Comedies. Two gentlemen of Verona |
From inside the book
A Room in the Countess's Count . May the world know them ? Palace . Clo . I
have been , madam , a wicked creature , as you and all flesh and blood are ; and
, indeed , I do Enter CountESS , Steward , and Clown . marry that I may repent .
Count . You bnow . Her With that she sighed as she stood With that she sighed us
she stood , I am a mother to you . Hel . Mine honourable mistress . And gave this
sentence then ; Count . Among nine bad if one be good , Nay , a mother Among ...
Thy life is dear ; for all , that life can rate Count . Have yo Worth name of life , in
thee hath estimate ; ness for all questi Youth , beauty , wisdom , courage , all Clo .
From bele That happiness and prime can happy call : constable , it will Thou this
...
So that , from point to point , now have you Count . What have we here ? heard
Clo . E'en that you have there . [ Erit . The fundamental reasons of this war , Count
. [ Reads . “ I have sent you a daughter - inWhose great decision hath much ...
With sharp constraint of hunger ; better ' twere Count . Brought you this letter ,
gentlemen ? That all the miseries which nature owes Fr. Env . Ay , madam ; Were
mine at once . No , come thou home , And , for the contents ' sake , are sorry for
our ...
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"like a wood woman" might indeed have meant "frantic" or "wild" (with grief) which Launce mentions referring to the "shoe" which he adopts for the sake of illustration. However, Shakespeare, even at his earliest writings, was vastly entertained by double entendres and his love of puns is so well documented. In that time in Italy, women wore platform shoes which were raised to elevate the shoes from the mud and other unpleasant "stuff". These were called "chopines" and the platforms were constructed of wood. The higher the platform, the higher the pretentiousness of the lady. Her height could have put her above many others. Since Launce has his father and mother represented as shoes, this second meaning is certainly not outside of the possibility for Shakespeare's intention. Naturally, it would have had the effect of a rather "localized" and "temporary" idea, but the fact of its having been very popular in that day makes it a candidate for the Bard's delight.