Flourish of trumpets. Enter [QUINCE as] the Prologue.
QUINCE If we offend, it is with our good will.
That you should think, we come not to offend,
But with good will. To show our simple skill,
That is the true beginning of our end.
Consider then, we come but in despite.
We do not come, as minding to content you,
Our true intent is. All for your delight,
We are not here. That you should here repent you,
The actors are at hand; and, by their show,
You shall know all, that you are like to know. (5.1.108-117)
Oh Quince. He does his best, but he gets all his pauses in the wrong place, messing everything up (maybe it’s the fanfare that unnerves him). He means to say, in his careful, careful iambic pentameter that sounds just enough like the prologue to Romeo and Juliet to be even more embarrassing, that if we offend, it is with our good will that you should think we come not to offend, but with good will (please take everything we do as meant positively, flatteringly, even if we inadvertently give offence), but it comes out meaning the exact opposite: we can’t wait to offend you! To show our simple skill, that is the true beginning of our end: that bit’s alright, all we want to do is our best! And then he means to say, consider then we come, but in despite we do not come: we’re here, with the best of intentions! no malice! As, minding to content you, our true content is all for your delight: all we want to do is please you, that’s what he wants to say! but again, it goes wrong, although this time just sounding muddled rather than negative. He means to say, we are not here, that you should here repent you: we don’t want you to regret giving us this big break! But it suggests, instead, that they’re not here to delight, but rather to make their aristocratic audience Repent. With relief, however, Quince makes it to the couplet, however lame it may be: the actors are at hand; and, by their show, you shall know all, that you are like to know. All will soon be revealed! We’re about to get started! (And when you see them, you’ll know what you’ve let yourselves in for.)
