MACBETH

William Shakespeare

Plot Overview

CONTEXT
CHARACTER LIST
The play begins with the brief appearance of a trio of witches and then moves to a military
camp, where the Scottish King Duncan hears the news that his generals, Macbeth and Banquo,
have defeated two separate invading armiesone from Ireland, led by the rebel Macdonwald,
and one from Norway. Following their pitched battle with these enemy forces, Macbeth and
Banquo encounter the witches as they cross a moor. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will
be made thane (a rank of Scottish nobility) of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. They also
prophesy that Macbeths companion, Banquo, will beget a line of Scottish kings, although
Banquo will never be king himself. The witches vanish, and Macbeth and Banquo treat their
prophecies skeptically until some of King Duncans men come to thank the two generals for
their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth that he has indeed been named thane of Cawdor.
The previous thane betrayed Scotland by fighting for the Norwegians and Duncan has
condemned him to death. Macbeth is intrigued by the possibility that the remainder of the
witches prophecythat he will be crowned kingmight be true, but he is uncertain what to
expect. He visits with King Duncan, and they plan to dine together at Inverness, Macbeths
castle, that night. Macbeth writes ahead to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her all that has
happened.
Lady Macbeth suffers none of her husbands uncertainty. She desires the kingship for him and
wants him to murder Duncan in order to obtain it. When Macbeth arrives at Inverness, she
overrides all of her husbands objections and persuades him to kill the king that very night. He
and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncans two chamberlains drunk so they will black out; the next
morning they will blame the murder on the chamberlains, who will be defenseless, as they will
remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him, despite his doubts and a

number of supernatural portents, including a vision of a bloody dagger. When Duncans death is
discovered the next morning, Macbeth kills the chamberlainsostensibly out of rage at their
crimeand easily assumes the kingship. Duncans sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England
and Ireland, respectively, fearing that whoever killed Duncan desires their demise as well.
Fearful of the witches prophecy that Banquos heirs will seize the throne, Macbeth hires a
group of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. They ambush Banquo on his way to a
royal feast, but they fail to kill Fleance, who escapes into the night. Macbeth becomes furious:
as long as Fleance is alive, he fears that his power remains insecure. At the feast that night,
Banquos ghost visits Macbeth. When he sees the ghost, Macbeth raves fearfully, startling his
guests, who include most of the great Scottish nobility. Lady Macbeth tries to neutralize the
damage, but Macbeths kingship incites increasing resistance from his nobles and subjects.
Frightened, Macbeth goes to visit the witches in their cavern. There, they show him a sequence
of demons and spirits who present him with further prophecies: he must beware of Macduff, a
Scottish nobleman who opposed Macbeths accession to the throne; he is incapable of being
harmed by any man born of woman; and he will be safe until Birnam Wood comes to
Dunsinane Castle. Macbeth is relieved and feels secure, because he knows that all men are
born of women and that forests cannot move. When he learns that Macduff has fled to England
to join Malcolm, Macbeth orders that Macduffs castle be seized and, most cruelly, that Lady
Macduff and her children be murdered.
When news of his familys execution reaches Macduff in England, he is stricken with grief and
vows revenge. Prince Malcolm, Duncans son, has succeeded in raising an army in England, and
Macduff joins him as he rides to Scotland to challenge Macbeths forces. The invasion has the
support of the Scottish nobles, who are appalled and frightened by Macbeths tyrannical and
murderous behavior. Lady Macbeth, meanwhile, becomes plagued with fits of sleepwalking in
which she bemoans what she believes to be bloodstains on her hands. Before Macbeths
opponents arrive, Macbeth receives news that she has killed herself, causing him to sink into a
deep and pessimistic despair. Nevertheless, he awaits the English and fortifies Dunsinane, to
which he seems to have withdrawn in order to defend himself, certain that the witches
prophecies guarantee his invincibility. He is struck numb with fear, however, when he learns
that the English army is advancing on Dunsinane shielded with boughs cut from Birnam Wood.
Birnam Wood is indeed coming to Dunsinane, fulfilling half of the witches prophecy.
In the battle, Macbeth hews violently, but the English forces gradually overwhelm his army and
castle. On the battlefield, Macbeth encounters the vengeful Macduff, who declares that he was

not of woman born but was instead untimely ripped from his mothers womb (what we
now call birth by cesarean section). Though he realizes that he is doomed, Macbeth continues
to fight until Macduff kills and beheads him. Malcolm, now the King of Scotland, declares his
benevolent intentions for the country and invites all to see him crowned at Scone.

HAMLET
William Shakespeare

Plot Overview

CONTEXT
CHARACTER LIST
On a dark winter night, a ghost walks the ramparts of Elsinore Castle in Denmark. Discovered
first by a pair of watchmen, then by the scholar Horatio, the ghost resembles the recently
deceased King Hamlet, whose brother Claudius has inherited the throne and married the kings
widow, Queen Gertrude. When Horatio and the watchmen bring Prince Hamlet, the son of
Gertrude and the dead king, to see the ghost, it speaks to him, declaring ominously that it is
indeed his fathers spirit, and that he was murdered by none other than Claudius. Ordering
Hamlet to seek revenge on the man who usurped his throne and married his wife, the ghost
disappears with the dawn.
Prince Hamlet devotes himself to avenging his fathers death, but, because he is contemplative
and thoughtful by nature, he delays, entering into a deep melancholy and even apparent
madness. Claudius and Gertrude worry about the princes erratic behavior and attempt to
discover its cause. They employ a pair of Hamlets friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to
watch him. When Polonius, the pompous Lord Chamberlain, suggests that Hamlet may be mad
with love for his daughter, Ophelia, Claudius agrees to spy on Hamlet in conversation with the
girl. But though Hamlet certainly seems mad, he does not seem to love Ophelia: he orders her
to enter a nunnery and declares that he wishes to ban marriages.

