Cymbeline, Act 1 Scene 2

34Lines 3Speakers

Cymbeline, Act 1 Scene 2 runs 34 lines of dialogue, spoken by 3 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 144 lines. This scene is part of Act 1 of Cymbeline.

Full Dialogue

First Lord ♂

Sir, I would advise you to shift a shirt; the
violence of action hath made you reek as a
sacrifice: where air comes out, air comes in:
there's none abroad so wholesome as that you vent.

Cloten ♂

If my shirt were bloody, then to shift it. Have I hurt him?

Second Lord ♂

[Aside] No, 'faith; not so much as his patience.

First Lord ♂

Hurt him! his body's a passable carcass, if he be
not hurt: it is a thoroughfare for steel, if it be not hurt.

Second Lord ♂

[Aside] His steel was in debt; it went o' the
backside the town.

Cloten ♂

The villain would not stand me.

Second Lord ♂

[Aside] No; but he fled forward still, toward your face.

First Lord ♂

Stand you! You have land enough of your own: but
he added to your having; gave you some ground.

Second Lord ♂

[Aside] As many inches as you have oceans. Puppies!

Cloten ♂

I would they had not come between us.

Second Lord ♂

[Aside] So would I, till you had measured how long
a fool you were upon the ground.

Cloten ♂

And that she should love this fellow and refuse me!

Second Lord ♂

[Aside] If it be a sin to make a true election, she
is damned.

First Lord ♂

Sir, as I told you always, her beauty and her brain
go not together: she's a good sign, but I have seen
small reflection of her wit.

Second Lord ♂

[Aside] She shines not upon fools, lest the
reflection should hurt her.

Cloten ♂

Come, I'll to my chamber. Would there had been some
hurt done!

Second Lord ♂

[Aside] I wish not so; unless it had been the fall
of an ass, which is no great hurt.

Cloten ♂

You'll go with us?

First Lord ♂

I'll attend your lordship.

Cloten ♂

Nay, come, let's go together.

Second Lord ♂

Well, my lord.

34 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.

Who’s On Stage

Speaking characters in this scene

Character	Lines	Share
Second Lord	14	41.2%
First Lord	12	35.3%
Cloten	8	23.5%

Line distribution

The top speaker in this scene delivers 14 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 11 lines.

Total speakers on stage

3 named characters speak in this scene.

Scene in Context

Position within Act 1

This is Scene 2 of 6 in Act 1 of Cymbeline.

Scene length vs. play average

At 34 lines, this scene is shorter than the Cymbeline average scene in Cymbeline (~144 lines).

Adjacent scenes

Previous: Act 1 Scene 1 · Next: Act 1 Scene 3