Original Text |
Translated Text |
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter Posthumus and Philario. POSTHUMUS Fear it not, sir. I would I were so sure To win the King as I am bold her honor Will remain hers. PHILARIO What means do you make to him? POSTHUMUS Not any, but abide the change of time, 5 Quake in the present winter’s state, and wish That warmer days would come. In these feared hopes I barely gratify your love; they failing, I must die much your debtor. 10 PHILARIO Your very goodness and your company O’erpays all I can do. By this, your king Hath heard of great Augustus. Caius Lucius Will do ’s commission throughly. And I think He’ll grant the tribute, send th’ arrearages, 15 Or look upon our Romans, whose remembrance Is yet fresh in their grief. POSTHUMUS I do believe, Statist though I am none nor like to be, That this will prove a war; and you shall hear 20 The legion now in Gallia sooner landed In our not-fearing Britain than have tidings Of any penny tribute paid. Our countrymen Are men more ordered than when Julius Caesar Smiled at their lack of skill but found their courage 25 Worthy his frowning at. Their discipline, Now wingèd with their courages, will make known To their approvers they are people such That mend upon the world. | Welcome back to Rome. Posthumus and Philario are discussing politics. Cymbeline was supposed to pay a tribute (as in money, not a nice speech) to the Romans. The two countries have worked out a system where Britain pays Rome so they don't go to war. Cymbeline hasn't paid up yet. |
Enter Iachimo. PHILARIO See, Iachimo! 30 POSTHUMUS The swiftest harts have posted you by land, And winds of all the corners kissed your sails To make your vessel nimble. PHILARIO Welcome, sir. POSTHUMUS I hope the briefness of your answer made 35 The speediness of your return. | But who can think about politics when there's news of Imogen? Iachimo is back from his little adventure, and he's about to catch these guys up. Posthumus is sure that Iachimo's swift return means he was unsuccessful with Imogen. |
IACHIMO Your lady Is one of the fairest that I have looked upon. POSTHUMUS And therewithal the best, or let her beauty Look thorough a casement to allure false hearts 40 And be false with them. IACHIMO, handing him a paper Here are letters for you. POSTHUMUS Their tenor good, I trust. IACHIMO ’Tis very like. Posthumus reads the letter. PHILARIO Was Caius Lucius in the Briton court 45 When you were there? IACHIMO He was expected then, but not approached. POSTHUMUS All is well yet. Sparkles this stone as it was wont, or is ’t not Too dull for your good wearing? 50 He indicates his ring. IACHIMO If I have lost it, I should have lost the worth of it in gold. I’ll make a journey twice as far t’ enjoy A second night of such sweet shortness which Was mine in Britain, for the ring is won. 55 POSTHUMUS The stone’s too hard to come by. IACHIMO Not a whit, Your lady being so easy. POSTHUMUS Make not, sir, Your loss your sport. I hope you know that we 60 Must not continue friends. IACHIMO Good sir, we must, If you keep covenant. Had I not brought The knowledge of your mistress home, I grant We were to question farther; but I now 65 Profess myself the winner of her honor, Together with your ring, and not the wronger Of her or you, having proceeded but By both your wills. POSTHUMUS If you can make ’t apparent 70 That you have tasted her in bed, my hand And ring is yours. If not, the foul opinion You had of her pure honor gains or loses Your sword or mine, or masterless leave both To who shall find them. 75 | Iachimo tells him his bride is the fairest of them all. Then he says he slept with Imogen and won the bet. But Posthumus has more faith in Imogen than that. He doesn't believe Iachimo for one minute. |
IACHIMO Sir, my circumstances, Being so near the truth as I will make them, Must first induce you to believe; whose strength I will confirm with oath, which I doubt not You’ll give me leave to spare when you shall find 80 You need it not. POSTHUMUS Proceed. IACHIMO First, her bedchamber— Where I confess I slept not, but profess Had that was well worth watching—it was hanged 85 With tapestry of silk and silver, the story Proud Cleopatra when she met her Roman And Cydnus swelled above the banks, or for The press of boats or pride. A piece of work So bravely done, so rich, that it did strive 90 In workmanship and value, which I wondered Could be so rarely and exactly wrought Since the true life on ’t was— POSTHUMUS This is true, And this you might have heard of here, by me 95 Or by some other. IACHIMO More particulars Must justify my knowledge. POSTHUMUS So they must, Or do your honor injury. 100 IACHIMO The chimney Is south the chamber, and the chimney-piece Chaste Dian bathing. Never saw I figures So likely to report themselves; the cutter Was as another Nature, dumb, outwent her, 105 Motion and breath left out. POSTHUMUS This is a thing Which you might from relation likewise reap, Being, as it is, much spoke of. IACHIMO The roof o’ th’ chamber 110 With golden cherubins is fretted. Her andirons— I had forgot them—were two winking Cupids Of silver, each on one foot standing, nicely Depending on their brands. POSTHUMUS This is her honor? 115 Let it be granted you have seen all this—and praise Be given to your remembrance—the description Of what is in her chamber nothing saves The wager you have laid. | So Iachimo describes Imogen's bedchamber in detail. He doesn't leave anything out.
