My mother greets me kindly: is she well?
My mother sends me warm greetings—how is her health?
My mother sends her regards—is she doing okay?
moms kind is she good
She is not well, but yet she has her health; she’s very merry, but yet
she is not well. But thanks be given, she’s very well, and wants
nothing i’ the world; but yet she is not well.
She's not well, but yet she has her health. She's very happy, but yet she's not well. But God be thanked, she's very well and wants nothing in the world—yet she's not well.
She's not in great shape, but her health is solid. She's really cheerful, but yeah, she's not doing great. But honestly, thanks to God, she's doing fine and doesn't need anything—except she's still not well, you know?
shes not well but shes healthy shes happy but not well shes fine but also not fine
If she be very well, what does she ail that she’s not very well?
If she's very well, what's the matter with her that she's not very well?
But wait, if she's doing great, what's wrong that she's not doing great?
if shes well whats wrong
Truly, she’s very well indeed, but for two things.
In all honesty, she's doing splendidly except for two matters.
Really, she's doing great, except for two things.
shes well except 4 two things
What two things?
What two things?
what two things?
What two things?
One, that she’s not in heaven, whither God send her quickly! The other,
that she’s in earth, from whence God send her quickly!
One, that she's not in heaven—may God send her there quickly! The other, that she's still on earth—may God send her away from there quickly!
One, she's not in heaven yet—I hope God takes her soon! Two, she's still stuck on earth—I hope God gets her out of there quick!
shes not in heaven yet & still on earth maybe god will fix both soon
Bless you, my fortunate lady!
May God bless you, my fortunate lady!
God bless you, lucky lady!
bless u lucky lady
The Clown's opening riff on the Countess being 'not well, but yet she has her health' looks like knockabout wordplay — but it's doing something more pointed. The Clown is exploiting the gap between 'well' as physical health and 'well' as spiritual or existential completeness. On earth, no one is truly 'well' — because true wellbeing is only available in heaven. So the Countess is medically fine but existentially unwell; she has her health but lacks the only true wellness. This is not just a joke. It's a sideways gloss on the play's central question: what does it mean to 'end well'? Helena will cure the King, win a husband, pursue him across Europe — but will she be well? The Clown's paradox is a miniature version of the play's title and its deepest uncertainty.
I hope, sir, I have your good will to have mine own good fortune.
I hope, sir, that I have your goodwill so I can have my own good fortune.
I hope you're on my side so I can get my own good luck.
i hope u want me to be lucky
You had my prayers to lead them on; and to keep them on, have them
still. O, my knave how does my old lady?
You had my prayers to get you started, and you still have them to keep things going. So, my good fellow, how's my old lady doing?
You got my prayers to get you going, and you still have them to keep you on track. So how's the old lady, my friend?
u had my prayers still got them how is my lady
So that you had her wrinkles and I her money, I would she did as you
say.
If you had her age and wisdom and I had her money, then I'd believe what you're saying.
If you had her experience and I had her wealth, then maybe I'd trust you.
if u had her wisdom & i had cash maybe id believe u
Why, I say nothing.
Well, I'm keeping my mouth shut.
Hey, I'm not saying anything.
i aint saying nothing
Marry, you are the wiser man; for many a man’s tongue shakes out his
master’s undoing. To say nothing, to do nothing, to know nothing, and
to have nothing, is to be a great part of your title; which is within a
very little of nothing.
Well, you are the wiser one, because many a man ruins his master by talking too much. To say nothing, do nothing, know nothing, and have nothing—that's what mostly defines your character, which is almost nothing at all.
Yeah, you're the smart one because a guy's loose tongue can destroy his boss. Just saying nothing, doing nothing, knowing nothing, and having nothing—that basically sums up who you are. Which is basically nobody.
ur smart cuz tongues destroy masters u say do know have nothing thats u basically nothing
Away! Thou art a knave.
Away! You're a scoundrel.
Get out of here! You're a jerk.
get outta here ure a jerk
You should have said, sir, before a knave thou art a knave; that is
before me thou art a knave. This had been truth, sir.
You should have said, sir, 'Before a scoundrel, you are a scoundrel—that is, before me you are a scoundrel.' That would have been the truth, sir.
You should have said, 'In the presence of a scoundrel, you're a scoundrel—meaning, in front of me, you're a scoundrel.' That would've been true, sir.
u should say in front of me ur a jerk that would b true
Go to, thou art a witty fool; I have found thee.
