Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Strike. Impf. “struck:” H6A I, 4, 80. IV, 6, 10. H6B IV, 7, 84. H6C II, 1, 132. Cor. II, 2, 99. Cor. II, 2, 99 Caes. IV, 3, 22. Mcb. III, 1, 123. stroke (M. Edd. struck): Shr. II, 1, 154. Tw. IV, 1, 38. Troil. I, 2, 35. Lr. II, 4, 162 (Ff strooke). strook or strooke (M. Edd. struck): Tp. II, 1, 313. Err. II, 1, 52. H4A I, 3, 139. H4B I, 1, 44. IV, 5, 152. V, 2, 80. R3 I, 4, 19. Troil. I, 2, 6. Cor. IV, 2, 19. Rom. II, 5, 1. Caes. III, 1, 182. V, 1, 44. Lr. II, 4, 162 (Qq stroke). Ant. III, 11, 36. Cymb. V, 3, 9. Cymb. V, 3, 9 V, 5, 154. -- Partic. “struck:” Wint. I, 2, 358. John IV, 2, 235. R2 IV, 277. H4A IV, 2, 21. V, 4, 107. H5 II, 4, 54. H6A I, 1, 134. I, 4, 75. H6B I, 1, 54. IV, 2, 28. IV, 7, 86. IV, 7, 86 R3 I, 4, 228. Tit. II, 1, 93 (Q1 strooke). II, 3, 117 (Ff Q2 strook). III, 1, 258. Cor. V, 6, 149. Caes. I, 2, 177. Hml. V, 2, 25 (Qq strooke). stroke (M. Edd. struck): Wiv. V, 5, 1. R3 V, 3, 217. Troil. II, 2, 7. Tit. I, 364. Hml. III, 2, 339 (Qq strooke). Ant. III, 1, 1. strook or strooke (M. Edd. struck): Tp. V, 25. Wiv. V, 2, 11. Err. III, 1, 56. Shr. II, 362. H4B V, 4, 11. H5 IV, 8, 27. R3 I, 1, 92. H8 V, 1, 1. Cor. I, 6, 4. II, 2, 80. IV, 1, 8. IV, 5, 230. Tit. II, 1, 93 (Ff Q2 struck). II, 3, 117 (Q1 struck). Rom. I, 1, 167. Tim. I, 1, 23. Mcb. IV, 3, 225. Hml. I, 1, 7. I, 4, 4. II, 2, 620. III, 2, 339 (Ff stroke). V, 2, 25 (Ff struck). V, 2, 25 Ant. I, 2, 87. Cymb. III, 4, 117. IV, 2, 320. “strucken:” Lucr. 217. Err. I, 2, 45. Caes. II, 2, 114. Hml. III, 2, 282 (Qq strooken; the surreptitious Q1 and M. Edd. stricken). Lr. I, 4, 94 (Qq struck). “stroken:” Cor. IV, 5, 156. Caes. III, 1, 209. “strooken:” LLL IV, 3, 224 Rom. I, 1, 238. Hml. III, 2, 282 (Ff strucken). “stricken:” R2 V, 1, 25 (Qq thrown). Caes. II, 1, 192.
1) to make to disappear, to efface, to blot (Germ. streichen): “that thou didst love her, --s some scores away from the great compt,” All's V, 3, 56. “all damage else . . . shall be stroke off,” Troil. II, 2, 7. “her presence shall quite s. off all service I have done,” III, 3, 29. “I shall s. off this score of absence,” Oth. III, 4, 179.
As a naval term, used of sails, == to lower, to let down: “must s. sail to spirits of vile sort,” H4B V, 2, 18 (== do them homage). “now Margaret must s. her sail and learn a while to serve,” H6C III, 3, 5. Absol.: “we see the wind sit sore upon our sails, and yet we s. not,” R2 II, 1, 266. “than bear so low a sail, to s. to thee,” H6C V, 1, 52.
2) to make or give a blow; absol.: “s. now, or else the iron cools,” H6C V, 1, 49. “thou hast stroke upon my crest,” Tit. I, 364. “s. on the tinder,” Oth. I, 1, 141. With an obj.: “the fire i'the flint shows not till it be strook,” Tim. I, 1, 23.
