The Two Noble Kinsmen · Chapter
Scene II explained
The Gaoler's Daughter, alone in the forest at night, laments that Palamon has taken the wrong path.
What happens
The Gaoler's Daughter, alone in the forest at night, laments that Palamon has taken the wrong path. She expresses her fear that wolves may have devoured him, yet she cares only for his safety. She reflects on her own dire situation—her father will be hanged for Palamon's escape, and she faces beggary or death. Exhausted and despairing, she contemplates suicide as the only release.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This scene is the dramatic climax because it delivers the emotional and psychological peak of the cousins' riv…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Love and Madness
The Daughter's obsessive love for Palamon drives her to the brink of madness, as she hallucinates wolves, neglects her own needs, and contemplates suicide.
- Suffering and Redemption
The Daughter endures extreme physical and emotional suffering—hunger, sleeplessness, and fear—with no clear hope of redemption, only a desire for an end.
Characters to notice
- Daughter
Alone in the forest, she is frantic and despairing, fearing Palamon has been eaten by wolves and contemplating her own death.
- Palamon
Mentioned as the object of the Daughter's concern; she fears he has been lost or killed in the forest.
- Gaoler
Referenced as the Daughter's father, who is to be hanged for Palamon's escape.
Key passages
“He has mistook the brake I meant; is gone After his fancy.”
He has taken the wrong path; he has gone off following his own whim.
The Daughter realizes Palamon has not followed her directions.
“In me hath grief slain fear, and, but for one thing, I care for nothing, and that’s Palamon.”
My grief has killed my fear; I care about nothing except Palamon.
The Daughter's love for Palamon overrides all other concerns, including her own safety.
“My father’s to be hang’d for his escape; Myself to beg, if I priz’d life so much As to deny my act; but that I would not, Should I try death by dozens.”
My father will be hanged for helping Palamon escape; I would have to beg if I valued my life enough to deny what I did, but I would not do that, even if I faced death many times over.
The Daughter acknowledges the consequences of her actions and her refusal to betray Palamon.
“Dissolve my life! let not my sense unsettle, Lest I should drown, or stab, or hang myself!”
Let my life end! Do not let my mind become unstable, or I might drown, stab, or hang myself!
The Daughter prays for death rather than madness, fearing she will commit suicide.
