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mike thomas
12-21-2011, 08:33 AM
Hi

Prospero is speaking in the last part of The Tempest:

...... Most cruelly

Did thou Alonso, vse me, and my daughter:

Thy brother was a furtherer in the Act,

Thou art pinch'd for't now Sebastian. Flesh, and bloud,
*
You, brother mine, that entertaine ambition,

Expelld remorse, and nature, whom, with Sebastian

(Whose inward pinches therefore are most strong)
**
Would heere haue kill'd your King: I do forgiue thee,

Vnnaturall though thou art: Their vnderstanding

Begins to swell, and the approching tide......

I am perplexed: what on earth does * "pinched" mean here?
And ** "Inward pinches"?

Have tried different sources, but there seems to be some confusion over the meaning in the above passage. Does anyone know of other examples in Shakespeare?

Thanks in advance for any kind assistance, and have a good one this coming seasonal holiday time.