== to beat (with the hand or a stick); absol.: “shall I s.?” Gent. III, 1, 199. “he strook so plainly,” Err. II, 1, 52. “now you s. like the blind man,” Ado II, 1, 205. “I'll cuff you, if you s. again,” Shr. II, 221. “as he is --ing, holds his infant up,” H4B IV, 1, 212. “thou canst s., canst thou?” Troil. II, 1, 20. With an obj.: “he --s her on the cheeks,” Ven. 475. “who wouldst thou s.?” Gent. III, 1, 200. “let him not s. the old woman,” Wiv. IV, 2, 190. Mids. II, 1, 205. III, 2, 269. III, 2, 269 Shr. II, 154. Shr. II, 154 Tw. III, 2, 88. IV, 1, 38. R2 V, 2, 85. H4A II, 2, 76. H4B I, 2, 63. V, 2, 80. V, 4, 11. H5 IV, 7, 184. IV, 8, 32. IV, 8, 32 H6B I, 3, 150. H8 III, 2, 117. Troil. I, 2, 6. II, 1, 24. II, 1, 24 Cor. IV, 5, 156. Tit. III, 2, 14. Lr. I, 3, 1. I, 4, 94. I, 4, 94 Oth. IV, 1, 193. Oth. IV, 1, 193 IV, 3, 91. Ant. II, 5, 42. Ant. II, 5, 42 Per. V, 1, 192. With at, == to offer a blow: “to s. at me,” Lr. II, 2, 124. Oth. II, 1, 280.
Used of any hurt inflicted or offered with any weapon; absol.: “what needs a second --ing?” Ven. 250. “makest a show but darest not s.” Tp. I, 2, 470. “well strook! there was blow for blow!” Err. III, 1, 56. “s. home,” Meas. I, 3, 41. “his sword did ne'er leave --ing in the field,” H6A I, 4, 81. “he stirs: shall I s.?” R3 I, 4, 164. “struck home to show my strength,” Tit. II, 3, 117. “I s. quickly, being moved,” Rom. I, 1, 7. Rom. I, 1, 7 “foes that s. beside us,” Mcb. V, 7, 29. “in rage --s wide,” Hml. II, 2, 494. “he dies that --s again,” Lr. II, 2, 53. “shall I s. now?” Ant. IV, 14, 93. nor feel him (death) “where he strooke,” Cymb. V, 3, 70. With at, == to aim at, to direct or point one's weapon at: “it cannot be, seeing his beauty, thou shouldst s. at it,” Ven. 938. “though you have ta'en a special stand to s. at me, your arrow hath glanced,” Wiv. V, 5, 248. “myself would s. at thy life,” Ado IV, 1, 129. “she --s at the brow,” LLL IV, 1, 119. “the heavens do s. at my injustice,” Wint. III, 2, 148. R2 III, 2, 86. Cor. I, 1, 70. Cor. I, 1, 70 V, 6, 20. Tit. III, 2, 52. Tim. III, 5, 114. Caes. IV, 3, 105. Mcb. V, 7, 17. Hml. I, 1, 140. II, 2, 491. Transitively (sometimes == to kill): he (the boar) “--s whate'er is in his way,” Ven. 623. Ven. 623 “doth bend his bow to s. a doe,” Lucr. 581. “the deer that thou shouldst s.” Pilgr. 300. “calumny the whitest virtue --s,” Meas. III, 2, 198. “thousands that had struck anointed kings,” Wint. I, 2, 358 (== killed). “death hath not struck so fat a deer to-day,” H4A V, 4, 107. “a struck fowl,” IV, 2, 21. “s. those that hurt,” H6A III, 3, 53. “as if they struck their friends,” H6C II, 1, 132. s. her (this dainty doe) “home by force, if not by words,” Tit. II, 1, 118. “hast not thou full often struck a doe,” Tit. II, 1, 118 “s. me the counterfeit matron,” Tim. IV, 3, 112. Tim. IV, 3, 112 when I strooke him (Caesar) Caes. III, 1, 182. “a deer, stroken by many princes,” Caes. III, 1, 182 “struck the foremost man of all this world,” IV, 3, 22. V, 1, 44. Mcb. IV, 3, 225. Hml. III, 2, 282. V, 2, 378. Lr. II, 4, 162. Oth. II, 3, 243. Ant. III, 11, 36. IV, 14, 68. Cymb. III, 3, 74.
The instrument as object: “he struck his hand upon his breast,” Lucr. 1842. “when I s. my foot upon the bosom of the ground,” John IV, 1, 2. “strooke his heels against the sides,” H4B I, 1, 44. “s. in their bare arms pins,” Lr. II, 3, 15.
