Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter the Master Gunner of Orleance and his Boy. MASTER GUNNER
Sirrah, thou know’st how Orleance is besieged
And how the English have the suburbs won. BOY
Father, I know, and oft have shot at them;
Howe’er, unfortunate, I missed my aim. | Meanwhile, back at the ranch, or actually the town of Orleans in France, we meet the Master Gunner and his boy. The Gunner reminds the boy that the town is besieged, and that the English have actually taken the suburbs (no more shopping at those big malls outside the city for the French). The Boy says he's often shot at the English, but keeps missing them; he has something to prove. |
MASTER GUNNER
But now thou shalt not. Be thou ruled by me. 5
Chief master-gunner am I of this town;
Something I must do to procure me grace.
The Prince’s espials have informèd me
How the English, in the suburbs close entrenched,
Went through a secret grate of iron bars 10
In yonder tower, to overpeer the city,
And thence discover how with most advantage
They may vex us with shot or with assault.
To intercept this inconvenience,
A piece of ordnance ’gainst it I have placed, 15
And even these three days have I watched
If I could see them. Now do thou watch,
For I can stay no longer.
If thou spy’st any, run and bring me word;
And thou shalt find me at the Governor’s. He exits. 20 BOY
Father, I warrant you, take you no care;
I’ll never trouble you if I may spy them. He exits. | The Master Gunner says he has something to prove, too, and unfolds his
plan. The English have a sneaky plot to spy out the French position, but
he's placed a cannon so he can shoot at them when they do it. He has to
go see the Governor, so the boy will have to take over. The Boy agrees.
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Enter Salisbury and Talbot on the turrets,
with Sir William Glansdale, Sir Thomas Gargrave,
Attendants and Others. SALISBURY
Talbot, my life, my joy, again returned!
How wert thou handled, being prisoner?
Or by what means gott’st thou to be released? 25
Discourse, I prithee, on this turret’s top. TALBOT
The Duke of Bedford had a prisoner
Called the brave Lord Ponton de Santrailles;
For him was I exchanged and ransomèd.
But with a baser man-of-arms by far 30
Once in contempt they would have bartered me,
Which I disdaining, scorned, and cravèd death
Rather than I would be so vile-esteemed.
In fine, redeemed I was as I desired.
But O, the treacherous Fastolf wounds my heart, 35
Whom with my bare fists I would execute
If I now had him brought into my power. | Back to the English camp at Orleans. Remember Talbot, the English leader
who was taken prisoner in Scene 1? He's free and back with the English.
The English leader Salisbury greets him warmly and asks him how he got
out. Talbot says that the French and English traded prisoners. Talbot's happy that the prisoner they traded him for is a brave leader, and he complains that at one point they were going to trade him for someone less courageous. He says he'd rather die than be ransomed in such a way, and so he's pleased at how the trade eventually worked. He also complains about the cowardice of Sir John Fastolfe, and then he goes all classic Western movie and says he would execute him with his bare fists he got his hands on him. Remember Fastolfe's cowardice is what caused Talbot to be captured in the first place. |
SALISBURY
Yet tell’st thou not how thou wert entertained. TALBOT
With scoffs and scorns and contumelious taunts.
In open marketplace produced they me 40
To be a public spectacle to all.
“Here,” said they, “is the terror of the French,
The scarecrow that affrights our children so.”
Then broke I from the officers that led me,
And with my nails digged stones out of the ground 45
To hurl at the beholders of my shame.
My grisly countenance made others fly;
None durst come near for fear of sudden death.
In iron walls they deemed me not secure:
So great fear of my name ’mongst them were spread 50
That they supposed I could rend bars of steel
And spurn in pieces posts of adamant.
Wherefore a guard of chosen shot I had
That walked about me every minute-while;
And if I did but stir out of my bed, 55
Ready they were to shoot me to the heart. Enter the Boy with a linstock.
