50 numb’ring clock clock with hours marked on it (i.e. not an hourglass)
51 jar … on tick on, jump forward (jar plays on the sense of “make discordant”)
52 watches intervals between minutes/wakeful periods watch clockface (plays on the sense of “sentry/wakeful person”)
53 dial’s point clock’s hand
54 still continuously (plays on the sense of “motionless”)
55 tells counts out/reveals
56 strike beat, pound/toll
58 times marks on the dial, i.e. quarter or half hours time lifetime, time on earth
59 posting hurrying
60 Jack o’th’clock figure of a man that strikes a bell on the outside of some types of clock
61 mads maddens
62 holp … wits music was thought to assist the recovery of the insane holp helped
65 to for
66 strange brooch rare jewel
68 peer equal/nobleman
69 The … us i.e. the imprisoned Richard ten groats Richard plays on the financial senses of royal and noble (types of gold coin): a royal was worth ten groats more than a noble, so the Groom has overvalued the royal prince by that amount (Richard identifies himself and the Groom as nobles) groat coin worth four old pence
71 sad dismal, unsmiling
72 misfortune i.e. Richard
75 ado trouble, fuss
76 sometimes formerly
77 yearned grieved, moved
79 roan horse with a coat in which the prevailing color is interspersed with some other Barbary the horse’s name, suggesting that it was imported from the Barbary coast of northern Africa, whose horses were noted for great speed and endurance
80 bestrid straddled, ridden
82 gentle noble
86 jade worthless old horse
87 clapping patting
91 rail on abuse
92 awed controlled, subdued
95 galled made sore jauncing hard-riding
96 Fellow servant give place move, withdraw/defer to me
99 fall to begin eating
100 wont accustomed
106 rude rough, violent
108 room empty space
110 staggers makes stagger my person my royal person
112 seat royal throne/place in heaven
113 gross earthly, fleshy, lowly
3 Cicester Cirencester
4 ta’en taken, captured
7 next most pressing
9 taking capture
10 at large discoursèd related in full
12 worthy well-deserved/valuable
16 dire dangerous, dreadful
18 wot know
19 grand chief
20 clog burden
22 abide await
23 doom judgment, punishment
25 reverend room holy place (i.e. monastery)
26 More i.e. more worthy of reverence/larger than your prison cell joy enjoy
29 High noble
33 Bordeaux Richard’s birthplace
34 wrought created, fashioned
40 love … murderèd love him who has been murdered/love the fact that he has been murdered
43 Cain in the Bible, the world’s first murderer
48 sullen mournful, somber incontinent immediately
49 Holy Land i.e. Jerusalem
51 sadly solemnly/sorrowfully grace dignify
52 after as you follow bier stretcher-like structure on which a corpse is carried to the grave
Richard II Page 24