The effect produced as object: “when from the Dauphins crest thy sword struck fire,” H6A IV, 6, 10. “that my words have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus,” Caes. I, 2, 177. cf. “who strooke this heat up?” H4A I, 3, 139. Especially blow or stroke as object: R2 IV, 277. H6B IV, 7, 84. Cor. IV, 1, 8. IV, 2, 19. Per. I, 2, 59. H5 II, 1, 68. H6A I, 1, 134. I, 5, 35. Troil. V, 7, 3. Ant. IV, 14, 91. The effect expressed by a double accus.: “to s. a person dead,” Ven. 250. Ven. 250 Sonn. 86, 6. Mids. IV, 1, 86. As III, 3, 14. John IV, 3, 98. H6B IV, 7, 87. R3 I, 2, 64. R3 I, 2, 64 I, 4, 228. Troil. I, 3, 115. Rom. I, 5, 61. Ant. IV, 14, 108. “s. flat the thick rotundity of the world,” Lr. III, 2, 7 (Qq smite). By an accus. with an adverb or a prepositional expression: “would with the sceptre straight be strucken down,” Lucr. 217. “now subscribe your names, that his own hand may s. his honour down that violates . . .,” LLL I, 1, 20. “a new world's crown, which our profane hours here have stricken down,” R2 V, 1, 25 (Qq thrown). “then is sin struck down like an ox,” H6B IV, 2, 28. “stroke him down,” Troil. I, 2, 35. “wail his fall who I myself struck down,” Mcb. III, 1, 123. “strooke down some mortally,” Cymb. V, 3, 9. “one of thy eyes and thy cheek's side struck off,” H6A I, 4, 75. “s. off his head,” H6B IV, 1, 69. IV, 7, 116. Hml. V, 2, 25. I will s. it out soundly (the glove in his cap) H5 IV, 7, 135. “who did s. out the light?” Mcb. III, 3, 19. “strooke me overboard,” R3 I, 4, 19. “let the mutinous winds s. the proud cedars 'gainst the fiery sun,” Cor. V, 3, 60. “hath from this most bravest vessel of the world strooke the main-top,” Cymb. IV, 2, 320. “struck him on his knee,” Cor. II, 2, 99 (so that he fell on his knee). “I'll s. thee to my foot,” R3 I, 2, 41. “to s. me to death with mortal joy,” Cymb. V, 5, 235.
3) to use one's weapons, to be active in fight or on any occasion of employing force: “to those Italian fields, where noble fellows s.” All's II, 3, 308. “s.! down with them!” H4A II, 2, 87. “since we have begun to s.” H6C II,2,167. “smile, gentle heaven! or s., ungentle death!” II, 3, 6. “the still and mental parts, that do contrive how many hands shall s.” Troil. I, 3, 201. “when thou art forth in the incursions, thou --st as slow as another,” II, 1, 32. “s., fellows, s.” V, 8, 10. “clubs, bills, and partisans! s.!” Rom. I, 1, 80. “if we and Caius Marcius chance to meet, 'tis sworn between us we shall ever s. till one can do no more,” Cor. I, 2, 35. “s., you slave,” Lr. II, 2, 44. Lr. II, 2, 44 “he'll s., and quickly too,” V, 3, 285. “woo't thou fight well? I'll s. and cry 'Take all,'” Ant. IV, 2, 8. “if thou fear to s. and to make me certain it is done,” Cymb. III, 4, 31. “do his bidding, s.” Cymb. III, 4, 31 “that --ing in our country's cause fell bravely,” V, 4, 71. “the sinful father seemed not to s., but smooth,” Per. I, 2, 78. “he should have struck, not spoke,” IV, 2, 69. Quite == to fight: “God's arm s. with us!” H5 IV, 3, 5. “whiles we have strooke,” Cor. I, 6, 4. “s. not by land,” Ant. III, 8, 3. Even actively: “when Cressy battle fatally was struck,” H5 II, 4, 54; cf. the subst. stroke in Cymb. V, 5, 468.
Hence in general, == to act not by fair means, but by force: “such as will s. sooner than speak,” H4A II, 1, 85. “there speak, and s., brave boys,” Tit. II, 1, 129 (cf. Tit. II, 1, 129). “speak, s., redress!” Caes. II, 1, 47. Caes. II, 1, 47 Caes. II, 1, 47 cf. Per. I, 2, 78; IV, 2, 69, and the subst. Striker; and stroke in Caes. V, 1, 29.
4) to afflict, to punish, to chastise: “to s. and gall them for what I bid them do,” Meas. I, 3, 36. “whose cruel --ing kills for faults of his own liking,” III, 2, 281. “oft have I struck those that I never saw,” H6B IV, 7, 86. “it --s where it doth love,” Oth. V, 2, 22. “now, darting Parthia, art thou stroke,” Ant. III, 1, 1. “pardon me, or s. me, if you please,” Per. I, 2, 46. “there to s. the inhospitable Cleon,” V, 1, 253.
Applied to superhuman powers, especially to the influence of planets, == to blast, to destroy, to confound: “a bawdy planet, that will s. where 'tis predominant,” Wint. I, 2, 201. “armies of pestilence, and they shall s. your children,” R2 III, 3, 87. “struck Corioli like a planet,” Cor. II, 2, 117. “the red pestilence s. all trades in Rome,” IV, 1, 13. “some planet s. me down,” Tit. II, 4, 14. “then no planets s.” Hml. I, 1, 162. “s. her young bones, you taking airs, with lameness,” Lr. II, 4, 165. so had you (Gods) “. . . strooke me,” Cymb. V, 1, 10.
