Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter Gloucester with his Servingmen in blue coats. GLOUCESTER
I am come to survey the Tower this day.
Since Henry’s death I fear there is conveyance.
Where be these warders that they wait not here?—
Open the gates! ’Tis Gloucester that calls. Servingmen knock at the gate. FIRST WARDER, within
Who’s there that knocks so imperiously? 5 FIRST SERVINGMAN
It is the noble Duke of Gloucester. SECOND WARDER, within
Whoe’er he be, you may not be let in. FIRST SERVINGMAN
Villains, answer you so the Lord Protector? FIRST WARDER, within
The Lord protect him, so we answer him.
We do no otherwise than we are willed. 10 | The Duke of Gloucester, Lord Protector of the realm (more on that here)
tries to enter the Tower, afraid that things may have gone wrong there
since Henry V's death. The warders refuse to let him in, saying they
have orders not to. |
GLOUCESTER
Who willed you? Or whose will stands but mine?
There’s none Protector of the realm but I.—
Break up the gates! I’ll be your warrantize.
Shall I be flouted thus by dunghill grooms? Gloucester’s men rush at the Tower gates, and
Woodville, the lieutenant, speaks within. WOODVILLE
What noise is this? What traitors have we here? 15 GLOUCESTER
Lieutenant, is it you whose voice I hear?
Open the gates. Here’s Gloucester that would enter. WOODVILLE
Have patience, noble duke, I may not open.
The Cardinal of Winchester forbids.
From him I have express commandment 20
That thou nor none of thine shall be let in. | Gloucester is understandably annoyed by not being let in when he's basically (and legitimately) running England, but when the guy in charge comes (he's named Woodville), he says that he has clear orders not to let Gloucester in. Worse yet, Woodville says it's Winchester who's ordered them to keep Gloucester out. As we know from the very first scene of the play, Gloucester and Winchester don't get along. |
GLOUCESTER
Fainthearted Woodville, prizest him ’fore me?
Arrogant Winchester, that haughty prelate
Whom Henry, our late sovereign, ne’er could brook?
Thou art no friend to God or to the King. 25
Open the gates, or I’ll shut thee out shortly. SERVINGMEN
Open the gates unto the Lord Protector,
Or we’ll burst them open if that you come not quickly. Enter, to the Protector at the Tower gates, Winchester
in cardinal’s robes and his men in tawny coats. WINCHESTER
How now, ambitious Humphrey, what means this? | Gloucester disses Winchester badly—he says Henry V never liked Winchester anyway, and that Woodville had better open the gates. Winchester turns up about now and starts things out by insulting Gloucester. How so? He calls him "ambitious." Now that sounds nice—ambition means you accomplish great things and get your homework done early, right? Well, not in the Renaissance, especially if you're a nobleman but not a king. People suspected ambition and thought an ambitious character might want to take over. |
GLOUCESTER
Peeled priest, dost thou command me to be shut out? 30 WINCHESTER
I do, thou most usurping proditor—
And not Protector—of the King or realm. GLOUCESTER
Stand back, thou manifest conspirator,
Thou that contrived’st to murder our dead lord,
Thou that giv’st whores indulgences to sin! 35
I’ll canvass thee in thy broad cardinal’s hat
If thou proceed in this thy insolence. WINCHESTER
Nay, stand thou back. I will not budge a foot.
This be Damascus; be thou cursèd Cain
To slay thy brother Abel, if thou wilt. 40 GLOUCESTER
I will not slay thee, but I’ll drive thee back.
Thy scarlet robes, as a child’s bearing-cloth,
I’ll use to carry thee out of this place. WINCHESTER
Do what thou dar’st, I beard thee to thy face. GLOUCESTER
What, am I dared and bearded to my face?— 45
Draw, men, for all this privilegèd place.
Blue coats to tawny coats! All draw their swords.
Priest, beware your beard.
I mean to tug it and to cuff you soundly.
