Thomas Kyd - The Spanish Tragedy


ACT I
REVENGE. Then know, Andrea, that thou art arrived
Where thou shalt see the author of thy death,
Don Balthazar the prince of Portingale,
Deprived of life by Bel-imperia.
Here sit we down to see the mystery,
And serve for Chorus in this tragedy.
*************************************************

BEL-IMPERIA. Signior Horatio, this is the place and hour
Wherein I must entreat thee to relate
The circumstances of Don Andrea’s death,
Who, living, was my garland’s sweetest flower,
And in his death hath buried my delights.

HORATIO. For love of him and service to yourself,
I nill refuse this heavy doleful charge,
Yet tears and sighs, I fear, will hinder me>
When both our armies were enjoined in fight,
Your worthy chevalier amidst the thick’st,
For glorious cause still aiming at the fairest,
Was at the last by young Don Balthazar
Encountered hand to hand. Their fight was long,
Their strength alike, their strokes both dangerous.
Envying wrathful Nemesis,* that wicked power,
Cut short his life to end his praise and worth
She, she herself, disguised in armour’s mask
(As Pallas was before proud Pergamus),
Brought in a fresh supply of haldberdiers,*
Which paunched* his horse and dinged* him to the ground.
Then young Don Balthazar with ruthless rage,
Taking advantage of his foe’s distress,
Did finish what haldberdiers begun,
And left not till Andrea’s life was done.

BEL-IMPERIA. […] how can love find harbour in my breast
Till I revenge the death of my beloved?
Yes, second love shall further my revenge.
I’ll love Horatio, my Andrea’s friend,
The more to spite the prince that wrought his end.


*Nemesis - a personification of the gods’ resentment at insolence against themselves.
*haldberdiers - soldiers bearing long-handled bladed spears.
*paunched - stabbed in the belly.
*dinged - hurled, struck.
*************************************************

ACT II
BALTHAZAR. […] Yet might she love me as her brother’s friend;
Ay, but her hopes aim at some other end.
Yet might she love me to uprear her state;*
Ay, but perhaps she hopes some nobler mate.
Yet might she love me as her beauty’s thrall;*
Ay, but I fear she cannot love at all.

LORENZO. My lord, for my sake leave these ecstasies,
And doubt not but we’ll find some remedy.
Some cause there is that lets you not be loved;
First that must needs be known and then removed.
What if my sister love some other knight?

Enter Pedringano.
LORENZO. Then, Pedringano, this is my demand:
Whom loves my sister Bel-imperia?
For she reposeth all her trust in thee.
Speak, man, and gain both friendship and reward.
I mean, whom loves she in Andrea’s place?

PEDRINGANO. Alas, my lord, since Don Andrea’s death
I have no credit with her as before,
And therefore know not if she love or no.

LORENZO. Nay, if thou dally then I am thy foe,
Draw his sword.
And fear shall force what friendship cannot win.
Thy death shall bury what thy life conceals;
Thou diest for more esteeming her than me.

PEDRINGANO. O stay, my lord!

LORENZO. Yet speak the truth and I will guerdon thee,
And shield thee from whatever can ensue,
And will conceal whate’er proceeds from thee;
But if thou dally once again, thou diest.

PEDRINGANO. If Madam Bel-imperia be in love –

LORENZO. What, villain, ifs and ands?
Offer to kill him.

PEDRINGANO. O stay my lord, she loves Horatio.
*************************************************

HORATIO. Now that the night begins with sable wings
To overcloud the brightness of the sun,
And that in darkness pleasures may be done,
Come, Bel-imperia, let us to the bower,
And there in safety pass a pleasant hour.

BEL-IMPERIA. I follow thee, my love, and will not back,
Although my fainting heart controls my soul.

HORATIO. Why, make you doubt of Pedringano’s faith?

BEL-IMPERIA. No, he is as trusty as my second self.
Go, Pedringano, watch without* the gate.
And let us know if any make approach.

PEDRINGANO. [Aside.] Instead of watching, I’ll deserve more
gold
By fetching Don Lorenzo to this match.*
Exit Pedringano.

HORATIO. What means my love?

BEL-IMPERIA. I know not what, myself;
And yet my heart foretells me some mischance.

HORATIO. Sweet, say not so; fair fortune is our friend,
And heavens have shut up day to pleasure us.
The stars, thou sees, hold back their twinkling shine,
And Luna hides herself to pleasure us.

BEL-IMPERIA. Thou hast prevailed; I’ll conquer my misdoubt,
And in thy love and counsel drown my fear.
I fear no more; love now is all my thoughts.
Why sit we not? For pleasure asketh ease.

[…] Who’s there? Pedringano! We are betrayed!

Enter Lorenzo, Balthazar, Serberine, Pedringano, all disguised.
LORENZO. My lord, away with her, take her aside.
O sir, forbear, your valour is already tried.
Quickly dispatch, my masters.
They hang him in the arbour.

HORATIO. What, will your murder me?

LORENZO. Ay, thus, and thus! These are the fruits of love.
They stab him.

BEL-IMPERIA. O, save his life and let me die for him!
O, save him, brother, save him, Balthazar.
I loved Horatio, but he loved not me.

BALTHAZAR. But Balthazar loves Bel-imperia.

LORENZO. Although his life were still ambitious proud,
Yet is he at the highest now he is dead.

BEL-IMPERIA. Murder! Murder! Help, Hieronimo, help!

LORENZO. Come, stop her mouth. Away with her.
Exeunt, leaving Horatio’s body.

