You are most bound to the king, Who lets go by no vantages that may Prefer you to his daughter. Frame yourself To orderly soliciting, and be friended With aptness of the season; make denials Increase your services; so seem as if You were inspired to do those duties which You tender to her; that you in all obey her, Save when command to your dismission tends, And therein you are senseless.
You owe the king a lot, Who takes every opportunity to Bring you closer to his daughter. Prepare yourself to ask for her properly, and make sure you’re acting in line with the season; let refusals only make your efforts seem greater; act as if you were inspired to do everything you offer her; obey her in everything, except when she orders you to leave her, and in that case, you’ll be acting thoughtlessly.
The Queen · Act 2, Scene 3
The Queen instructs Cloten on how to win Imogen's favor by seeming to obey her in all things while secretly managing her emotions like a servant manages a household. The line lands because it lays bare the mechanics of courtship as manipulation—a man performing devotion while planning to control. It shows how the Queen understands power as theater.
A sly and constant knave, Not to be shaked; the agent for his master And the remembrancer of her to hold The hand-fast to her lord. I have given him that Which, if he take, shall quite unpeople her Of liegers for her sweet, and which she after, Except she bend her humour, shall be assured To taste of too.
A sneaky and loyal villain, Not easily shaken; the agent for his master And the reminder to her to keep Her promise to her husband. I’ve given him that Which, if he accepts, will completely ruin her Of suitors who seek her love, and which she, later, Unless she changes her mind, will be certain To suffer from too.
The Queen · Act 1, Scene 5
The Queen, having given Pisanio the poisoned box to deliver to Imogen, reflects on him in soliloquy as a servant she can trust precisely because he is disloyal to everyone but his master. The line lands because it reveals the Queen's own blindness—she believes Pisanio will follow orders from her when his entire nature is devoted elsewhere. It shows how those who deal in deception mistake loyalty for corruptibility.
Pisanio, thou that stand’st so for Posthumus! He hath a drug of mine; I pray his absence Proceed by swallowing that, for he believes It is a thing most precious. But for her, Where is she gone? Haply, despair hath seized her, Or, wing’d with fervor of her love, she’s flown To her desired Posthumus: gone she is To death or to dishonour; and my end Can make good use of either: she being down, I have the placing of the British crown.
Pisanio, you who are so loyal to Posthumus! He has a potion of mine; I hope his absence Is because he took it, thinking it’s something valuable. But what about her, Where has she gone? Maybe despair has taken her, Or maybe, driven by her love, she’s flown To be with Posthumus: gone she is To death or disgrace; and my own fate Can make good use of either: with her out of the way, I can claim the British throne.
The Queen · Act 3, Scene 5
The Queen, alone, addresses Pisanio in his absence, musing that he has a poison she has given him and that perhaps he will use it on himself, leaving her free to frame Posthumus. She then contemplates Imogen's likely death or dishonor with satisfaction, knowing that either outcome clears the path to the throne for herself. The soliloquy reveals how completely the Queen has abandoned moral reckoning in favor of naked ambition.
