I swear to do this, though a present death Had been more merciful. Come on, poor babe: Some powerful spirit instruct the kites and ravens To be thy nurses! Wolves and bears, they say Casting their savageness aside have done Like offices of pity. Sir, be prosperous In more than this deed does require! And blessing Against this cruelty fight on thy side, Poor thing, condemn’d to loss!
I swear to do this, even though a quick death Would have been more merciful. Come, poor child: May some powerful spirit teach the vultures and ravens To be your nurses! Wolves and bears, they say, Have shown pity and done Similar acts. Sir, may you be successful In more than what this deed requires! And may blessings Fight against this cruelty on your behalf, Poor thing, condemned to die!
Antigonus · Act 2, Scene 3
Antigonus has just been commanded by Leontes to expose the newborn Perdita to die in the wilderness, and he agrees under oath to carry out the deed. This line matters because it shows a good man breaking under the weight of absolute authority, choosing obedience over conscience. It reveals how Leontes' jealousy spreads beyond his household—corrupting even those around him who know his orders are unjust.
I swear to do this, though a present death Had been more merciful. Come on, poor babe: Some powerful spirit instruct the kites and ravens To be thy nurses! Wolves and bears, they say Casting their savageness aside have done Like offices of pity. Sir, be prosperous In more than this deed does require! And blessing Against this cruelty fight on thy side, Poor thing, condemn’d to loss!
I swear to do this, even though a quick death Would have been more merciful. Come, poor child: May some powerful spirit teach the vultures and ravens To be your nurses! Wolves and bears, they say, Have shown pity and done Similar acts. Sir, may you be successful In more than what this deed requires! And may blessings Fight against this cruelty on your behalf, Poor thing, condemned to die!
Antigonus · Act 2, Scene 3
Antigonus has just been commanded by Leontes to expose the newborn Perdita to die in the wilderness, and he agrees under oath to carry out the deed. This line matters because it shows a good man breaking under the weight of absolute authority, choosing obedience over conscience. It reveals how Leontes' jealousy spreads beyond his household—corrupting even those around him who know his orders are unjust.
Thou, traitor, hast set on thy wife to this. My child? away with’t! Even thou, that hast A heart so tender o’er it, take it hence And see it instantly consumed with fire; Even thou and none but thou. Take it up straight: Within this hour bring me word ’tis done, And by good testimony, or I’ll seize thy life, With what thou else call’st thine. If thou refuse And wilt encounter with my wrath, say so; The bastard brains with these my proper hands Shall I dash out. Go, take it to the fire; For thou set’st on thy wife.
You traitor, you made your wife do this. My child? Throw it away! Even you, who have A heart so soft for it, take it away And have it burned immediately; Even you and no one but you. Pick it up quickly: In the next hour bring me word it’s done, And with good proof, or I’ll take your life, Along with everything you claim as yours. If you refuse And face my wrath, say so; I’ll smash the bastard’s brains out with my own hands. Go, take it to the fire; Because you pushed your wife into this.
Antigonus · Act 2, Scene 3
Leontes orders Antigonus to take the newborn daughter to the fire and burn her, convinced she is a bastard born of Hermione's infidelity. The speech is remembered because it is jealous madness unleashed as royal command—a man with absolute power using it to destroy what he created. It shows how Leontes' internal collapse becomes everyone else's catastrophe.