A group of traveling actors comes to Elsinore, and Hamlet seizes upon an idea to test his uncles
guilt. He will have the players perform a scene closely resembling the sequence by which
Hamlet imagines his uncle to have murdered his father, so that if Claudius is guilty, he will
surely react. When the moment of the murder arrives in the theater, Claudius leaps up and
leaves the room. Hamlet and Horatio agree that this proves his guilt. Hamlet goes to kill
Claudius but finds him praying. Since he believes that killing Claudius while in prayer would
send Claudiuss soul to heaven, Hamlet considers that it would be an inadequate revenge and
decides to wait. Claudius, now frightened of Hamlets madness and fearing for his own safety,
orders that Hamlet be sent to England at once.
Hamlet goes to confront his mother, in whose bedchamber Polonius has hidden behind a
tapestry. Hearing a noise from behind the tapestry, Hamlet believes the king is hiding there. He
draws his sword and stabs through the fabric, killing Polonius. For this crime, he is immediately
dispatched to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. However, Claudiuss plan for Hamlet
includes more than banishment, as he has given Rosencrantz and Guildenstern sealed orders
for the King of England demanding that Hamlet be put to death.
In the aftermath of her fathers death, Ophelia goes mad with grief and drowns in the river.
Poloniuss son, Laertes, who has been staying in France, returns to Denmark in a rage. Claudius
convinces him that Hamlet is to blame for his fathers and sisters deaths. When Horatio and
the king receive letters from Hamlet indicating that the prince has returned to Denmark after
pirates attacked his ship en route to England, Claudius concocts a plan to use Laertes desire for
revenge to secure Hamlets death. Laertes will fence with Hamlet in innocent sport, but
Claudius will poison Laertes blade so that if he draws blood, Hamlet will die. As a backup plan,
the king decides to poison a goblet, which he will give Hamlet to drink should Hamlet score the
first or second hits of the match. Hamlet returns to the vicinity of Elsinore just as Ophelias
funeral is taking place. Stricken with grief, he attacks Laertes and declares that he had in fact
always loved Ophelia. Back at the castle, he tells Horatio that he believes one must be prepared
to die, since death can come at any moment. A foolish courtier named Osric arrives on
Claudiuss orders to arrange the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes.
The sword-fighting begins. Hamlet scores the first hit, but declines to drink from the kings
proffered goblet. Instead, Gertrude takes a drink from it and is swiftly killed by the poison.
Laertes succeeds in wounding Hamlet, though Hamlet does not die of the poison immediately.
First, Laertes is cut by his own swords blade, and, after revealing to Hamlet that Claudius is
responsible for the queens death, he dies from the blades poison. Hamlet then stabs Claudius

through with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink down the rest of the poisoned wine.
Claudius dies, and Hamlet dies immediately after achieving his revenge.
At this moment, a Norwegian prince named Fortinbras, who has led an army to Denmark and
attacked Poland earlier in the play, enters with ambassadors from England, who report that
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Fortinbras is stunned by the gruesome sight of the
entire royal family lying sprawled on the floor dead. He moves to take power of the kingdom.
Horatio, fulfilling Hamlets last request, tells him Hamlets tragic story. Fortinbras orders that
Hamlet be carried away in a manner befitting a fallen soldier.

RICHARD II
William Shakespeare

Summary

CONTEXT
CHARACTERS
Richard II, written around 1595, is the first play in Shakespeare's second "history tetralogy," a
series of four plays that chronicles the rise of the house of Lancaster to the British throne. (Its
sequel plays are Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2, and Henry V.) Richard II, set around the year 1398, traces
the fall from power of the last king of the house of Plantagenet, Richard II, and his replacement
by the first Lancaster king, Henry IV (Henry Bolingbroke). Richard II, who ascended to the
throne as a young man, is a regal and stately figure, but he is wasteful in his spending habits,
unwise in his choice of counselors, and detached from his country and its common people. He
spends too much of his time pursuing the latest Italian fashions, spending money on his close
friends, and raising taxes to fund his pet wars in Ireland and elsewhere. When he begins to
"rent out" parcels of English land to certain wealthy noblemen in order to raise funds for one of
his wars, and seizes the lands and money of a recently deceased and much respected uncle to
help fill his coffers, both the commoners and the king's noblemen decide that Richard has gone
too far.

Richard has a cousin, named Henry Bolingbroke, who is a great favorite among the English
commoners. Early in the play, Richard exiles him from England for six years due to an
unresolved dispute over an earlier political murder. The dead uncle whose lands Richard seizes
was the father of Bolingbroke; when Bolingbroke learns that Richard has stolen what should
have been his inheritance, it is the straw that breaks the camel's back. When Richard unwisely
departs to pursue a war in Ireland, Bolingbroke assembles an army and invades the north coast
of England in his absence. The commoners, fond of Bolingbroke and angry at Richard's
mismanagement of the country, welcome his invasion and join his forces. One by one, Richard's
allies in the nobility desert him and defect to Bolingbroke's side as Bolingbroke marches
through England. By the time Richard returns from Ireland, he has already lost his grasp on his
country.
There is never an actual battle; instead, Bolingbroke peacefully takes Richard prisoner in Wales
and brings him back to London, where Bolingbroke is crowned King Henry IV. Richard is
imprisoned in the remote castle of Pomfret in the north of England, where he is left to ruminate
upon his downfall. There, an assassin, who both is and is not acting upon King Henry's
ambivalent wishes for Richard's expedient death, murders the former king. King Henry
hypocritically repudiates the murderer and vows to journey to Jerusalem to cleanse himself of
his part in Richard's death. As the play concludes, we see that the reign of the new King Henry
IV has started off inauspiciously.

JULIUS CAESAR
William Shakespeare

Plot Overview

CONTEXT
CHARACTER LIST
Two tribunes, Flavius and Murellus, find scores of Roman citizens wandering the streets,
neglecting their work in order to watch Julius Caesars triumphal parade: Caesar has defeated
the sons of the deceased Roman general Pompey, his archrival, in battle. The tribunes scold the