Under my feet I’ll stamp thy cardinal’s hat; 50
In spite of pope or dignities of Church,
Here by the cheeks I’ll drag thee up and down. WINCHESTER
Gloucester, thou wilt answer this before the Pope. GLOUCESTER
Winchester goose, I cry “a rope, a rope!”—
Now beat them hence; why do you let them stay?— 55
Thee I’ll chase hence, thou wolf in sheep’s array.—
Out, tawny coats, out, scarlet hypocrite! | Gloucester disses Winchester right back, and the insults get thick and
fast. Winchester accuses Gloucester of usurping the King's power and
betraying the kingdom, and Gloucester accuses Winchester of trying to
murder Henry V way back when, among other things. |
Here Gloucester’s men beat out the Cardinal’s men,
and enter in the hurly-burly the Mayor of London
and his Officers. | The insults keep going until a fight breaks out, and Gloucester's men chase Winchester's men off. |
MAYOR
Fie, lords, that you, being supreme magistrates,
Thus contumeliously should break the peace! GLOUCESTER
Peace, Mayor? Thou know’st little of my wrongs. 60
Here’s Beaufort, that regards nor God nor king,
Hath here distrained the Tower to his use. WINCHESTER
Here’s Gloucester, a foe to citizens,
One that still motions war and never peace,
O’ercharging your free purses with large fines; 65
That seeks to overthrow religion
Because he is Protector of the realm,
And would have armor here out of the Tower
To crown himself king and suppress the Prince. | The Mayor of London comes and asks why they can't all just get along.
Gloucester and Winchester tell him, at length. Gloucester complains that
Winchester has no regard for God or King (pretty bad insults for a
member of the nobility and a clergyman in this time), and that
he's taken over the Tower. Winchester rattles off a list of accusations
against Gloucester: He keeps pushing for war, he asks for too much
money, he wants to overthrow religion completely, and he wants to betray
Henry VI and be king himself. |
GLOUCESTER
I will not answer thee with words, but blows. 70 Here they skirmish again. | Gloucester is ticked off by this list, unsurprisingly, especially since
lots of it seems to be false. He says he'll answer by getting fighty, and they start going at it again. |
MAYOR
Naught rests for me in this tumultuous strife
But to make open proclamation.
Come, officer, as loud as e’er thou canst, cry.
He hands an Officer a paper. OFFICER reads All manner of men, assembled here in
arms this day against God’s peace and the King’s, we 75
charge and command you, in his Highness’ name, to
repair to your several dwelling places, and not to
wear, handle, or use any sword, weapon, or dagger
henceforward, upon pain of death. | The Mayor gets one of his officers to make a loud proclamation, which basically says, "Go home, and now you can't use weapons in my city." It even threatens the death penalty if they do use weapons here again. Dude's laying down the law, old fashioned sheriff style. |
GLOUCESTER
Cardinal, I’ll be no breaker of the law, 80
But we shall meet and break our minds at large. WINCHESTER
Gloucester, we’ll meet to thy cost, be sure.
Thy heartblood I will have for this day’s work. MAYOR
I’ll call for clubs if you will not away.
(Aside.) This cardinal’s more haughty than the devil! 85 GLOUCESTER
Mayor, farewell. Thou dost but what thou mayst. WINCHESTER
Abominable Gloucester, guard thy head,
For I intend to have it ere long. Gloucester and Winchester exit
at separate doors, with their Servingmen. | Gloucester and Winchester agree to stop fighting now, but only on the condition that they can keep feuding in other ways. Gloucester is more moderate: He says he won't break the law, but that their business isn't over.
Winchester is less moderate: He basically threatens to kill Gloucester at some later point. The Lord Mayor says if they don't stop he'll bring in clubs. He apparently doesn't like Winchester either. Gloucester acknowledges the Mayor's authority, and Winchester makes another threat on Gloucester's life. They leave. |
MAYOR, to Officers
See the coast cleared, and then we will depart.
(Aside.) Good God, these nobles should such 90
stomachs bear!
I myself fight not once in forty year. They exit. | The Mayor marvels that the nobles could be so quarrelsome. |