Posthumus still refuses to believe Iachimo. That proves nothing, he says; Iachimo might have heard those particulars from him or from someone else. It doesn't mean Imogen cheated on him. |
IACHIMO Then if you can 120 Be pale, I beg but leave to air this jewel. See— He shows the bracelet. And now ’tis up again. It must be married To that your diamond. I’ll keep them. POSTHUMUS Jove! Once more let me behold it. Is it that 125 Which I left with her? IACHIMO Sir, I thank her, that. She stripped it from her arm. I see her yet. Her pretty action did outsell her gift And yet enriched it too. She gave it me 130 And said she prized it once. POSTHUMUS Maybe she plucked it off To send it me. IACHIMO She writes so to you, doth she? | Iachimo brings in the heavy artillery: he shows Posthumus the bracelet. |
POSTHUMUS O, no, no, no, ’tis true. Here, take this too. 135 He gives Iachimo the ring.It is a basilisk unto mine eye, Kills me to look on ’t. Let there be no honor Where there is beauty, truth where semblance, love Where there’s another man. The vows of women Of no more bondage be to where they are made 140 Than they are to their virtues, which is nothing. O, above measure false! | Posthumus is ready to hand over the ring. He still can't believe his dear Imogen would do this to him, especially with nasty Iachimo, but he can't think of how else this dude could have nabbed the bracelet. |
PHILARIO Have patience, sir, And take your ring again. ’Tis not yet won. It may be probable she lost it; or 145 Who knows if one her women, being corrupted, Hath stol’n it from her. POSTHUMUS Very true, And so I hope he came by ’t.—Back, my ring! He takes back the ring. Render to me some corporal sign about her 150 More evident than this, for this was stol’n. IACHIMO By Jupiter, I had it from her arm. POSTHUMUS Hark you, he swears! By Jupiter he swears. ’Tis true—nay, keep the ring—’tis true. He holds out the ring. I am sure 155 She would not lose it. Her attendants are All sworn and honorable. They induced to steal it? And by a stranger? No, he hath enjoyed her. The cognizance of her incontinency Is this. She hath bought the name of whore thus 160 dearly. There, take thy hire, and all the fiends of hell Divide themselves between you! He gives the ring to Iachimo. PHILARIO Sir, be patient. This is not strong enough to be believed 165 Of one persuaded well of. POSTHUMUS Never talk on ’t. She hath been colted by him. | Posthumus goes through all the scenarios but can't come up with one that makes sense. Imogen wears it everywhere—even her maids know she loves that bracelet. She wouldn't part with it.
So Posthumus finally believes Iachimo. Philario says the bracelet isn't proof enough: it could have been stolen. (Ahem. It was.) |
IACHIMO If you seek For further satisfying, under her breast, 170 Worthy the pressing, lies a mole, right proud Of that most delicate lodging. By my life, I kissed it, and it gave me present hunger To feed again, though full. You do remember This stain upon her? 175 POSTHUMUS Ay, and it doth confirm Another stain as big as hell can hold, Were there no more but it. IACHIMO Will you hear more? POSTHUMUS Spare your arithmetic; 180 Never count the turns. Once, and a million! IACHIMO I’ll be sworn— POSTHUMUS No swearing. If you will swear you have not done ’t, you lie, And I will kill thee if thou dost deny 185 Thou ’st made me cuckold. IACHIMO I’ll deny nothing. POSTHUMUS O, that I had her here, to tear her limb-meal! I will go there and do ’t i’ th’ court, before Her father. I’ll do something. He exits. 190 PHILARIO Quite beside The government of patience. You have won. Let’s follow him and pervert the present wrath He hath against himself. IACHIMO With all my heart. 195 They exit. | Then Iachimo delivers the fatal blow: did he mention that Imogen has a mole on her breast? He kissed it when he was with her. Posthumus hands over the ring. |
Scene 5Enter Posthumus. POSTHUMUS Is there no way for men to be, but women Must be half-workers? We are all bastards, And that most venerable man which I Did call my father was I know not where When I was stamped. Some coiner with his tools 5 Made me a counterfeit; yet my mother seemed The Dian of that time; so doth my wife The nonpareil of this. O, vengeance, vengeance! Me of my lawful pleasure she restrained And prayed me oft forbearance; did it with 10 A pudency so rosy the sweet view on ’t Might well have warmed old Saturn, that I thought her As chaste as unsunned snow. O, all the devils! This yellow Iachimo in an hour, was ’t not? 15 Or less? At first? Perchance he spoke not, but, Like a full-acorned boar, a German one, Cried “O!” and mounted; found no opposition But what he looked for should oppose and she Should from encounter guard. Could I find out 20 The woman’s part in me—for there’s no motion That tends to vice in man but I affirm It is the woman’s part: be it lying, note it, The woman’s; flattering, hers; deceiving, hers; Lust and rank thoughts, hers, hers; revenges, hers; 25 Ambitions, covetings, change of prides, disdain, Nice longing, slanders, mutability, All faults that have a name, nay, that hell knows, Why, hers, in part or all, but rather all. For even to vice 30 They are not constant, but are changing still One vice but of a minute old for one Not half so old as that. I’ll write against them, Detest them, curse them. Yet ’tis greater skill In a true hate to pray they have their will; 35 The very devils cannot plague them better. He exits. | [Note: In the Folger's edition, from here to the bottom of the page is Scene 5.] Posthumus curses all women everywhere. Every evil and cruel thing men do
can be traced back to women, he says. How can women be so charming when
they're always just deceiving men? |