francisca will have nothing to fear from Isabella telling tales.

8 betimes early

sleights as in ‘sleight of hand’

9 resolved convinced, certain

11 but except for

14 In … metal in kind

16 cries by means of his snores

disease discomfort

18 spiced i.e. drugged

posset See I.ii.85n. This recalls the preparations for the murder of Duncan in Macbeth.

21 him Gaspero

22 throw’t attempt, have a fling at the trick she is about to practise on Gaspero

25 rise i.e. sexually. See also ‘stir’ in 1. 28.

36 his MS corrects the original ‘his’ to ‘her’ but 11. 33–4 make it clear that it is Gaspero’s absence from his bed that Francisca wants to be noticed. I therefore restore the original MS reading.

lodging bedchamber

37–8 Here’s… more These lines are spoken in Gaspero’s bedchamber, so his absence appears to confirm his guilt.

40 FLORIDA ed. (fra. MS) I reject the MS wording as this would make nonsense of Francisca’s plot.

43 spoiled destroyed, killed

44 s.d. Antonio can enter anywhere around the beginning of this speech; for theatrical effect it seems best to get him on quickly.

45 house of falsehood hell

54 Cf. Macbeth I.vii. 1.

56–7 Come… too ed. (one line in MS)