citizens for abandoning their duties and remove decorations from Caesars statues. Caesar
enters with his entourage, including the military and political figures Brutus, Cassius, and
Antony. A Soothsayer calls out to Caesar to beware the Ides of March, but Caesar ignores him
and proceeds with his victory celebration (I.ii.19, I.ii.25).
Cassius and Brutus, both longtime intimates of Caesar and each other, converse. Cassius tells
Brutus that he has seemed distant lately; Brutus replies that he has been at war with himself.
Cassius states that he wishes Brutus could see himself as others see him, for then Brutus would
realize how honored and respected he is. Brutus says that he fears that the people want Caesar
to become king, which would overturn the republic. Cassius concurs that Caesar is treated like a
god though he is merely a man, no better than Brutus or Cassius. Cassius recalls incidents of
Caesars physical weakness and marvels that this fallible man has become so powerful. He
blames his and Brutuss lack of will for allowing Caesars rise to power: surely the rise of such a
man cannot be the work of fate. Brutus considers Cassiuss words as Caesar returns. Upon
seeing Cassius, Caesar tells Antony that he deeply distrusts Cassius.
Caesar departs, and another politician, Casca, tells Brutus and Cassius that, during the
celebration, Antony offered the crown to Caesar three times and the people cheered, but
Caesar refused it each time. He reports that Caesar then fell to the ground and had some kind
of seizure before the crowd; his demonstration of weakness, however, did not alter the
plebeians devotion to him. Brutus goes home to consider Cassiuss words regarding Caesars
poor qualifications to rule, while Cassius hatches a plot to draw Brutus into a conspiracy against
Caesar.
That night, Rome is plagued with violent weather and a variety of bad omens and portents.
Brutus finds letters in his house apparently written by Roman citizens worried that Caesar has
become too powerful. The letters have in fact been forged and planted by Cassius, who knows
that if Brutus believes it is the peoples will, he will support a plot to remove Caesar from
power. A committed supporter of the republic, Brutus fears the possibility of a dictator-led
empire, worrying that the populace would lose its voice. Cassius arrives at Brutuss home with
his conspirators, and Brutus, who has already been won over by the letters, takes control of the
meeting. The men agree to lure Caesar from his house and kill him. Cassius wants to kill Antony
too, for Antony will surely try to hinder their plans, but Brutus disagrees, believing that too
many deaths will render their plot too bloody and dishonor them. Having agreed to spare
Antony, the conspirators depart. Portia, Brutuss wife, observes that Brutus appears
preoccupied. She pleads with him to confide in her, but he rebuffs her.

Caesar prepares to go to the Senate. His wife, Calpurnia, begs him not to go, describing recent
nightmares she has had in which a statue of Caesar streamed with blood and smiling men
bathed their hands in the blood. Caesar refuses to yield to fear and insists on going about his
daily business. Finally, Calpurnia convinces him to stay homeif not out of caution, then as a
favor to her. But Decius, one of the conspirators, then arrives and convinces Caesar that
Calpurnia has misinterpreted her dreams and the recent omens. Caesar departs for the Senate
in the company of the conspirators.
As Caesar proceeds through the streets toward the Senate, the Soothsayer again tries but fails
to get his attention. The citizen Artemidorus hands him a letter warning him about the
conspirators, but Caesar refuses to read it, saying that his closest personal concerns are his last
priority. At the Senate, the conspirators speak to Caesar, bowing at his feet and encircling him.
One by one, they stab him to death. When Caesar sees his dear friend Brutus among his
murderers, he gives up his struggle and dies.

The murderers bathe their hands and swords in Caesars blood, thus bringing Calpurnias
premonition to fruition. Antony, having been led away on a false pretext, returns and pledges
allegiance to Brutus but weeps over Caesars body. He shakes hands with the conspirators, thus
marking them all as guilty while appearing to make a gesture of conciliation. When Antony asks
why they killed Caesar, Brutus replies that he will explain their purpose in a funeral oration.
Antony asks to be allowed to speak over the body as well; Brutus grants his permission, though
Cassius remains suspicious of Antony. The conspirators depart, and Antony, alone now, swears
that Caesars death shall be avenged.
Brutus and Cassius go to the Forum to speak to the public. Cassius exits to address another part
of the crowd. Brutus declares to the masses that though he loved Caesar, he loves Rome more,
and Caesars ambition posed a danger to Roman liberty. The speech placates the crowd. Antony
appears with Caesars body, and Brutus departs after turning the pulpit over to Antony.
Repeatedly referring to Brutus as an honorable man, Antonys speech becomes increasingly
sarcastic; questioning the claims that Brutus made in his speech that Caesar acted only out of
ambition, Antony points out that Caesar brought much wealth and glory to Rome, and three
times turned down offers of the crown. Antony then produces Caesars will but announces that
he will not read it for it would upset the people inordinately. The crowd nevertheless begs him
to read the will, so he descends from the pulpit to stand next to Caesars body. He describes
Caesars horrible death and shows Caesars wounded body to the crowd. He then reads

Caesars will, which bequeaths a sum of money to every citizen and orders that his private
gardens be made public. The crowd becomes enraged that this generous man lies dead; calling
Brutus and Cassius traitors, the masses set off to drive them from the city.
Meanwhile, Caesars adopted son and appointed successor, Octavius, arrives in Rome and
forms a three-person coalition with Antony and Lepidus. They prepare to fight Cassius and
Brutus, who have been driven into exile and are raising armies outside the city. At the
conspirators camp, Brutus and Cassius have a heated argument regarding matters of money
and honor, but they ultimately reconcile. Brutus reveals that he is sick with grief, for in his
absence Portia has killed herself. The two continue to prepare for battle with Antony and
Octavius. That night, the Ghost of Caesar appears to Brutus, announcing that Brutus will meet
him again on the battlefield.
Octavius and Antony march their army toward Brutus and Cassius. Antony tells Octavius where
to attack, but Octavius says that he will make his own orders; he is already asserting his
authority as the heir of Caesar and the next ruler of Rome. The opposing generals meet on the
battlefield and exchange insults before beginning combat.
Cassius witnesses his own men fleeing and hears that Brutuss men are not performing
effectively. Cassius sends one of his men, Pindarus, to see how matters are progressing. From
afar, Pindarus sees one of their leaders, Cassiuss best friend, Titinius, being surrounded by
cheering troops and concludes that he has been captured. Cassius despairs and orders Pindarus
to kill him with his own sword. He dies proclaiming that Caesar is avenged. Titinius himself then
arrivesthe men encircling him were actually his comrades, cheering a victory he had earned.
Titinius sees Cassiuss corpse and, mourning the death of his friend, kills himself.
Brutus learns of the deaths of Cassius and Titinius with a heavy heart, and prepares to take on
the Romans again. When his army loses, doom appears imminent. Brutus asks one of his men
to hold his sword while he impales himself on it. Finally, Caesar can rest satisfied, he says as he
dies. Octavius and Antony arrive. Antony speaks over Brutuss body, calling him the noblest
Roman of all. While the other conspirators acted out of envy and ambition, he observes, Brutus
genuinely believed that he acted for the benefit of Rome. Octavius orders that Brutus be buried
in the most honorable way. The men then depart to celebrate their victory

