The Spanish Tragedy

by

Thomas Kyd

Balthazar’s servant. Serberine is with Balthazar, Lorenzo, and Pedringano the night they kill Horatio in the garden. Lorenzo is wrongly convinced that Serberine has betrayed them to Hieronimo, so Lorenzo pays Pedringano to kill Serberine. Lorenzo tells Serberine through a messenger to meet him at the park, and when Serberine arrives, Pedringano shoots him dead. Pedringano is arrested for Serberine’s murder and is later executed. At the end of the play, Andrea requests that Serberine be forced in death to “roll the fatal stone” of Sisyphus up the mountain for all of eternity. According to Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king, who, after being punished by the gods for deceitfulness, was forced to push a massive boulder up a mountain each day, only to have it roll back down each night. As Serberine is complicit in Horatio’s murder, Andrea condemns him to the very same fate.

Serberine Quotes in The Spanish Tragedy

The The Spanish Tragedy quotes below are all either spoken by Serberine or refer to Serberine. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Revenge and Justice  Theme Icon
).
Act 2, Scene 4 Quotes

What, will you murder me?

Ay, thus, and thus; these are the fruits of love.

Related Characters: Lorenzo (speaker), Horatio (speaker), Bel-Imperia, Balthazar, Pedringano, Serberine
Page Number: 41
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 2 Quotes

This sly enquiry of Hieronimo
For Bel-lmperia breeds suspicion,
And this suspicion bodes a further ill,
As for myself, I know my secret fault;
And so do they, but I have dealt for them.
They that for coin their souls endangered,
To save my life, for coin shall venture theirs:
And better it’s that base companions die,
Than by their life to hazard our good haps.
Nor shall they live, for me to fear their faith:
I’ll trust myself, myself shall be my friend,
For die they shall, slaves are ordained to no other end.

Related Characters: Lorenzo (speaker), Hieronimo, Bel-Imperia, Horatio, Pedringano, Serberine
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 5 Quotes

My master hath forbidden me to look in this box, and by my
troth ’tis likely, if he had not warned me, I should not have had
so much idle time; for we men’s-kind in our minority are like
women in their uncertainty: that they are most forbidden,
they will soonest attempt. So I now. By my bare honesty, here’s
nothing but the bare empty box. Were it not sin against secrecy,
I would say it were a piece of gentleman-like knavery. I must
go to Pedringano, and tell him his pardon is in this box; nay, I
would have sworn it, had I not seen the contrary. I cannot choose
but smile to think how the villain will flout the gallows, scorn
the audience, and descant on the hangman, and all presuming
of his pardon from hence. Will’t not be an odd jest, for me to
stand and grace every jest he makes, pointing my finger at this
box, as who would say, ‘Mock on, here’s thy warrant.’ Is’t not a
scurvy jest that a man should jest himself to death? Alas, poor
Pedringano, I am in a sort sorry for thee, but if I should be
hanged with thee, 1 cannot weep.

Related Characters: Lorenzo’s Page (speaker), Lorenzo, Pedringano, Serberine
Related Symbols: The Box 
Page Number: 65
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 6 Quotes

Peace, impudent, for thou shalt find it so:
For blood with blood shall, while I sit as judge,
Be satisfied, and the law discharged.
And though myself cannot receive the like,
Yet will I see that others have their right.
Despatch, the fault’s approved and confessed,
And by our law he is condemned to die.

Related Characters: Hieronimo (speaker), Horatio, Pedringano, Serberine, Lorenzo’s Page
Related Symbols: The Box 
Page Number: 67
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Spanish Tragedy LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Spanish Tragedy PDF

Serberine Quotes in The Spanish Tragedy

The The Spanish Tragedy quotes below are all either spoken by Serberine or refer to Serberine. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Revenge and Justice  Theme Icon
).
Act 2, Scene 4 Quotes

What, will you murder me?

Ay, thus, and thus; these are the fruits of love.

Related Characters: Lorenzo (speaker), Horatio (speaker), Bel-Imperia, Balthazar, Pedringano, Serberine
Page Number: 41
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 2 Quotes

This sly enquiry of Hieronimo
For Bel-lmperia breeds suspicion,
And this suspicion bodes a further ill,
As for myself, I know my secret fault;
And so do they, but I have dealt for them.
They that for coin their souls endangered,
To save my life, for coin shall venture theirs:
And better it’s that base companions die,
Than by their life to hazard our good haps.
Nor shall they live, for me to fear their faith:
I’ll trust myself, myself shall be my friend,
For die they shall, slaves are ordained to no other end.

Related Characters: Lorenzo (speaker), Hieronimo, Bel-Imperia, Horatio, Pedringano, Serberine
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 5 Quotes

My master hath forbidden me to look in this box, and by my
troth ’tis likely, if he had not warned me, I should not have had
so much idle time; for we men’s-kind in our minority are like
women in their uncertainty: that they are most forbidden,
they will soonest attempt. So I now. By my bare honesty, here’s
nothing but the bare empty box. Were it not sin against secrecy,
I would say it were a piece of gentleman-like knavery. I must
go to Pedringano, and tell him his pardon is in this box; nay, I
would have sworn it, had I not seen the contrary. I cannot choose
but smile to think how the villain will flout the gallows, scorn
the audience, and descant on the hangman, and all presuming
of his pardon from hence. Will’t not be an odd jest, for me to
stand and grace every jest he makes, pointing my finger at this
box, as who would say, ‘Mock on, here’s thy warrant.’ Is’t not a
scurvy jest that a man should jest himself to death? Alas, poor
Pedringano, I am in a sort sorry for thee, but if I should be
hanged with thee, 1 cannot weep.

Related Characters: Lorenzo’s Page (speaker), Lorenzo, Pedringano, Serberine
Related Symbols: The Box 
Page Number: 65
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 6 Quotes

Peace, impudent, for thou shalt find it so:
For blood with blood shall, while I sit as judge,
Be satisfied, and the law discharged.
And though myself cannot receive the like,
Yet will I see that others have their right.
Despatch, the fault’s approved and confessed,
And by our law he is condemned to die.

Related Characters: Hieronimo (speaker), Horatio, Pedringano, Serberine, Lorenzo’s Page
Related Symbols: The Box 
Page Number: 67
Explanation and Analysis: