The Two Noble Kinsmen

The Two Noble Kinsmen

By William Shakespeare and John Fletcher.

Table of Contents

1. Titlepage
2. Imprint
3. Dramatis Personae
4. The Two Noble Kinsmen
   1. Prologue
   2. Act I
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
   3. Act II
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
   4. Act III
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
   5. Act IV
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
   6. Act V
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
   7. Epilogue
5. Colophon
6. Uncopyright

Imprint

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Dramatis Personae

• Theseus, Duke of Athens

• Pirithous, an Athenian general

• Artesius, an Athenian captain

• Palamon, nephew to Creon, King of Thebes

• Arcite, nephew to Creon, King of Thebes

• Valerius, a Thehan nobleman

• Six knights

• Herald

• Gaoler

• Wooer to the gaoler’s daughter

• Doctor

• Brother to the gaoler

• Friends to the gaoler

• Gentlemen

• Gerrold, a schoolmaster

• Hippolyta, an Amazon, bride to Theseus

• Emilia, her sister

• Three queens

• Gaoler’s daughter

• Waiting-women to Emilia

• Countrymen, messengers, a man personating Hymen, boy, executioner, guard, and attendants. Country wenches, and women personating nymphs

Scene: Athens and the neighbourhood, except in part of the First Act, where it is Thebes and the neighbourhood.

The Two Noble Kinsmen

Prologue

Flourish.

New plays and maidenheads are near akin; Much follow’d both, for both much money gi’en, If they stand sound and well: and a good play, Whose modest scenes blush on his marriage-day, And shake to lose his honour, is like her That after holy tie and first night’s stir, Yet still is modesty, and still retains More of the maid to sight than husband’s pains. We pray our play may be so; for I’m sure It has a noble breeder and a pure, A learned, and a poet never went More famous yet ’twixt Po and silver Trent: Chaucer, of all admir’d, the story gives; There constant to eternity it lives. If we let fall the nobleness of this, And the first sound this child hear be a hiss, How will it shake the bones of that good man, And make him cry from under ground, “O, fan From me the witless chaff of such a writer That blasts my bays, and my fam’d works makes lighter Than Robin Hood!” This is the fear we bring; For, to say truth, it were an endless thing, And too ambitious, to aspire to him, Weak as we are, and almost breathless swim In this deep water. Do but you hold out Your helping hands, and we shall tack about, And something do to save us: you shall hear Scenes, though below his art, may yet appear Worth two hours’ travel. To his bones sweet sleep! Content to you!⁠—If this play do not keep A little dull time from us, we perceive Our losses fall so thick, we must needs leave. Flourish.

Act I

Scene I

Athens. Before a temple.

	Enter Hymen with a torch burning; a Boy, in a white robe, before, singing and strewing flowers; after Hymen, a Nymph, encompassed in her tresses, bearing a wheaten garland; then Theseus, between two other Nymphs with wheaten chaplets on their heads; then Hippolyta, the bride, led by Pirithous, and another holding a garland over her head, her tresses likewise hanging; after her, Emilia, holding up her train; Artesius and Attendants.
	Song. Music.
	Roses, their sharp spines being gone, Not royal in their smells alone, But in their hue. Maiden pinks, of odour faint, Daisies smell-less, yet most quaint, And sweet thyme true. Primrose, first-born child of Ver, Merry spring-time’s harbinger With her bells dim. Oxlips in their cradles growing, Marigolds on deathbeds blowing, Larks’-heels trim. All dear Nature’s children sweet, Lie ’fore bride and bridegroom’s feet, Blessing their sense! Strewing flowers. Not an angel of the air, Bird melodious, or bird fair, Be absent hence! The crow, the slanderous cuckoo, nor The boding raven, nor chough hoar Nor chatt’ring pie, May on our bride-house perch or sing, Or with them any discord bring, But from it fly!
	Enter three Queens, in black, with veils stained, and wearing imperial crowns. The First Queen falls down at the foot of Theseus; the Second falls down at the foot of Hippolyta; the Third before Emilia.
First Queen	For pity’s sake and true gentility’s, Hear, and respect me!
Second Queen	For your mother’s sake, And as you wish your womb may thrive with fair ones, Hear, and respect me!
Third Queen	Now, for the love of him whom Jove hath mark’d The honour of your bed, and for the sake Of clear virginity, be advocate For us and our distresses! This good deed Shall raze you out o’ the book of trespasses All you are set down there.
Theseus	Sad lady, rise.
Hippolyta	Stand up.
Emilia	No knees to me: What woman I may stead that