MEASURE FOR MEASURE

William Shakespeare

Overall Summary

CONTEXT
CHARACTERS
Shakespeare's Measure for Measure centers around the fate of Claudio, who is arrested by Lord
Angelo, the temporary leader of Vienna. Angelo is left in charge by the Duke, who pretends to
leave town but instead dresses as a friar to observe the goings-on in his absence. Angelo is
strict, moralistic, and unwavering in his decision-making; he decides that there is too much
freedom in Vienna and takes it upon himself to rid the city of brothels and unlawful sexual
activity. Laws against these behaviors and institutions already exist, and Angelo simply decides
to enforce them more strictly. Claudio is arrested for impregnating Juliet, his lover, before they
were married. Although they were engaged and their sexual intercourse was consensual,
Claudio is sentenced to death in order to serve as an example to the other Viennese citizens.
Isabella, Claudio's sister, is about to enter a nunnery when her brother is arrested. She is
unfailingly virtuous, religious, and chaste. When she hears of her brother's arrest, she goes to
Angelo to beg him for mercy. He refuses, but suggests that there might be some way to change
his mind. When he propositions her, saying that he will let Claudio live if she agrees to have
sexual intercourse with him, she is shocked and immediately refuses. Her brother agrees at first
but then changes his mind. Isabella is left to contemplate a very important decision.
Isabella is, in a way, let off the hook when the Duke, dressed as a friar, intervenes. He tells her
that Angelo's former lover, Mariana, was engaged to be married to him, but he abandoned her
when she lost her dowry in a shipwreck. The Duke forms a plan by which Isabella will agree to
have sex with the Angelo, but then Mariana will go in her place. The next morning, Angelo will
pardon Claudio and be forced to marry Mariana according to the law.
Everything goes according to plan, except that Angelo does not pardon Claudio, fearing
revenge. The provost and the Duke send him the head of a dead pirate, claiming that it
belonged to Claudio, and Angelo believes that his orders were carried out. Isabella is told that

her brother is dead, and that she should submit a complaint to the Duke, who is due to arrive
shortly, accusing Angelo of immoral acts.
The Duke returns in his usual clothes, saying that he will hear all grievances immediately.
Isabella tells her story, and the Duke pretends not to believe her. Eventually, the Duke reveals
his dual identity, and everyone is forced to be honest. Angelo confesses to his misdeeds,
Claudio is pardoned, and the Duke asks Isabella to marry him.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

William Shakespeare

Plot Overview

CONTEXT
CHARACTER LIST
Antonio, a Venetian merchant, complains to his friends of a melancholy that he cannot explain.
His friend Bassanio is desperately in need of money to court Portia, a wealthy heiress who lives
in the city of Belmont. Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan in order to travel in style to Portias
estate. Antonio agrees, but is unable to make the loan himself because his own money is all
invested in a number of trade ships that are still at sea. Antonio suggests that Bassanio secure
the loan from one of the citys moneylenders and name Antonio as the loans guarantor. In
Belmont, Portia expresses sadness over the terms of her fathers will, which stipulates that she
must marry the man who correctly chooses one of three caskets. None of Portias current
suitors are to her liking, and she and her lady-in-waiting, Nerissa, fondly remember a visit paid
some time before by Bassanio.
In Venice, Antonio and Bassanio approach Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, for a loan. Shylock
nurses a long-standing grudge against Antonio, who has made a habit of berating Shylock and

other Jews for their usury, the practice of loaning money at exorbitant rates of interest, and
who undermines their business by offering interest-free loans. Although Antonio refuses to
apologize for his behavior, Shylock acts agreeably and offers to lend Bassanio three thousand
ducats with no interest. Shylock adds, however, that should the loan go unpaid, Shylock will be
entitled to a pound of Antonios own flesh. Despite Bassanios warnings, Antonio agrees. In
Shylocks own household, his servant Launcelot decides to leave Shylocks service to work for
Bassanio, and Shylocks daughter Jessica schemes to elope with Antonios friend Lorenzo. That
night, the streets of Venice fill up with revelers, and Jessica escapes with Lorenzo by dressing as
his page. After a night of celebration, Bassanio and his friend Gratiano leave for Belmont, where
Bassanio intends to win Portias hand.
In Belmont, Portia welcomes the prince of Morocco, who has come in an attempt to choose the
right casket to marry her. The prince studies the inscriptions on the three caskets and chooses
the gold one, which proves to be an incorrect choice. In Venice, Shylock is furious to find that
his daughter has run away, but rejoices in the fact that Antonios ships are rumored to have
been wrecked and that he will soon be able to claim his debt. In Belmont, the prince of Arragon
also visits Portia. He, too, studies the caskets carefully, but he picks the silver one, which is also
incorrect. Bassanio arrives at Portias estate, and they declare their love for one another.
Despite Portias request that he wait before choosing, Bassanio immediately picks the correct
casket, which is made of lead. He and Portia rejoice, and Gratiano confesses that he has fallen
in love with Nerissa. The couples decide on a double wedding. Portia gives Bassanio a ring as a
token of love, and makes him swear that under no circumstances will he part with it. They are
joined, unexpectedly, by Lorenzo and Jessica. The celebration, however, is cut short by the
news that Antonio has indeed lost his ships, and that he has forfeited his bond to Shylock.
Bassanio and Gratiano immediately travel to Venice to try and save Antonios life. After they
leave, Portia tells Nerissa that they will go to Venice disguised as men.
Shylock ignores the many pleas to spare Antonios life, and a trial is called to decide the matter.
The duke of Venice, who presides over the trial, announces that he has sent for a legal expert,
who turns out to be Portia disguised as a young man of law. Portia asks Shylock to show mercy,
but he remains inflexible and insists the pound of flesh is rightfully his. Bassanio offers Shylock
twice the money due him, but Shylock insists on collecting the bond as it is written. Portia
examines the contract and, finding it legally binding, declares that Shylock is entitled to the
merchants flesh. Shylock ecstatically praises her wisdom, but as he is on the verge of collecting
his due, Portia reminds him that he must do so without causing Antonio to bleed, as the
contract does not entitle him to any blood. Trapped by this logic, Shylock hastily agrees to take

Bassanios money instead, but Portia insists that Shylock take his bond as written, or nothing at
all. Portia informs Shylock that he is guilty of conspiring against the life of a Venetian citizen,
which means he must turn over half of his property to the state and the other half to Antonio.
The duke spares Shylocks life and takes a fine instead of Shylocks property. Antonio also
forgoes his half of Shylocks wealth on two conditions: first, Shylock must convert to
Christianity, and second, he must will the entirety of his estate to Lorenzo and Jessica upon his
death. Shylock agrees and takes his leave.
Bassanio, who does not see through Portias disguise, showers the young law clerk with thanks,
and is eventually pressured into giving Portia the ring with which he promised never to part.
Gratiano gives Nerissa, who is disguised as Portias clerk, his ring. The two women return to
Belmont, where they find Lorenzo and Jessica declaring their love to each other under the
moonlight. When Bassanio and Gratiano arrive the next day, their wives accuse them of
faithlessly giving their rings to other women. Before the deception goes too far, however, Portia
reveals that she was, in fact, the law clerk, and both she and Nerissa reconcile with their
husbands. Lorenzo and Jessica are pleased to learn of their inheritance from Shylock, and the
joyful news arrives that Antonios ships have in fact made it back safely. The group celebrates
its good fortune.

