William Congreve

Name: The Mourning Bride — Act III
Author: William Congreve

Summary

“The Mourning Bride — Act III”, is a work by William Congreve. It explores elements such as wou'd, Peoples Voice and Wheels.

Quotes from The Mourning Bride — Act III (William Congreve)

William Congreve, The Mourning Bride — Act III

“ The extremest Malice of our Fate can hinder:
That still is left us, and on that we'll feed,
As on the Leavings of Calamity.
There, we will feast, and smile on past Distress,
And hug, in scorn of it, our mutual Ruine.
OSM. O thou dost talk, my Love, as one resolv'd,
Because not knowing Danger. But look forward;
Think on to Morrow, when thou shalt be torn
From these weak, struggling, unextended Arms;
Think how my Heart will heave, and Eyes will strain,
To grasp and reach what is deny'd my Hands:
Think how the Blood will start, and Tears will gush
To follow thee my separating Soul. ”

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Source: Wikisource

William Congreve, The Mourning Bride — Act III

“ That strain my cracking Nerves, Engines and Wheels;
That Piece-meal grind, are Beds of Down and Balm
To that Soul-racking Thought.
ALM. Then I am curs'd
Indeed, if that be so; if I'm thy Torment
Kill me, kill me then, dash me with thy Chains,
Tread on me, spurn me: Am I the bosom Snake,
That sucks thy warm Life-Blood, and gnaws thy Heart?
O that thy Words had force to break those Bonds,
As they have strength to tear this Heart in sunder;
So should'st thou be at large from all Oppression. ”

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Source: Wikisource

William Congreve, The Mourning Bride — Act III

“ OSM. Time may have still one fated Hour to come,
Which wing'd wit Liberty, might overtake
Occasion past.
ZARA. Swift as Occasion, I
My self will flie; and earlier than the Morn
Wake thee to Freedom. Now 'tis late; and yet
Some News, few Minutes past arriv'd, which seem'd
To shake the Temper of the King- who knows
What racking Cares disease a Monarch's Bed?
Or Love, that late at Night still lights his Lamp,
And strikes his Rays thro dusk; and folded Lids,
Forbidding rest; may stretch his Eyes awake,
And force their Balls abroad, at this dead Hour. ”

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Source: Wikisource

William Congreve, The Mourning Bride — Act III

“ Thou canst not! thy poor Arms are bound and strive
In vain with the remorseless Chains, which gnaw
And eat into thy Flesh, festring thy Limbs
With rancling Rust.
OSM. Oh! O-
ALM. Give me that Sigh.
Why do'st thou heave, and stifle in thy Griefs?
Thy Heart will burst, thy Eyes look red and start;
Give thy Soul way, and tell me thy dark Thought.
OSM. For this World's Rule, I wou'd not wound thy Breast
With such a Dagger, as then stuck my Heart.
ALM. Why? why? ”

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Source: Wikisource

William Congreve, The Mourning Bride — Act III

“ Vile and ingrate! too late thou shalt repent
The base Injustice thou hast done my Love:
Yes, thou shalt know, spite of thy past Distress,
And all those Ills which thou so long hast mourn'd;
Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd,
Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd. ”

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Source: Wikisource

William Congreve, The Mourning Bride — Act III

“ Dead Father's Blood; nay, which refus'd to hear
The piercing Sighs and Murmurs of my Love
Yet unenjoy'd; what not Almeria could
Revive, or raise, my Peoples Voice has wak'ned.
O my Antonio, I am all on Fire,
My Soul is up in Arms, ready to charge
And bear amidst the Foe, with conqu'ring Troops.
I hear 'em call to lead 'em on to Liberty,
To Victory; their Shouts and Clamours rend
My Ears, and reach the Heav'ns; where is the King?
Where is Alphonso? ha! where? where indeed? ”

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Source: Wikisource

William Congreve, The Mourning Bride — Act III

“ ALM. Didst thou not say, that Racks and Wheels were Balm,
And Beds of Ease, to thinking me thy Wife?
OSM. No, no; nor should the subtlest Pains that Hell,
Or hell-born Malice can invent, extort
A Wish or Thought from me, to have thee other. ”

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Source: Wikisource

William Congreve, The Mourning Bride — Act III

“ Like Fumes of Sacred Incense, o'er the Clouds,
And wafted thence, on Angels Wings, thro' Ways
Of Light to the bright Source of all. ”

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Source: Wikisource

William Congreve, The Mourning Bride — Act III

“ Precedes the Will to think, and Errour lives
Ere Reason can be born: Reason, the Power
To guess at Right and Wrong; the twinkling Lamp
Of wand'ring Life, that winks and wakes by turns,
Fooling the Follower, betwixt Shade and Shining. ”

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Source: Wikisource

William Congreve, The Mourning Bride — Act III

“ OSM. And thy excessive Love distracts my Sense!
O could'st thou be less killing, soft or kind,
Grief wou'd not double thus his Darts against me.
ALM. Thou dost me Wrong, and Grief too robs my Heart,
If there, he shoot not ev'ry other Shaft ”

William Congreve

Summary

Quotes from The Mourning Bride — Act III (William Congreve)

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