Beshrew me, I would, And venture maidenhead for’t; and so would you, For all this spice of your hypocrisy: You, that have so fair parts of woman on you, Have too a woman’s heart; which ever yet Affected eminence, wealth, sovereignty; Which, to say sooth, are blessings; and which gifts, Saving your mincing, the capacity Of your soft cheveril conscience would receive, If you might please to stretch it.
I swear, I would, And risk my virginity for it; and so would you, Despite all this show of hypocrisy: You, who have so many fine qualities of a woman, Also have a woman’s heart; which always desires Greatness, wealth, power; And those, to be honest, are blessings; and those gifts, If it weren’t for your pretending, your soft conscience Would accept, if you allowed it to stretch.
Old Lady · Act 2, Scene 3
The Old Lady is calling out Anne's denial of wanting to be queen, insisting that any woman would jump at such a chance, and that Anne's protestations of humility are mere performance. The line matters because it voices what everyone knows but no one says: that power and rank are not things women can afford to refuse, and that modesty is a costume women wear while their hearts want what their mouths deny. It is the cold voice of female realism.