AS YOU LIKE IT
William Shakespeare

Plot Overview

CONTEXT
CHARACTER LIST
Sir Rowland de Bois has recently died, and, according to the custom of primogeniture, the vast
majority of his estate has passed into the possession of his eldest son, Oliver. Although Sir
Rowland has instructed Oliver to take good care of his brother, Orlando, Oliver refuses to do so.

Out of pure spite, he denies Orlando the education, training, and property befitting a
gentleman. Charles, a wrestler from the court of Duke Frederick, arrives to warn Oliver of a
rumor that Orlando will challenge Charles to a fight on the following day. Fearing censure if he
should beat a nobleman, Charles begs Oliver to intervene, but Oliver convinces the wrestler
that Orlando is a dishonorable sportsman who will take whatever dastardly means necessary to
win. Charles vows to pummel Orlando, which delights Oliver.
Duke Senior has been usurped of his throne by his brother, Duke Frederick, and has fled to the
Forest of Ardenne, where he lives like Robin Hood with a band of loyal followers. Duke
Frederick allows Seniors daughter, Rosalind, to remain at court because of her inseparable
friendship with his own daughter, Celia. The day arrives when Orlando is scheduled to fight
Charles, and the women witness Orlandos defeat of the court wrestler. Orlando and Rosalind
instantly fall in love with one another, though Rosalind keeps this fact a secret from everyone
but Celia. Orlando returns home from the wrestling match, only to have his faithful servant
Adam warn him about Olivers plot against Orlandos life. Orlando decides to leave for the
safety of Ardenne. Without warning, Duke Frederick has a change of heart regarding Rosalind
and banishes her from court. She, too, decides to flee to the Forest of Ardenne and leaves with
Celia, who cannot bear to be without Rosalind, and Touchstone, the court jester. To ensure the
safety of their journey, Rosalind assumes the dress of a young man and takes the name
Ganymede, while Celia dresses as a common shepherdess and calls herself Aliena.
Duke Frederick is furious at his daughters disappearance. When he learns that the flight of his
daughter and niece coincides with the disappearance of Orlando, the duke orders Oliver to lead
the manhunt, threatening to confiscate Olivers lands and property should he fail. Frederick also
decides it is time to destroy his brother once and for all and begins to raise an army.
Duke Senior lives in the Forest of Ardenne with a band of lords who have gone into voluntary
exile. He praises the simple life among the trees, happy to be absent from the machinations of
court life. Orlando, exhausted by travel and desperate to find food for his starving companion,
Adam, barges in on the dukes camp and rudely demands that they not eat until he is given
food. Duke Senior calms Orlando and, when he learns that the young man is the son of his dear
former friend, accepts him into his company. Meanwhile, Rosalind and Celia, disguised as
Ganymede and Aliena, arrive in the forest and meet a lovesick young shepherd named Silvius
who pines away for the disdainful Phoebe. The two women purchase a modest cottage, and
soon enough Rosalind runs into the equally lovesick Orlando. Taking her to be a young man,
Orlando confides in Rosalind that his affections are overpowering him. Rosalind, as Ganymede,

claims to be an expert in exorcising such emotions and promises to cure Orlando of

lovesickness if he agrees to pretend that Ganymede is Rosalind and promises to come woo her
every day. Orlando agrees, and the love lessons begin.
Meanwhile, Phoebe becomes increasingly cruel in her rejection of Silvius. When Rosalind
intervenes, disguised as Ganymede, Phoebe falls hopelessly in love with Ganymede. One day,
Orlando fails to show up for his tutorial with Ganymede. Rosalind, reacting to her infatuation
with Orlando, is distraught until Oliver appears. Oliver describes how Orlando stumbled upon
him in the forest and saved him from being devoured by a hungry lioness. Oliver and Celia, still
disguised as the shepherdess Aliena, fall instantly in love and agree to marry. As time passes,
Phoebe becomes increasingly insistent in her pursuit of Ganymede, and Orlando grows tired of
pretending that a boy is his dear Rosalind. Rosalind decides to end the charade. She promises
that Ganymede will wed Phoebe, if Ganymede will ever marry a woman, and she makes
everyone pledge to meet the next day at the wedding. They all agree.
The day of the wedding arrives, and Rosalind gathers the various couples: Phoebe and Silvius;
Celia and Oliver; Touchstone and Audrey, a goatherd he intends to marry; and Orlando. The
group congregates before Duke Senior and his men. Rosalind, still disguised as Ganymede,
reminds the lovers of their various vows, then secures a promise from Phoebe that if for some
reason she refuses to marry Ganymede she will marry Silvius, and a promise from the duke that
he would allow his daughter to marry Orlando if she were available. Rosalind leaves with the
disguised Celia, and the two soon return as themselves, accompanied by Hymen, the god of
marriage. Hymen officiates at the ceremony and marries Rosalind and Orlando, Celia and
Oliver, Phoebe and Silvius, and Audrey and Touchstone. The festive wedding celebration is
interrupted by even more festive news: while marching with his army to attack Duke Senior,
Duke Frederick came upon a holy man who convinced him to put aside his worldly concerns and
assume a monastic life. -Frederick changes his ways and returns the throne to Duke Senior. The
guests continue dancing, happy in the knowledge that they will soon return to the royal court.

