Chapter 2 of The Piccolomini: A Play is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Piccolomini: A Play is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OCTAVIO (to MAX.). He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here. MAX. What now have they contrived to find out in him? That he alone determines for himself What he himself alone doth understand!
Chapter 2 of The Piccolomini: A Play is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.”
satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
From this reading “He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.”
showing effects of planning or manipulation
From this reading “What now have they contrived to find out in him?”
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading “He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.”
third-person singular of “determine” — establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
From this reading “That he alone determines for himself What he himself alone doth understand!”
an old form of “does”
From this reading “That he alone determines for himself What he himself alone doth understand!”
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading “He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.”
street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading “OCTAVIO (to MAX.).”
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading That he alone determines for himself What he himself alone doth understand!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
showing effects of planning or manipulation
From this reading What now have they contrived to find out in him?
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
third-person singular of “determine” — establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
From this reading That he alone determines for himself What he himself alone doth understand!
an old form of “does”
From this reading That he alone determines for himself What he himself alone doth understand!
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading What now have they contrived to find out in him?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading That he alone determines for himself What he himself alone doth understand!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What now have they contrived to find out in him?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading What now have they contrived to find out in him?
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading That he alone determines for himself What he himself alone doth understand!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What now have they contrived to find out in him?
street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading OCTAVIO (to MAX.).
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading What now have they contrived to find out in him?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OCTAVIO (to MAX.).
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading What now have they contrived to find out in him?
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That he alone determines for himself What he himself alone doth understand!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What now have they contrived to find out in him?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading OCTAVIO (to MAX.).
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading That he alone determines for himself What he himself alone doth understand!
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What now have they contrived to find out in him?
in or at the place that
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He comes from court, where people are not quite So well contented with the duke as here.
Chapter 2 of The Piccolomini: A Play by Friedrich Schiller holds 391 sentences, grouped into 79 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 2 holds 391 sentences of The Piccolomini: A Play, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Piccolomini: A Play by Friedrich Schiller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 391 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 2 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 The Piccolomini: A Play by Friedrich Schiller on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2803 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6786 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6786, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 233 minutes of reading across 561 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Piccolomini: A Play section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Piccolomini: A Play 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 The Piccolomini: A Play, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