5) to affect in a particular manner by a sudden impression: “his meaning struck her ere his words begun,” Ven. 462. “it strooke mine ear most terribly,” Tp. II, 1, 313. “I am strook to the quick,” V, 25. “a savour that may s. the dullest nostril,” Wint. I, 2, 421. “thou --st me sorely,” V, 1, 17. “s. all that look upon with marvel,” V, 3, 100. “how cold it strooke my heart,” H4B IV, 5, 152. “some sudden qualm hath struck me at the heart,” H6B I, 1, 54. “I am struck with sorrow,” Cor. V, 6, 149. “guilty creatures have been strook so to the soul,” Hml. II, 2, 620. “with this ungracious paper s. the sight of the death-practised duke,” Lr. IV, 6, 283. “a Roman thought hath strooke him,” Ant. I, 2, 87. “Pompey's name --s more than could his war resisted,” I, 4, 54. “high events as these s. those that make them,” V, 2, 364. “your cause doth s. my heart with pity,” Cymb. I, 6, 118. “mine ear, therein false strooke,” III, 4, 117. it --s me, past the “hope of comfort,” IV, 3, 8. “fairness which --s the eye,” V, 5, 168.
The effect produced as object: “should s. such terror to his enemies,” H6A II, 3, 24. “shadows have stroke more terror to the soul of Richard,” R3 V, 3, 217. “will s. amazement to their drowsy spirits,” Troil. II, 2, 210. “--s life into my speech,” Cymb. III, 3, 97. The effect expressed by a double accus.: “strooken blind,” LLL IV, 3, 224. “I will . . . s. the Dauphin blind to look on us,” H5 I, 2, 280. “strooken blind,” Rom. I, 1, 238. “s. the wise dumb,” Ven. 1146. “this parting --s poor lovers dumb,” Gent. II, 2, 21. “deep shame had struck me dumb,” John IV, 2, 235. “with this dear sight struck pale and bloodless,” Tit. III, 1, 258. “which struck her sad,” Lucr. 262. “things to s. honour sad,” H8 I, 2, 126. By a prepositional expression: “which --s him into melancholy,” Ado II, 1, 154. “your behaviour hath stroke her into amazement,” Hml. III, 2, 339.
6) to cause to sound by percussion: “how one string . . . --s each in each,” Sonn. 8, 10. “clamorous groans which s. upon my heart, which is the bell,” R2 V, 5, 56. “she s. upon the bell,” Mcb. II, 1, 32. “new sorrows s. heaven on the face that it resounds,” IV, 3, 6. Hence used of clocks, trans. and intr.: it (the watch) “will s.” Tp. II, 1, 13. “it hath strooke ten o' clock,” Wiv. V, 2, 11. V, 5, 1. Err. I, 2, 45. Err. I, 2, 45 IV, 2, 54. H6A I, 2, 42. R3 IV, 2, 115. R3 IV, 2, 115 H8 V, 1, 1. Rom. I, 1, 167. II, 5, 1. Caes. II, 1, 192. II, 2, 114. Hml. I, 1, 7. I, 4, 4. Cymb. V, 5, 154. Of mill-wheels: “as fast as mill-wheels s.” Tp. I, 2, 281.
Used of drums, trans. and intr.: “s. alarum, drums!” R3 IV, 4, 148. “s., I say,” R3 IV, 4, 148 “when the alarum were strooke,” Cor. II, 2, 80. “s. drum,” Rom. I, 4, 114. “s.!” Tim. IV, 3, 175. “let our drums s.” V, 4, 85. Lr. V, 3, 81. Figuratively: “his beating heart, alarum --ing,” Lucr. 433. With up: “s. up the drums,” John V, 2, 164. John V, 2, 164 H4B IV, 2, 120. “whilst any trump did sound, or drum struck up,” H6A I, 4, 80. “s. up drums,” H6C II, 1, 204. “drummer, s. up,” IV, 7, 50. “s. up the drum,” V, 3, 24. R3 IV, 4, 179. “you shall have the drum strooke up,” Cor. IV, 5, 230. “s. up the drum towards Athens,” Tim. IV, 3, 169.
And hence of any music: “s. up, pipers,” Ado V, 4, 130. “come on, s. up!” Wint. IV, 4, 161. Wint. IV, 4, 161 “music, awake her, s.!” V, 3, 98. “s. a free march to Troy,” Troil. V, 10, 30. “that heaven and earth may s. their sounds together,” Ant. IV, 8, 38.
7) particular significations: “we shall play a set shall s. his father's crown into the hazard,” H5 I, 2, 263 (== set on the hazard. German: in die Schanze schlagen). “s. the vessels,” Ant. II, 7, 103 (== tap, broach). struck in years == of an advanced age: “myself am strooke in years,” Shr. II, 362. “well strooke in years,” R3 I, 1, 92.