[General] fain = “disposed”, “gladly”, “inclined”, “prepared”

[vil]

Dear teachers,

In The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare writes:” … the moon sleeps with Endymion, And would fain be disturbed.”

There is an interesting for me sentence in the “The High History of the Holy Graal” .

“I would fain ask you of a King.When I had brought him his son back dead, he made him be cooked
and thereafter made him be eaten of all the folk of his land."


I know that “fain” = “disposed”, “gladly”, “inclined”, “prepared” as in:

“I would fain do it”

Would you be kind enough to tell me whether the word in question is in common use in the contemporary English language?

Thank you for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

[Anglika]

Simple answer - no. It is archaic in the extreme.