TPTT The Winter's Tale: ACT III
Introduction
ACT I
ACT II
ACT III
SCENE I. A sea-port in Sicilia.
SCENE II. A court of Justice.
SCENE III. Bohemia. A desert country near the sea.
ACT IV
ACT V
About the Play
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SCENE II. A court of Justice.
Enter LEONTES, Lords, and Officers
LEONTES
      This sessions, to our great grief we pronounce,
      Even pushes 'gainst our heart: the party tried
      The daughter of a king, our wife, and one
      Of us too much beloved. Let us be clear'd
5     Of being tyrannous, since we so openly
      Proceed in justice, which shall have due course,
      Even to the guilt or the purgation.
      Produce the prisoner.
Officer
      It is his highness' pleasure that the queen
10    Appear in person here in court. Silence!
Enter HERMIONE guarded; PAULINA and Ladies attending
LEONTES
      Read the indictment.
Officer
      (Reads) Hermione, queen to the worthy
      Leontes, king of Sicilia, thou art here accused and
      arraigned of high treason, in committing adultery
15    with Polixenes, king of Bohemia, and conspiring
      with Camillo to take away the life of our sovereign
      lord the king, thy royal husband: the pretence
      whereof being by circumstances partly laid open,
      thou, Hermione, contrary to the faith and allegiance
20    of a true subject, didst counsel and aid them, for
      their better safety, to fly away by night.
HERMIONE
      Since what I am to say must be but that
      Which contradicts my accusation and
      The testimony on my part no other
25    But what comes from myself, it shall scarce boot me
      To say 'not guilty:' mine integrity
      Being counted falsehood, shall, as I express it,
      Be so received. But thus: if powers divine
      Behold our human actions, as they do,
30    I doubt not then but innocence shall make
      False accusation blush and tyranny
      Tremble at patience. You, my lord, best know,
      Who least will seem to do so, my past life
      Hath been as continent, as chaste, as true,
35    As I am now unhappy; which is more
      Than history can pattern, though devised
      And play'd to take spectators. For behold me
      A fellow of the royal bed, which owe
      A moiety of the throne a great king's daughter,
40    The mother to a hopeful prince, here standing
      To prate and talk for life and honour 'fore
      Who please to come and hear. For life, I prize it
      As I weigh grief, which I would spare: for honour,
      'Tis a derivative from me to mine,
45    And only that I stand for. I appeal
      To your own conscience, sir, before Polixenes
      Came to your court, how I was in your grace,
      How merited to be so; since he came,
      With what encounter so uncurrent I
50    Have strain'd to appear thus: if one jot beyond
      The bound of honour, or in act or will
      That way inclining, harden'd be the hearts
      Of all that hear me, and my near'st of kin
      Cry fie upon my grave!
LEONTES
55    I ne'er heard yet
      That any of these bolder vices wanted
      Less impudence to gainsay what they did
      Than to perform it first.
HERMIONE
      That's true enough;
60    Through 'tis a saying, sir, not due to me.
LEONTES
      You will not own it.
HERMIONE
      More than mistress of
      Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not
      At all acknowledge. For Polixenes,
65    With whom I am accused, I do confess
      I loved him as in honour he required,
      With such a kind of love as might become
      A lady like me, with a love even such,
      So and no other, as yourself commanded:
70    Which not to have done I think had been in me
      Both disobedience and ingratitude
      To you and toward your friend, whose love had spoke,
      Even since it could speak, from an infant, freely
      That it was yours. Now, for conspiracy,
75    I know not how it tastes; though it be dish'd
      For me to try how: all I know of it
      Is that Camillo was an honest man;
      And why he left your court, the gods themselves,
      Wotting no more than I, are ignorant.
LEONTES
80    You knew of his departure, as you know
      What you have underta'en to do in's absence.
