With all th' applause and clamour of the host, My gentle Marcius, worthy Caius, and By deed-achieving honour newly nam'd, What is it? Coriolanus must I call thee ?—Ibid., ii. 1. A little of that worthy work perform'd By Caius Marcius Coriolanus; whom We meet here, both to thank, and to remember With honours like himself —Ibid., ii. 2. Sit, Coriolanus; never shame to hear What you have nobly done.-Ibid., ii. 2. A fearful army, led by Caius Marcius, To his surname, Coriolanus, 'longs more pride How. naturally sometimes the old familiar name, sometimes the honourably gained added name, is used in the above passages! Do you know this noble gentleman, Edmund ?—Lear, i. 1. My most dear Gloster!-Ibid., iv. 2. Lord Edmund spake not with your lord at home?—Ibid., iv. 5. And give the letters, which thou find'st about me, To Edmund, Earl of Gloster.—Ibid., iv. 6. In each of the above-quoted instances the variation of form in name and title is made with dramatically appropriate effect. One Michael Cassio, a Florentine.-Oth., i. 1. Good Michael, look you to the guard to-night.-Ibid., ii. 3. Come, lieutenant, I have a stoop of wine.-Ibid., ii. 3. Now, 'mongst this flock of drunkards, Am I to put our Cassio in some action How comes it, Michael, you are thus forgot?—Ibid., ii. 3. Cassio, I love thee; But never more be officer of mine.-Oth., ii. 3. Admirably are the above differences of appellation made to conduce to dramatic purpose. Iago speaks of his brother officer first by his full name to Roderigo; later on he speaks of him sneeringly as "our Cassio," but he addresses him by the title of "lieutenant," which so excites his own secret envy. And even still more marked is the mode in which Othello familiarly and affectionately calls his favourite subaltern by his Christian name 'Michael," before the young man's transgression, but never afterwards. 66 Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed.-Ant. & C., ii. 2. Why, Enobarbus, when Antony found Julius Cæsar dead.—Ibid., iii. 2. More, Domitius; my lord desires you presently.—Ibid., iii. 5. He will not fight with me, Domitius.-Ibid., iv. 2. Shakespeare makes this character generally addressed by his chief name of "Enobarbus"; but, in two cases, by his pre-name of "Domitius." In one case by Antony's personal attendant Eros, and in the other case by Antony himself. Shakespeare occasionally gives varieties in corrupt pronunciations, which have a humorous as well as a natural effect; blunderers often hitting upon wrong utterances, though sometimes stumbling upon right ones: Sir Hugh Evans. There is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot discretions with it.-Merry W., i. 1. Sir Hugh Evans. Can you carry your good will to the maid?-Ibid., i. 1. Dr. Caius. Vere is dat knave Rugby?—Ibid., i. 4. Dr. Caius. I pray you, bear vitness that me have stay six or seven, two, tree hours for him.-Ibid., ii. 3. Hostess Quickly. I pray ye, since my exion is entered.-2 H. IV., ii. 1. Hostess Quickly. Master Fang, have you entered the action?—Ibid., ii. 1. Hostess Quickly. Good Captain Peesel, be quiet.—Ibid., ii. 4. Hostess Quickly. No, good Captain Pistol; not here.—Ibid., ii. 4. VARIED MEANINGS COMBINED IN ONE WORD OR SENTENCE. A peculiar feature in Shakespeare's style is his masterly manner of comprising in a single felicitously chosen epithet a variety of significations, thus expressed at one and the same moment-a grand essential for a dramatist, whose aim is to produce at the first hearing of his lines, a prompt comprehension of the idea or ideas he intends to convey. Coleridge says: "The play of assimilation, the meaning one sense chiefly, and yet keeping both senses in view, is perfectly Shakespearian." And this remark is strongly exemplified in certain words and phrases used by him: : Mark, then, abounding valour in our English; Here, the word "abounding" is used with such force of witty as well as energetic force, that it conveys the effect of a bounding' as well as abundant;' and gives wonderful impetus and spirit to the passage. 66 6 Approof" here conveys the double effect of proof' and' approval. I am disgrac'd, impeach'd, and baffled here.-R. II., i. 1. Thus put into the mouth of the king-checked Norfolk, the word "baffled" includes the triple signification of foiled' or 'defeated,' of ' reviled' or abused,' and of degraded,' in allusion to the technical term for punishing a recreant knight by hanging him up by the heels, -old French, baffoler. Have I not heard these islanders shout out, "Vive le roi!" as I have bank'd their towns?-John, v. 2. In conjunction with its context in the speech, “bank'd" here comprises the three meanings of thrown up embankments in front of assailed towns,'' skirted those towns that stood on the river's banks,' and 'gained towns, placing them in bank as tricks at games of cards.' Never anybody saw it but his lackey: 'tis a hooded valour; and when it appears it will bate.-H. V., iii. 7. The last word combines the expression technically used by falconers. of a hawk, which, when it is unhooded, is said to "bate "—that is, to 'beat,' 'flap,' or 'flutter' its wings, with the abbreviated form of 'abate,' in the sense of 'diminish,' 'dwindle.' Let us do so: for we are at the stake, And bay'd about with many enemies.-Jul. C., iv. 1. The word "bay'd" here has the comprehensive force of 'encompassed,' of 'brought to a stand,' as when a stag is at bay, and of 'baited' or 'barked at,' as a hunted animal, or one bound to a stake, is bayed at by dogs. O Antony, Thou mine of bounty, how wouldst thou have paid 6 Thou dost so crown with gold! This blows my heart.-Ant. & C., iv. 6. The forcible expression "blows" gives the sense of swells' and the effect of strikes." ་ And so, great powers, If you will take this audit, take this life, Here"bonds" is used with triple play on the word; in reference to the legal instrument so called, to the iron shackles on the speaker's limbs, and to the sense in which the poet sometimes elsewhere employs "bond" as that whereon the term of "life" is held. For that will physic the great myrmidon Who broils in loud applause.