I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before my time 20
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable
That dogs bark at me, as I halt by them;
Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace, 24
Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to see my shadow in the sun
And descant on mine own deformity:
And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, 28
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
I am determined to prove a villain,
And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous, 32
By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams,
To set my brother Clarence and the king
In deadly hate the one against the other:
And if King Edward be as true and just 36
As I am subtle, false, and treacherous,
This day should Clarence closely be mew'd up,
About a prophecy, which says that G
Of Edward's heirs the murtherer shall be. 40
Dive, thoughts, down to my soul: here Clarence comes.
Enter Clarence and Brakenbury, guarded.
Brother, good day: what means this armed guard
That waits upon your Grace?
Clar. His majesty,
18 fair proportion: goodly form
19 feature; cf. n.
dissembling; cf. n.
21 breathing: living
22 unfashionable: unfashionably
23 halt: limp
24 weak piping time; cf. n.
27 descant: comment
29 fair . . . days; cf. n.
30 villain; cf. n.
31 idle: trifling
32 inductions: initial steps in an undertaking
33 drunken prophecies; cf. n.
36 true and just; cf. n.
38 mew'd: cooped
39 About: because of; cf. n.
43 His majesty; cf. n.