Enter Hieronomo
HIERONIMO. [...] A man hanged up and all the murderers gone,
And in my bower, to lay the guilt on me?
This place was made for pleasure not for death.
He cuts him down.
Those garments that he wears I oft have seen –
Alas, it is Horatio, my sweet son!
O, was it thou that call’dst me from my bed?
O speak, if any spark of life remain.
I am thy father. Who hath slain my son?
What savage monster, not of human kind,
Hath here been glutted with harmless blood,
And left thy bloody corpse dishonoured here,
For me amidst this dark and deathful shades
To drown thee with an ocean of my tears?

Enter Isabella.
HIERONIMO. Here, Isabella, help me to lament,
For sighs are stopped, and all my tears are spent.

ISABELLA. What world of grief – My son Horatio!
O, where’s the author of this endless woe?

HIERONIMO. To know the author were* some ease of grief,
For in revenge my heart would find relief.
*************************************************

ANDREA. Brought’st thou me hither to increase my pain?
I looked that Balthazar should have been slain,
But ’tis my friend Horatio that is slain,
And they abuse fair Bel-imperia,
On whom I doted more than all the world.

REVENGE. Thou talk’st of harvest when the corn is green.
The end is crown of every work well done;
The sickle comes not till the corn be ripe.
Be still, and ere I lead thee from this place
I’ll show thee Balthazar in heavy case.


*uprear her state - raise her social rank.
*as her beauty’s thrall - as one who is made captive by her beauty.
*without - outside.
*match - meeting.
*were - would be.
*************************************************

ACT III
HIERONIMO. O eyes, no eyes, but fountains fraught with tears!
O life, no life, but lively form of death!
O world, no world, but mass of public wrongs,
Confused and filled with murder and misdeeds!
[…]
A letter falleth.
What’s here? A letter? Tush, it is not so!
A letter written to Hieronimo!
Red ink.
‘For want of ink, receive this bloody writ.
Me hath my hapless brother hid from thee;
Revenge thyself on Balthazar and him,
For these were they that murdered thy son.
Hieronimo, revenge Horatio’s death,
And better fare than Bel-imperia doth.’
What means this unexpected miracle?
My son slain by Lorenzo and the prince!
*************************************************

HIERONIMO. [Pretending.][…] I’ll be friends with you all,
Specially with you, my lovely lord.
For divers causes it is fit for us
That we be friends; the world is suspicious,
And men may think what we imagine not.

BALTHAZAR. Why, this is friendly done, Hieronimo.

LORENZO. And thus, I hope, old grudges are forgot.

HIERONIMO. What else?* It were a shame it should not be so.


*What else? - But of course.
*************************************************

ANDREA. Awake, Revenge, for thou art ill-advised
To sleep; awake! What, thou art warned to watch!*

REVENGE. Content thyself, and do not trouble me.

ANDREA. Awake, Revenge, if love, as love hath had,
Have yet the power or prevalence in hell!
Hieronimo with Lorenzo is joined in league
And intercepts our passage to revenge.
Awake, Revenge, or we are woe-begone!

REVENGE. Thus worldlings ground, what they have dreamed,
upon.
Content thyself, Andrea; though I sleep,
Yet is my mood soliciting their souls.
Sufficeth thee that poor Hieronimo
Cannot forget his son Horatio.
Nor dies Revenge, although he sleep awhile,
For in unquiet, quietness is feigned,
And slumb’ring is a common worldly wile.


*thou art warned to watch - now is a time to be on guard and alert.



VOCABULARY:
arbour – altana
bower – altana
charge – [of sth] oskarżenie, zarzut
circumstances – okoliczności
to conceal – /hide/ ukryć, schować
counsel – /advice/ rada
to dally – /linger/ ociągać się, marudzić
to be deprived of – być pozbawionym czegoś
to dispatch – uwinąć się szybko z czymś
distress – ból, cierpienie,
to be in distress - odczuwać ból, cierpieć
doleful – smętny
to encounter – spotkać się; zmierzyć się
to entreat – błagać, usilnie prosić,
to entreat sb to do sth - błagać kogoś, żeby coś zrobił
to esteem – /admire/ szanować, poważać
feigned – udawany
foe – /enemy/ wróg
fortune – /destiny/ los, fortuna
to be fraught with sth – być najeżonym/ wypełnionym czymś
garland – girlanda, wianek
grief – /sorrow/ żal
grudge – uraza,
to bear sb a grudge - mieć komuś coś za złe
hand to hand – wręcz,
a hand-to-hand fight - walka wręcz
harbour – port, przystań; schronienie
to hinder – przeszkadzać, utrudniać
to hurl – rzucić, ciskać
to intercept – przechwycić, zatrzymać
mischance – /bad luck/ pech,
by mischance - fatalnym zrządzeniem losu
misdeed – występek, zły uczynek
mystery – tajemnica
to prevail – zwyciężyć, brać górę nad kimś/ czymś
rage – /anger/ wściekłość; /fit of anger/ napad szału
remedy – /cure/ lekarstwo; /solution/ rozwiązanie
revenge – zemsta,
take revenge on sb for sth - zemścić się na kimś za coś
ruthless – bezwzględny, bezlitosny
sable – sobolowy (czarny)
savage – brutalny; okrutny
to shield sb from sth – ochraniać kogoś przed czymś
sickle – sierp
to slay – zabić, zamordować
to solicit – zwrócić się z prośbą
spark of life – iskra życia
to spite sb – zrobić komuś na złość
stroke – uderzenie, cios
to take advantage of – skorzystać z czegoś, wykorzystać
to twinkle – migotać, błyszczeć, skrzyć się
valour – męstwo, dzielność, waleczność
villain – drań, łajdak, łotr
wicked – niegodziwy, podły; haniebny
woe – /sorrow/ żałość, niedola
woebegone – nieszczęsny
worldly – ziemski, życiowy
worthy – godny, szlachetny
wrathful – rozgniewany; gniewny
writ – nakaz (sądowy)


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