-Tr. & Cr., i. 3. What a capital expression, that "broils!" How it suggests the image of a man who swells and sweats in the fire of applause, as broiling meat swells, spits, fumes, and exudes, above the red coals; and how well it includes the sense of 'is quarrelsome,' 'is resentful,' is hostilely arrogant!' Lean but upon a rush, The cicature and capable impressure Thy palm some moment keeps.—As You L., iii. 3. Here he makes "capable" equivalent to the compound expression 'able-to-be-received,' with the included meaning of visible' or 'able to-be-seen.' Here he Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace, Swallow them up.-Oth., iii. 3. makes 66 capable convey the combined senses of 'capacious,' comprehensive,' capable of receiving,' and 'capable of satisfying." To sit and draw His arched brow, his hawking eye, his curls, In our heart's table,-heart too capable Of every line and trick of his sweet favour.-All's W., i. 1. Here he uses receive.' 66 capable" to express susceptible' and ' able to Here" His form and cause conjoin'd, preaching to stones, capable," besides the sense of able to understand,' includes the sense of susceptible,'' able to feel.' I know I love in vain, strive against hope; I still pour in the waters of my love, And lack not to lose still.-All's W., i. 3. Bearing well in mind the various senses in which Shakespeare uses the word "capable," also the possibility that "captious" may bear an included sense as derived from the Latin captiosus, deceitful' or fallacious,' and likewise that "captious may here be partly intended as a contraction of capacious,' we feel that Helena implies in this single sentence the following varied meanings. She figuratively calls the object upon which she profitlessly lavishes her hopeless love a "sieve," that is, capable of receiving but not of holding or retaining: she believes this object to be capable of receiving' love, because he is in her eyes worthy of all love; she allows that the object of her love is 'fallacious' to hope and deceives ' expectation; and she asserts it to be capacious' in extent of merit. She from whom We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again; 6 Here the word "cast" includes the sense of brought up after swallowing,' flung ashore,' thrown in wrestling,' and appointed for a part in a play.' The commentators, who differ as to the sense in which some of Shakespeare's expressions are to be taken-one affirming that he meant this, a second contending that he meant the other, and a third pronouncing that he intended merely to say so and so-seldom seem to perceive his large-minded mode of assembling several sig nificances in a single concentrated word. Romeo is banish'd; and all the world to nothing, That he dares ne'er come back to challenge you.-R. & Jul., iii. 5. As the verb "challenge" is here employed, it combines in itself the varied meaning of ' to claim you,'' to declare you his,' and 'to call you to answer for what you do,'' to accuse you.' The word is used in both these senses by writers of Shakespeare's time; and it was his method to include several meanings in one comprehensive expression. That is honour's scorn, Which challenges itself as honour's born, And is not like the sire.-All's W., ii. 3. Here challenges," while signifying proclaims,' is so judiciously introduced into the sentence as to convey the effect of honour's challenging or provoking confutation, at the same time that it proclaims itself. Charming," in the present passage-as in several others written by Shakespeare-combines the sense of influencing as by a spell,' ' actuating as by enchantment,' with the sense of enchanting,' 'prepossessing,'attractive.' He'll call you to so hot an answer for it, 6 Inasmuch as Shakespeare elsewhere uses "chides" and " chiding" to express a peculiarly characterised sound, he here uses "chide" to express' resound,' 're-echo,' as well as rebuke,' 'reprove.' The count is neither sad, nor sick, nor merry, nor well; but civil, count,―civil as an orange, and something of that jealous complexion.—M. Ado, ii. 1. Into the witty Beatrice's mouth has Shakespeare put an epithet here, which, besides a quibble on "civil" and 'Seville,' includes a gibe at Claudio's being sour and bitter, and sweet, like the fruit in question; at his being courteous and polite' though with a touch of crabbedness; at his being 'meek and mild' though grumpy withal; and at his being 'sober and grave' while the others are merry: because in all of these senses has the poet used this word "civil" elsewhere. For 't must be done to-night, And something from the palace; always thought Than is his father's, must embrace the fate "Clearness," as here used, implies both that the speaker requires he should be kept clear from suspicion, and that he requires neatness and completeness in the deed undertaken. Love's feeling is more soft and sensible iv. 3. Than are the tender horns of cockled snails.-Love's L. L., The term here italicised comprises the double meaning of shelled,' like a cockle-fish, and of spiral-formed,' from the Latin cochlea, a screw. Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the eels when she put 'em i' the paste alive.— Lear, ii. 4. 66 Cockney" was formerly used both for a 'ninny' and for a cook'; while Shakespeare, in the present passage, includes reference to both these meanings. He employs it in one other passage only ("Twelfth Night," act iv., sc. 1); but there he employs the epithet more according to the sense it bears at present-as a term of contempt for a simpleton born and bred in the metropolis, bigoted to its ways, and knowing nothing beyond them. For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, By introducing the word "coil" in this sentence, the poet not only allows it to bear the sense it then bore of tumult,' 'bustle,' 'worry,' |