THE TEMPEST
William Shakespeare


Plot Overview

CONTEXT
CHARACTER LIST
A storm strikes a ship carrying Alonso, Ferdinand, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Stephano, and
Trinculo, who are on their way to Italy after coming from the wedding of Alonsos daughter,
Claribel, to the prince of Tunis in Africa. The royal party and the other mariners, with the
exception of the unflappable Boatswain, begin to fear for their lives. Lightning cracks, and the
mariners cry that the ship has been hit. Everyone prepares to sink.
The next scene begins much more quietly. Miranda and Prospero stand on the shore of their
island, looking out to sea at the recent shipwreck. Miranda asks her father to do anything he
can to help the poor souls in the ship. Prospero assures her that everything is all right and then
informs her that it is time she learned more about herself and her past. He reveals to her that
he orchestrated the shipwreck and tells her the lengthy story of her past, a story he has often
started to tell her before but never finished. The story goes that Prospero was the Duke of
Milan until his brother Antonio, conspiring with Alonso, the King of Naples, usurped his
position. Kidnapped and left to die on a raft at sea, Prospero and his daughter survive because
Gonzalo leaves them supplies and Prosperos books, which are the source of his magic and
power. Prospero and his daughter arrived on the island where they remain now and have been
for twelve years. Only now, Prospero says, has Fortune at last sent his enemies his way, and he
has raised the tempest in order to make things right with them once and for all.
After telling this story, Prospero charms Miranda to sleep and then calls forth his familiar spirit
Ariel, his chief magical agent. Prospero and Ariels discussion reveals that Ariel brought the
tempest upon the ship and set fire to the mast. He then made sure that everyone got safely to
the island, though they are now separated from each other into small groups. Ariel, who is a
captive servant to Prospero, reminds his master that he has promised Ariel freedom a year
early if he performs tasks such as these without complaint. Prospero chastises Ariel for
protesting and reminds him of the horrible fate from which he was rescued. Before Prospero
came to the island, a witch named Sycorax imprisoned Ariel in a tree. Sycorax died, leaving Ariel
trapped until Prospero arrived and freed him. After Ariel assures Prospero that he knows his

place, Prospero orders Ariel to take the shape of a sea nymph and make himself invisible to all
but Prospero.
Miranda awakens from her sleep, and she and Prospero go to visit Caliban, Prosperos servant
and the son of the dead Sycorax. Caliban curses Prospero, and Prospero and Miranda berate
him for being ungrateful for what they have given and taught him. Prospero sends Caliban to
fetch firewood. Ariel, invisible, enters playing music and leading in the awed Ferdinand.
Miranda and Ferdinand are immediately smitten with each other. He is the only man Miranda
has ever seen, besides Caliban and her father. Prospero is happy to see that his plan for his
daughters future marriage is working, but decides that he must upset things temporarily in
order to prevent their relationship from developing too quickly. He accuses Ferdinand of merely
pretending to be the Prince of Naples and threatens him with imprisonment. When Ferdinand
draws his sword, Prospero charms him and leads him off to prison, ignoring Mirandas cries for
mercy. He then sends Ariel on another mysterious mission.
On another part of the island, Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, and other miscellaneous
lords give thanks for their safety but worry about the fate of Ferdinand. Alonso says that he
wishes he never had married his daughter to the prince of Tunis because if he had not made
this journey, his son would still be alive. Gonzalo tries to maintain high spirits by discussing the
beauty of the island, but his remarks are undercut by the sarcastic sourness of Antonio and
Sebastian. Ariel appears, invisible, and plays music that puts all but Sebastian and Antonio to
sleep. These two then begin to discuss the possible advantages of killing their sleeping
companions. Antonio persuades Sebastian that the latter will become ruler of Naples if they kill
Alonso. Claribel, who would be the next heir if Ferdinand were indeed dead, is too far away to
be able to claim her right. Sebastian is convinced, and the two are about to stab the sleeping
men when Ariel causes Gonzalo to wake with a shout. Everyone wakes up, and Antonio and
Sebastian concoct a ridiculous story about having drawn their swords to protect the king from
lions. Ariel goes back to Prospero while Alonso and his party continue to search for Ferdinand.
Caliban, meanwhile, is hauling wood for Prospero when he sees Trinculo and thinks he is a spirit
sent by Prospero to torment him. He lies down and hides under his cloak. A storm is brewing,
and Trinculo, curious about but undeterred by Calibans strange appearance and smell, crawls
under the cloak with him. Stephano, drunk and singing, comes along and stumbles upon the
bizarre spectacle of Caliban and Trinculo huddled under the cloak. Caliban, hearing the singing,
cries out that he will work faster so long as the spirits leave him alone. Stephano decides that
this monster requires liquor and attempts to get Caliban to drink. Trinculo recognizes his friend

Stephano and calls out to him. Soon the three are sitting up together and drinking. Caliban
quickly becomes an enthusiastic drinker, and begins to sing.
Prospero puts Ferdinand to work hauling wood. Ferdinand finds his labor pleasant because it is
for Mirandas sake. Miranda, thinking that her father is asleep, tells Ferdinand to take a break.
The two flirt with one another. Miranda proposes marriage, and Ferdinand accepts. Prospero
has been on stage most of the time, unseen, and he is pleased with this development.
Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban are now drunk and raucous and are made all the more so by
Ariel, who comes to them invisibly and provokes them to fight with one another by
impersonating their voices and taunting them. Caliban grows more and more fervent in his
boasts that he knows how to kill Prospero. He even tells Stephano that he can bring him to
where Prospero is sleeping. He proposes that they kill Prospero, take his daughter, and set
Stephano up as king of the island. Stephano thinks this a good plan, and the three prepare to
set off to find Prospero. They are distracted, however, by the sound of music that Ariel plays on
his flute and tabor-drum, and they decide to follow this music before executing their plot.
Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian, and Antonio grow weary from traveling and pause to rest. Antonio
and Sebastian secretly plot to take advantage of Alonso and Gonzalos exhaustion, deciding to
kill them in the evening. Prospero, probably on the balcony of the stage and invisible to the
men, causes a banquet to be set out by strangely shaped spirits. As the men prepare to eat,
Ariel appears like a harpy and causes the banquet to vanish. He then accuses the men of
supplanting Prospero and says that it was for this sin that Alonsos son, Ferdinand, has been
taken. He vanishes, leaving Alonso feeling vexed and guilty.
Prospero now softens toward Ferdinand and welcomes him into his family as the soon-to-behusband of Miranda. He sternly reminds Ferdinand, however, that Mirandas virgin-knot
(IV.i.1 5 ) is not to be broken until the wedding has been officially solemnized. Prospero then
asks Ariel to call forth some spirits to perform a masque for Ferdinand and Miranda. The spirits
assume the shapes of Ceres, Juno, and Iris and perform a short masque celebrating the rites of
marriage and the bounty of the earth. A dance of reapers and nymphs follows but is interrupted
when Prospero suddenly remembers that he still must stop the plot against his life.
He sends the spirits away and asks Ariel about Trinculo, Stephano, and Caliban. Ariel tells his
master of the three mens drunken plans. He also tells how he led the men with his music
through prickly grass and briars and finally into a filthy pond near Prosperos cell. Ariel and

