Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Earth, subst. 1) the globe which we inhabit: Tp. I, 2, 255. IV, 82. Err. I, 1, 89. Mids. II, 1, 156. Mids. II, 1, 156 III, 2, 53. Troil. III, 2, 186 (as true as e. to the centre) etc.
2) the visible surface of the globe, the ground: “looks on the dull e.” Ven. 340. “where should this music be? i' the air or the e.?” Tp. I, 2, 387. Wiv. III, 4, 90. Merch. II, 8, 35. As I, 2, 213. R2 II, 4, 20. IV, 52. H6B I, 2, 5. I, 4, 14. H6C II, 3, 35. Tit. IV, 1, 84. Rom. III, 5, 127 etc. “it is as positive as the e. is firm,” Wiv. III, 2, 49. cf. “the huge firm e.” John III, 1, 72. “sure and firm-set e.” Mcb. II, 1, 56. cf. Caes. I, 3, 3. Without the article: “when the wind --'s foundation shakes,” Ven. 1047. “from --'s dark womb some gentle gust doth get,” Lucr. 549. “--'s increase,” Tp. IV, 110. “I'll not put the dibble in e.” Wint. IV, 4, 100. “the powerful regions under e.” H6A V, 3, 11. “it grows again toward e.” Tim. II, 2, 227. “darkness doth the face of e. entomb,” Mcb. II, 4, 9. “within the hollow mine of e.” Oth. IV, 2, 79. “as far from fraud as heaven from e.” Gentl. II, 7, 78. “unfolds both heaven and e.” Mids. I, 1, 146. “glance from heaven to e., from e. to heaven,” V, 13. Wint. I, 2, 315. “crawling between e. and heaven,” Hml. III, 1, 130 (Ff heaven and e.). “now heaven walks on e.” Tw. V, 100. -- Imagined now as the source, now as the grave of life: Sonn. 19, 2. Wint. IV, 4, 501. Rom. II, 3, 9. Sonn. 74, 7. 81, 2. Gentl. IV, 2, 116. R2 III, 3, 168. IV, 69. H4B IV, 5, 191. R3 IV, 4, 75. Rom. I, 2, 14. III, 2, 59 etc.
3) the world in which we live, as opposed to other scenes of existence: “no sound that the e. owes,” Tp. I, 2, 407. Tp. I, 2, 407 Err. III, 2, 32. R3 IV, 4, 52. R3 IV, 4, 52 Ant. IV, 6, 30 etc. in the e.: “where shall it find a harbour in the e.?” H6B V, 1, 168. “I am not vexed more at any thing in the e.” Cymb. II, 1, 20. “on the e.:” Ven. 753. Gentl. II, 4, 153. IV, 2, 52. Merch. II, 1, 28. R3 I, 2, 140. Without the article: “--s sovereign salve,” Ven. 28. Ven. 28 Lucr. 487. Wiv. V, 5, 84. Rom. III, 5, 208. Tp. III, 1, 68. Gentl. V, 4, 80. Err. III, 2, 64. Lr. I, 2, 105. “in e. or heaven,” Ven. 493. “'tis set down so in heaven, but not in e.” Meas. II, 4, 50. Err. II, 2, 214. All's II, 4, 13. H6C II, 3, 43. “on e.:” Ven. 794. Gentl. II, 4, 139. Merch. III, 5, 81. John I, 261. R2 I, 2, 7. III, 2, 68. H4A I, 3, 57. H6A V, 4, 41. H6B II, 1, 19. H6B II, 1, 19 III, 2, 372. R3 II, 1, 6. IV, 4, 166. Rom. III, 5, 207 etc.
4) the country, the land: “although my foot did stand upon the farthest e. removed from thee,” Sonn. 44, 6. “upon the e. of its right father,” Wint. III, 3, 45. “this e. of majesty,” R2 II, 1, 41. R2 II, 1, 41 “the e. this climate overlooks,” John II, 344. “so greet I thee, my e.” R2 III, 2, 10. “if this rebellious e. have any resting for her true king's queen,” V, 1, 5. “never so needful on the e. of France,” H6A IV, 3, 18. “would I had never trod this English e.” H8 III, 1, 143. -- Even in the sense of land, landed property: “she is the hopeful lady of my e.” Rom. I, 2, 15.
5) dry land, opposed to water: Tp. I, 2, 11. Err. II, 1, 17. Mcb. I, 3, 79 etc.
6) the substance, thought to be an element, of which the globe and its productions consist: “the e. can have but e.” Sonn. 74, 7. “poor soul, the centre of my sinful e.” 146, 1. “the elements of air and e.” Tw. I, 5, 294. “the most peerless piece of e.” Wint. V, 1, 94. “as false as air, as water, wind, or sandy e.” Troil. III, 2, 199. “I am not of stronger e. than others,” Cor. V, 3, 29. “turn back, dull e.” Rom. II, 1, 2. “vile e., to e. resign,” III, 2, 59. Earth and water thought to be gross and heavy elements: Sonn. 44, 11. H5 III, 7, 23; hence earth serving to denote grossness or dulness: “thou e. thou,” Tp. I, 2, 314. “here lies your brother, no better than the e. he lies upon,” II, 1, 281. “make men of some other metal than e.” Ado II, 1, 63. “a good lustre of conceit in a tuft of e.” LLL IV, 2, 90. “thou little better thing than e.” R2 III, 4, 78. cf. “more than e. divine,” Err. III, 2, 32. “examples gross as e. exhort me,” Hml. IV, 4, 46. “she's dead as e.” Lr. V, 3, 261 (cf. Earthly and Earthy).
Used as a fem.: Sonn. 19, 2 and R2 V, 1, 5; cf. “his mother e.” As I, 2, 213.