HERMIONE
      Sir,
      You speak a language that I understand not:
      My life stands in the level of your dreams,
85    Which I'll lay down.
LEONTES
      Your actions are my dreams;
      You had a bastard by Polixenes,
      And I but dream'd it. As you were past all shame,--
      Those of your fact are so--so past all truth:
90    Which to deny concerns more than avails; for as
      Thy brat hath been cast out, like to itself,
      No father owning it,--which is, indeed,
      More criminal in thee than it,--so thou
      Shalt feel our justice, in whose easiest passage
95    Look for no less than death.
HERMIONE
      Sir, spare your threats:
      The bug which you would fright me with I seek.
      To me can life be no commodity:
      The crown and comfort of my life, your favour,
100   I do give lost; for I do feel it gone,
      But know not how it went. My second joy
      And first-fruits of my body, from his presence
      I am barr'd, like one infectious. My third comfort
      Starr'd most unluckily, is from my breast,
105   The innocent milk in its most innocent mouth,
      Haled out to murder: myself on every post
      Proclaimed a strumpet: with immodest hatred
      The child-bed privilege denied, which 'longs
      To women of all fashion; lastly, hurried
110   Here to this place, i' the open air, before
      I have got strength of limit. Now, my liege,
      Tell me what blessings I have here alive,
      That I should fear to die? Therefore proceed.
      But yet hear this: mistake me not; no life,
115   I prize it not a straw, but for mine honour,
      Which I would free, if I shall be condemn'd
      Upon surmises, all proofs sleeping else
      But what your jealousies awake, I tell you
      'Tis rigor and not law. Your honours all,
120   I do refer me to the oracle:
      Apollo be my judge!
First Lord
      This your request
      Is altogether just: therefore bring forth,
      And in Apollos name, his oracle.
Exeunt certain Officers
HERMIONE
125   The Emperor of Russia was my father:
      O that he were alive, and here beholding
      His daughter's trial! that he did but see
      The flatness of my misery, yet with eyes
      Of pity, not revenge!
Re-enter Officers, with CLEOMENES and DION
Officer
130   You here shall swear upon this sword of justice,
      That you, Cleomenes and Dion, have
      Been both at Delphos, and from thence have brought
      The seal'd-up oracle, by the hand deliver'd
      Of great Apollo's priest; and that, since then,
135   You have not dared to break the holy seal
      Nor read the secrets in't.
CLEOMENES
DION
      All this we swear.
LEONTES
      Break up the seals and read.
Officer
      (Reads) Hermione is chaste;
140   Polixenes blameless; Camillo a true subject; Leontes
      a jealous tyrant; his innocent babe truly begotten;
      and the king shall live without an heir, if that
      which is lost be not found.
Lords
      Now blessed be the great Apollo!
HERMIONE
145   Praised!
LEONTES
      Hast thou read truth?
Officer
      Ay, my lord; even so
      As it is here set down.
LEONTES
      There is no truth at all i' the oracle:
150   The sessions shall proceed: this is mere falsehood.
Enter Servant
Servant
      My lord the king, the king!
LEONTES
      What is the business?
Servant
      O sir, I shall be hated to report it!
      The prince your son, with mere conceit and fear
155   Of the queen's speed, is gone.
LEONTES
      How! gone!
Servant
      Is dead.
LEONTES
      Apollo's angry; and the heavens themselves
      Do strike at my injustice.

HERMIONE swoons

160   How now there!
PAULINA
      This news is mortal to the queen: look down
      And see what death is doing.
LEONTES
      Take her hence:
      Her heart is but o'ercharged; she will recover:
165   I have too much believed mine own suspicion:
      Beseech you, tenderly apply to her
      Some remedies for life.

Exeunt PAULINA and Ladies, with HERMIONE

      Apollo, pardon
      My great profaneness 'gainst thine oracle!