Prospero then set a trap by hanging beautiful clothing in Prosperos cell. Stephano, Trinculo,
and Caliban enter looking for Prospero and, finding the beautiful clothing, decide to steal it.
They are immediately set upon by a pack of spirits in the shape of dogs and hounds, driven on
by Prospero and Ariel.
Prospero uses Ariel to bring Alonso and the others before him. He then sends Ariel to bring the
Boatswain and the mariners from where they sleep on the wrecked ship. Prospero confronts
Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian with their treachery, but tells them that he forgives them.
Alonso tells him of having lost Ferdinand in the tempest and Prospero says that he recently lost
his own daughter. Clarifying his meaning, he draws aside a curtain to reveal Ferdinand and
Miranda playing chess. Alonso and his companions are amazed by the miracle of Ferdinands
survival, and Miranda is stunned by the sight of people unlike any she has seen before.
Ferdinand tells his father about his marriage.
Ariel returns with the Boatswain and mariners. The Boatswain tells a story of having been
awakened from a sleep that had apparently lasted since the tempest. At Prosperos bidding,
Ariel releases Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano, who then enter wearing their stolen clothing.
Prospero and Alonso command them to return it and to clean up Prosperos cell. Prospero
invites Alonso and the others to stay for the night so that he can tell them the tale of his life in
the past twelve years. After this, the group plans to return to Italy. Prospero, restored to his
dukedom, will retire to Milan. Prospero gives Ariel one final taskto make sure the seas are
calm for the return voyagebefore setting him free. Finally, Prospero delivers an epilogue to
the audience, asking them to forgive him for his wrongdoing and set him free by applauding.

SHAKESPEARES SONNETS
William Shakespeare

Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summers day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summers lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or natures changing course untrimmd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderst in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Summary
The speaker opens the poem with a question addressed to the beloved: Shall I compare thee
to a summers day? The next eleven lines are devoted to such a comparison. In line 2 , the
speaker stipulates what mainly differentiates the young man from the summers day: he is
more lovely and more temperate. Summers days tend toward extremes: they are shaken by
rough winds; in them, the sun (the eye of heaven) often shines too hot, or too dim. And
summer is fleeting: its date is too short, and it leads to the withering of autumn, as every fair
from fair sometime declines. The final quatrain of the sonnet tells how the beloved differs
from the summer in that respect: his beauty will last forever (Thy eternal summer shall not
fade...) and never die. In the couplet, the speaker explains how the beloveds beauty will
accomplish this feat, and not perish because it is preserved in the poem, which will last forever;
it will live as long as men can breathe or eyes can see.
Commentary
This sonnet is certainly the most famous in the sequence of Shakespeares sonnets; it may be
the most famous lyric poem in English. Among Shakespeares works, only lines such as To be

or not to be and Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? are better-known. This is not
to say that it is at all the best or most interesting or most beautiful of the sonnets; but the
simplicity and loveliness of its praise of the beloved has guaranteed its place.
On the surface, the poem is simply a statement of praise about the beauty of the beloved;
summer tends to unpleasant extremes of windiness and heat, but the beloved is always mild
and temperate. Summer is incidentally personified as the eye of heaven with its gold
complexion; the imagery throughout is simple and unaffected, with the darling buds of May
giving way to the eternal summer, which the speaker promises the beloved. The language,
too, is comparatively unadorned for the sonnets; it is not heavy with alliteration or assonance,
and nearly every line is its own self-contained clausealmost every line ends with some
punctuation, which effects a pause.
Sonnet 1 8 is the first poem in the sonnets not to explicitly encourage the young man to have
children. The procreation sequence of the first 1 7 sonnets ended with the speakers
realization that the young man might not need children to preserve his beauty; he could also
live, the speaker writes at the end of Sonnet 1 7 , in my rhyme. Sonnet 18 , then, is the first
rhymethe speakers first attempt to preserve the young mans beauty for all time. An
important theme of the sonnet (as it is an important theme throughout much of the sequence)
is the power of the speakers poem to defy time and last forever, carrying the beauty of the
beloved down to future generations. The beloveds eternal summer shall not fade precisely
because it is embodied in the sonnet: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, the
speaker writes in the couplet, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Sonnets
No Fear Shakespeare

SONNET 29

ORIGINAL TEXT

MODERN TEXT

When in disgrace with fortune and mens

eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heav'n with my bootless
cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends
possessed,
Desiring this mans art, and that mans
scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost
despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heavens
gate.
For thy sweet love remembered such
wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state
with kings.

When Im in disgrace with everyone and my luck

has deserted me, I sit all alone and cry about
the fact that Im an outcast, and bother God
with useless cries, which fall on deaf ears, and
look at myself and curse my fate, wishing that I
had more to hope for, wishing I had this mans
good looks and that mans friends, this mans
skills and that mans opportunities, and totally
dissatisfied with the things I usually enjoy the
most. Yet, as Im thinking these thoughts and
almost hating myself, I happen to think about
you, and then my condition improveslike a
lark at daybreak rising up and leaving the earth
far behind to sing hymns to God. For when I
remember your sweet love, I feel so wealthy
that Id refuse to change places even with kings.

SONNET 30
ORIGINAL TEXT

MODERN TEXT

When to the sessions of sweet silent

thought
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear times
waste.
Then can I drown an eye unused to flow,
For precious friends hid in deaths dateless
night,
And weep afresh loves long since cancelled

When I sit alone in silence and remember the

past, I get depressed about all the things I dont
have that I once strived for, and I add to old
griefs new tears for all the valuable time Ive
wasted. Then I can drown my eyes, which are
not usually wet from crying, in tears for
precious friends who are dead, and I can weep
again for hurts in loves that are long since over
and moan about the loss of many things Ill
never see again. Then I can grieve about

woe,
And moan th' expense of many a vanished
sight.
Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,
And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er
The sad account of fore-bemoand moan,
Which I new pay as if not paid before.
But if the while I think on thee, dear
friend,
All losses are restored, and sorrows
end.

grievances I had let go of and sadly recount

each woe that Id already cried about in the
past, feeling the pain all over again, as if I
hadnt suffered over these things already. But if
I think about you, my dear friend, while Im
doing all of this, I get back everything Id lost,
and all my sorrows end.

