How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line.)
Quote #1
ANDREA:
I was a courtier in the Spanish court.
My name was Don Andrea; my descent,
Though not ignoble, yet inferior far
To gracious fortunes of my tender youth.
For there, in prime and pride of all my years,
By duteous service and deserving love
In secret I possessed a worthy dame
Which hight sweet Bel-Imperia by name. (1.1.5-11)
These are some of the first words in the play, so it's telling that Andrea feels the need to announce his social status. And he's very specific about his status. He's not at the bottom of the social barrel (or "ignoble"), but he's also world's away from the higher-ranking characters in the play. We also learn that through "gracious fortune" and "duteous service" he was able to possess (loaded word) the "worthy dame," Bel-Imperia. His language suggests that through hard work he earned something of worth—an attitude we might think of as blue-collar work ethic (and sexist). But the snobby boys of privilege (Lorenzo and Balthazar) view his relationship with Bel-Imperia as a total affront. Either way, they all refer to Bel-Imperia as property to possess. Which means that you could read the play as a class struggle to own the "worthy dame." If this all sounds like an 80's teen flick, you're right. And you're probably thinking of Pretty in Pink.
Quote #2
KING:
Let go his arm, upon our privilege.
Say, worthy Prince, to whether didst thou yield?BALTHAZAR:
To him, in courtesy, to this perforce.
He spake me fair, this other gave me strokes;
He promised life, this other threatened death;
He won my love, this other conquered me;
And truth to say I yield myself to both. (1.2.161-65)
Nothing says class distinction like calling one person "him" and the other "this." The "him" is Lorenzo and the "this" is Horatio. Notice also how the king speaks to Balthazar. Even though Balthazar was just captured as an enemy, the king orders Horatio and Lorenzo to immediately release the prince's arm upon his "privilege." And of course he calls him "worthy prince." Social rank trumps just about everything in this culture, even when the person in question is an enemy. Knowing this, the prince uses the pronoun "him" and the article "this" to make everyone in the scene certain about his relative worth.
Do you think Balthazar is a bit irked about being captured by a "this?" You betcha. In fact, there are real questions about whether or not Lorenzo had anything to do with subduing the haughty prince. It might be that Balthazar is just saving face by insinuating a nobleman caught him. Imagine how he'll feel when he later finds out that the lady of his dreams prefers the more humbly ranked Horatio.
Quote #3
KING:
Nephew, thou took'st his weapon and his horse;
His weapons and horse are thy reward.
Horatio, thou didst force him first to yield;
His ransom therefore is thy valor's fee.
Appoint the sum as you both shall agree.
But, nephew, thou shalt have the prince in guard,
For thine estate best fitteth such a guest. (1.2.180-87)
This is pretty straightforward. But still crucial because this speech illustrates how class identification brings our villainous twosome together. And you don't have to be S.E. Hinton to know how cliques form down class lines. Oh yeah, Hinton wrote Outsiders, the classic youth novel on how class identification can lead to violent clashes between cliques from opposite sides of the tracks. Take a peek.
After this speech, the two well-born buddies team up to commit mayhem and murder. And it all happens because Lorenzo's house is way better than Horatio's. Kings usually grant the right to house a royal prisoner to the person who captured said royal. In this case, the king interpreted that both Lorenzo and Horatio deserve credit. But he splits the credit based on social class. Which means the king gives the money to the poorer dude and the honor of housing a prince to his own nephew with a lavish pad. The rest is history because the friendship between Balthazar and Lorenzo leads to the murder of Horatio—and unlike in the Outsiders, nobody "Stay's Gold."