Chapter 12 of Cymbeline is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Cymbeline is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mes. Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post. Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao. Ile be hang'd then Post. Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.
Chapter 12 of Cymbeline is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading “Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.”
plural of “bolt” — a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading “Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.”
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading “Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.”
comparative of “free” — not limited or hampered; not under compulsion or restraint
From this reading “Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.”
an independent nonpartisan federal agency that acts as the investigative arm of Congress making the executive branch accountable to Congress and the government accountable to citizens of the United States
From this reading “Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.”
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading “Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.”
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.”
an old form of “shall”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Ile be hang'd then Post.
any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
plural of “bolt” — a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
comparative of “free” — not limited or hampered; not under compulsion or restraint
From this reading Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.
an independent nonpartisan federal agency that acts as the investigative arm of Congress making the executive branch accountable to Congress and the government accountable to citizens of the United States
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
someone who guards prisoners
From this reading Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ile be hang'd then Post.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ile be hang'd then Post.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
not any; not one
From this reading Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
an old form of “shall”, used with “thou”
From this reading Thou shalt be then freer then a Gaoler; no bolts for the dead Gao.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Ile be hang'd then Post.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Thou bring'st good newes, I am call'd to bee made free Gao.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Knocke off his Manacles, bring your Prisoner to the King Post.
Chapter 12 of Cymbeline by William Shakespeare holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 12 holds 146 sentences of Cymbeline, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Cymbeline by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Cymbeline by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1991 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1133 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1133, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 165 minutes of reading across 399 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cymbeline section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Cymbeline to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Cymbeline, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