170   I'll reconcile me to Polixenes,
      New woo my queen, recall the good Camillo,
      Whom I proclaim a man of truth, of mercy;
      For, being transported by my jealousies
      To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chose
175   Camillo for the minister to poison
      My friend Polixenes: which had been done,
      But that the good mind of Camillo tardied
      My swift command, though I with death and with
      Reward did threaten and encourage him,
180   Not doing 't and being done: he, most humane
      And fill'd with honour, to my kingly guest
      Unclasp'd my practise, quit his fortunes here,
      Which you knew great, and to the hazard
      Of all encertainties himself commended,
185   No richer than his honour: how he glisters
      Thorough my rust! and how his pity
      Does my deeds make the blacker!
Re-enter PAULINA
PAULINA
      Woe the while!
      O, cut my lace, lest my heart, cracking it,
190   Break too.
First Lord
      What fit is this, good lady?
PAULINA
      What studied torments, tyrant, hast for me?
      What wheels? racks? fires? what flaying? boiling?
      In leads or oils? what old or newer torture
195   Must I receive, whose every word deserves
      To taste of thy most worst? Thy tyranny
      Together working with thy jealousies,
      Fancies too weak for boys, too green and idle
      For girls of nine, O, think what they have done
200   And then run mad indeed, stark mad! for all
      Thy by-gone fooleries were but spices of it.
      That thou betray'dst Polixenes,'twas nothing;
      That did but show thee, of a fool, inconstant
      And damnable ingrateful: nor was't much,
205   Thou wouldst have poison'd good Camillo's honour,
      To have him kill a king: poor trespasses,
      More monstrous standing by: whereof I reckon
      The casting forth to crows thy baby-daughter
      To be or none or little; though a devil
210   Would have shed water out of fire ere done't:
      Nor is't directly laid to thee, the death
      Of the young prince, whose honourable thoughts,
      Thoughts high for one so tender, cleft the heart
      That could conceive a gross and foolish sire
215   Blemish'd his gracious dam: this is not, no,
      Laid to thy answer: but the last,--O lords,
      When I have said, cry 'woe!' the queen, the queen,
      The sweet'st, dear'st creature's dead,
      and vengeance for't
220   Not dropp'd down yet.
First Lord
      The higher powers forbid!
PAULINA
      I say she's dead; I'll swear't. If word nor oath
      Prevail not, go and see: if you can bring
      Tincture or lustre in her lip, her eye,
225   Heat outwardly or breath within, I'll serve you
      As I would do the gods. But, O thou tyrant!
      Do not repent these things, for they are heavier
      Than all thy woes can stir; therefore betake thee
      To nothing but despair. A thousand knees
230   Ten thousand years together, naked, fasting,
      Upon a barren mountain and still winter
      In storm perpetual, could not move the gods
      To look that way thou wert.
LEONTES
      Go on, go on
235   Thou canst not speak too much; I have deserved
      All tongues to talk their bitterest.
First Lord
      Say no more:
      Howe'er the business goes, you have made fault
      I' the boldness of your speech.
PAULINA
240   I am sorry for't:
      All faults I make, when I shall come to know them,
      I do repent. Alas! I have show'd too much
      The rashness of a woman: he is touch'd
      To the noble heart. What's gone and what's past help
245   Should be past grief: do not receive affliction
      At my petition; I beseech you, rather
      Let me be punish'd, that have minded you
      Of what you should forget. Now, good my liege
      Sir, royal sir, forgive a foolish woman:
250   The love I bore your queen--lo, fool again!--
      I'll speak of her no more, nor of your children;
      I'll not remember you of my own lord,
      Who is lost too: take your patience to you,
      And I'll say nothing.
LEONTES
255   Thou didst speak but well
      When most the truth; which I receive much better
      Than to be pitied of thee. Prithee, bring me
      To the dead bodies of my queen and son:
      One grave shall be for both: upon them shall
260   The causes of their death appear, unto
      Our shame perpetual. Once a day I'll visit
      The chapel where they lie, and tears shed there
      Shall be my recreation: so long as nature
      Will bear up with this exercise, so long
265   I daily vow to use it. Come and lead me
      Unto these sorrows.
Exeunt
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