Sonnets
No Fear Shakespeare

SONNET 73

ORIGINAL TEXT

MODERN TEXT

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do
hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the
cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet
birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take
away,
Deaths second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou seest the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the deathbed whereon it must expire

When you look at me, you can see an image of

those times of year when the leaves are yellow
or have fallen, or when the trees have no leaves
at all and the bare branches where the sweet
birds recently sang shiver in anticipation of the
cold. In me you can see the twilight that
remains after the sunset fades in the west,
which by and by is replaced by black night, the
twin of death, which closes up everyone in
eternal rest. In me you can see the remains of a
fire still glowing atop the ashes of its early
stages, as if it lay on its own deathbed, on which
it has to burn out, consuming what used to fuel
it. You see all these things, and they make your
love stronger, because you love even more

Consumed with that which it was nourished

by.
This thou perceivst, which makes thy
love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave
ere long.

what you know youll lose before long.

Sonnets

SONNET 15

ORIGINAL TEXT

MODERN TEXT

When I consider every thing that grows

Holds in perfection but a little moment;
That this huge stage presenteth nought but
shows
Whereon the stars in secret influence
commnt;
When I perceive that men as plants
increase,
Cheerd and checked ev'n by the self-same
sky,
Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height
decrease,
And wear their brave state out of memory;
Then the conceit of this inconstant stay
Sets you, most rich in youth, before my
sight,
Where wasteful time debateth with decay,
To change your day of youth to sullied
night;
And all in war with time for love of you,
As he takes from you, I engraft you
new.

When I think about the fact that every living

thing is perfect only for a brief time, that the
whole world is one big stage on which the stars
secretly control the action; when I see that men
grow like plants, encouraged and then thwarted
by the same sky, exulting in their youthful vigor
and then declining just when theyre at their
height, vanishing until their glory is no longer
even remembered; when I think about the
whole worlds instabilitythen I think of you, a
youth enjoying so many of natures rich gifts. In
my mind, I see time and decay debating with
each other about how to corrupt your sunny
youth, how to convert it to old age and night.
Out of love for you, I wage war against time: As
he takes away your youth, I continually recreate
you in these poems.

SONNET 71

ORIGINAL TEXT

MODERN TEXT

No longer mourn for me when I am dead

Than you shall hear the surly sullen bell
Give warning to the world that I am fled
From this vile world with vildest worms to
dwell:
Nay, if you read this line, remember not
The hand that writ it, for I love you so
That I in your sweet thoughts would be
forgot,
If thinking on me then should make you
woe.
O if, I say, you look upon this verse
When I perhaps compounded am with clay,
Do not so much as my poor name rehearse,
But let your love even with my life decay,
Lest the wise world should look into
your moan
And mock you with me after I am gone.

When I am dead, mourn for me only as long as

you hear the funeral bell telling the world that
Ive left this vile world to go live with the vile
worms. No, if you read this line, dont
remember who wrote it, because I love you so
much that Id rather you forgot me than
thought about me and became sad. Im telling
you, if you look at this poem when Im, say,
dissolved in the earth, dont so much as utter
my name but let your love die with me.
Otherwise, the world, in all its wisdom, will
investigate why youre sad and use me to mock
you, now that I am gone.

SONNET 116
ORIGINAL TEXT

MODERN TEXT

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no, it is an ever-fixd mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worths unknown, although his

I hope I may never acknowledge any reason

why minds that truly love each other shouldnt
be joined together. Love isnt really love if it
changes when it sees the beloved change or if it
disappears when the beloved leaves. Oh no,
love is a constant and unchanging light that
shines on storms without being shaken; it is the
star that guides every wandering boat. And like

height be taken.
Loves not times fool, though rosy lips and
cheeks
Within his bending sickles compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and
weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

a star, its value is beyond measure, though its

height can be measured. Love is not under
times power, though time has the power to
destroy rosy lips and cheeks. Love does not
alter with the passage of brief hours and weeks,
but lasts until Doomsday. If Im wrong about
this and can be proven wrong, I never wrote,
and no man ever loved.

SONNET 129

ORIGINAL TEXT

MODERN TEXT

Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame

Is lust in action, and till action, lust
Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of
blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,
Enjoyed no sooner but despisd straight,
Past reason hunted, and no sooner had,
Past reason hated as a swallowed bait
On purpose laid to make the taker mad;
Mad in pursuit, and in possession so,
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe;
Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.
All this the world well knows, yet none
knows well
To shun the heaven that leads men to
this hell.

Sex is a way of squandering vital energy while

incurring shame. In anticipation of sex, lust
makes people murderous, violent,
blameworthy, savage, extreme, rude, cruel, and
untrustworthy. No sooner do people enjoy sex
than they immediately despise it. They go to
absurd lengths in its pursuit only to hate it out
of all proportion once theyve had it, insisting it
was put in their path on purpose to make them
crazy. Theyre extreme when theyre pursuing
sex, extreme when theyre having it, and
extreme once theyve had it. Its blissful while
youre doing it and, once youre done, a true
sorrow. While youre anticipating it, it seems
like a joy; afterward, like a bad dream. The
world knows all this very well, yet no one knows
enough to avoid the heavenly experience that
leads us to this hell.

SONNET 138

ORIGINAL TEXT

MODERN TEXT

When my love swears that she is made of

truth
I do believe her, though I know she lies,
That she might think me some untutored
youth
Unlearnd in the worlds false subtleties.
Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me
young,
Although she knows my days are past the
best,
Simply I credit her false speaking tongue;
On both sides thus is simple truth
suppressed.
But wherefore says she not she is unjust?
And wherefore say not I that I am old?
O loves best habit is in seeming trust,
And age in love loves not t' have years told.
Therefore I lie with her, and she with
me,
And in our faults by lies we flattered be.

When my mistress swears that shes completely

truthful, I believe her even though I know she
lies, so that shell think that Im some nave
young man whos ignorant about the world and
the tricks people play. I pretend to stupidly
believe her lies while fooling myself into
thinking that she thinks Im young, even though
she knows Im past my prime. In this way, both
of us suppress the simple truth. But why doesnt
she say shes a liar? And why dont I say that Im
old? Oh, because its easiest to love someone
who seems to be trustworthy, and old people
who are in love hate to hear their age discussed.
Therefore, I sleep with her, and she sleeps with
me, and we both flatter ourselves by lying about
each others faults.