Listen, you're a clever fool; I've figured you out.
You know what, you're a smart-ass, but I've got your number.
ur a smart fool i figured u out
Did you find me in yourself, sir? or were you taught to find me? The
search, sir, was profitable; and much fool may you find in you, even to
the world’s pleasure and the increase of laughter.
Did you discover foolishness by looking in yourself, sir, or were you taught by me? The search was worthwhile—and you'll find plenty of fool in yourself, which is what the world enjoys and what makes people laugh.
Did you find out you're a fool by looking in the mirror, or did I teach you that? Either way, it was time well spent—and you'll keep finding more fool in yourself, which everyone else loves and laughs about.
did u find urself a fool or did i teach u either way good uvll find more fool in u
Watch what Parolles actually does in this scene: he transforms 'go home, I don't want you' into eleven lines of florid courtly poetry about delayed pleasures ripening into joy. This is the specific skill that makes him useful to Bertram — he can take an ugly truth and wrap it so elaborately that it sounds beautiful. The 'great prerogative and right of love' which Bertram 'acknowledges' but 'puts off to a compelled restraint' — all of this is Parolles performing linguistic alchemy on Bertram's contempt. The play will eventually strip away Parolles's words and reveal the nothing underneath. But here, his talent for verbal disguise is at its peak. He's not lying so much as performing: and the audience understands the difference. Helena, who doesn't yet know what Bertram has planned, has no way to decode it.
A good knave, i’ faith, and well fed.
Madam, my lord will go away tonight;
A very serious business calls on him.
The great prerogative and right of love,
Which, as your due, time claims, he does acknowledge;
But puts it off to a compell’d restraint;
Whose want, and whose delay, is strew’d with sweets;
Which they distil now in the curbed time,
To make the coming hour o’erflow with joy
And pleasure drown the brim.
You're a good fellow and well-fed. Madam, my lord leaves tonight; urgent business summons him. He acknowledges your right to his love—the privilege that time owed you—but postpones it due to forced circumstances. This delay and absence is sweetened by concentrated joy now, stored up so that when he returns, joy will overflow and pleasure will brim over.
You're a good guy and well-fed. Madam, my lord's leaving tonight because something urgent came up. He knows he owes you his love and attention, but he has to put it off for now. But to make up for it, he's packing all the sweetness and romance into right now, so you'll be full of joy and happiness when he's gone.
good knave well fed my lord leaves 2night big urgent thing he owes u love but gotta go stoking up joy now overflow comin soon
What’s his will else?
What else does he want?
Anything else he wants?
what else
That you will take your instant leave o’ the king,
And make this haste as your own good proceeding,
Strengthen’d with what apology you think
May make it probable need.
That you leave the king immediately and make this hasty departure seem like your own good choice, supported by whatever excuse you think will make it seem like a valid reason.
That you get away from the king right now and make it look like it's your idea and your good decision, with whatever excuse you can think of that makes it seem like you have a good reason.
leave the king asap make it ur idea back it up w good excuse
What more commands he?
What other commands does he have?
Anything else?
any other orders
That, having this obtain’d, you presently
Attend his further pleasure.
That, having obtained this, you directly attend to his further desires.
That once you get out of here, you're ready for whatever he wants next.
do that then wait 4 his next thing
In everything I wait upon his will.
I will follow his will in everything.
I'll do whatever he wants.
ill do whatever he wants
I shall report it so.
I will report it exactly that way.
I'll tell him you said that.
ill tell him that
I pray you. Come, sirrah.
I ask you to come with me. Come along.
Come with me, please.
come on
The Reckoning
A short, brittle scene where almost everything important happens between the lines. The Clown skewers Parolles with wordplay; Parolles wraps Bertram's dismissal of Helena in the language of courtly love; and Helena accepts her sending-home with a submission that would be heartbreaking if she knew what she was submitting to. She doesn't yet know. The audience does. The cruelty is in the gap.
If this happened today…
Someone's new partner just texted their best friend asking them to pass along a message: 'Tell her something came up at work. Tell her I need her to go back to her place tonight. Make it sound like I'm just really committed to my career. She'll understand.' The best friend delivers the message with full corporate flair — 'he acknowledges the right you have to his full attention, but the demands of this moment require...' Meanwhile the person being broken up with says: 'Of course, tell him whatever he needs, I'm happy to help.' She doesn't yet know that 'I'll see you in two days' means never.