He crosses the main stage and exits. | Salisbury asks how the French treated Talbot. Badly, it turns out. They
dragged him to the marketplace and made fun of him in public. He says he
broke free of the guards and threw rocks at the crowd, which is pretty
impressive given that he was completely outnumbered and a prisoner.
Apparently the French were so impressed they stationed snipers all
around him after that. Okay, snipers didn't exist yet. But you get the picture. |
SALISBURY
I grieve to hear what torments you endured,
But we will be revenged sufficiently.
Now it is supper time in Orleance.
Here, through this grate, I count each one 60
And view the Frenchmen how they fortify.
Let us look in; the sight will much delight thee.
Sir Thomas Gargrave and Sir William Glansdale,
Let me have your express opinions
Where is best place to make our batt’ry next? 65 GARGRAVE
I think at the north gate, for there stands lords. GLANSDALE
And I, here, at the bulwark of the bridge. TALBOT
For aught I see, this city must be famished
Or with light skirmishes enfeeblèd. | Salisbury says he's grieved to hear what happened to Talbot, but not to
worry since they'll get revenge. They start spying out the French camp
from the location the French Gunner mentioned, deciding where to attack.
|
Here they shoot, and Salisbury
and Gargrave fall down. SALISBURY
O Lord, have mercy on us, wretched sinners! 70 GARGRAVE
O Lord, have mercy on me, woeful man! TALBOT
What chance is this that suddenly hath crossed us?—
Speak, Salisbury—at least if thou canst, speak!
How far’st thou, mirror of all martial men?
One of thy eyes and thy cheek’s side struck off!— 75
Accursèd tower, accursèd fatal hand
That hath contrived this woeful tragedy!
In thirteen battles Salisbury o’ercame;
Henry the Fifth he first trained to the wars.
Whilst any trump did sound or drum struck up, 80
His sword did ne’er leave striking in the field.—
Yet liv’st thou, Salisbury? Though thy speech doth fail,
One eye thou hast to look to heaven for grace.
The sun with one eye vieweth all the world.
Heaven, be thou gracious to none alive 85
If Salisbury wants mercy at thy hands!—
Sir Thomas Gargrave, hast thou any life?
Speak unto Talbot. Nay, look up to him.—
Bear hence his body; I will help to bury it.
Attendants exit with body of Gargrave.
Salisbury, cheer thy spirit with this comfort, 90
Thou shalt not die whiles—
He beckons with his hand and smiles on me
As who should say “When I am dead and gone,
Remember to avenge me on the French.”
Plantagenet, I will; and, like thee, Nero, 95
Play on the lute, beholding the towns burn.
Wretched shall France be only in my name. Here an alarum, and it thunders and lightens. What stir is this? What tumult’s in the heavens?
Whence cometh this alarum and the noise? Enter a Messenger. | The French gunners are ready, and shoot at them. They get Salisbury and another English leader, and Talbot mourns and promises revenge.
Suddenly, there's a loud noise and a lot of thunder and lightning. A messenger enters. Ominous entry, anyone? This is like that big drum roll and frantic strings in a movie when bad news is coming. |
MESSENGER
My lord, my lord, the French have gathered head. 100
The Dauphin, with one Joan la Pucelle joined,
A holy prophetess new risen up,
Is come with a great power to raise the siege. Here Salisbury lifteth himself up and groans. TALBOT
Hear, hear, how dying Salisbury doth groan;
It irks his heart he cannot be revenged. 105
Frenchmen, I’ll be a Salisbury to you.
Pucelle or puzel, dauphin or dogfish,
Your hearts I’ll stamp out with my horse’s heels
And make a quagmire of your mingled brains.
Convey we Salisbury into his tent, 110
And then try what these dastard Frenchmen dare. Alarum. They exit. | Turns out, the news is pretty bad: The French have a new champion, Joan Puzel, and she's thought to be a holy prophetess. To be clear, in this time period people really want to say God is on their side in a battle. Salisbury, who's dying, groans. Talbot is definitely not scared. He vows revenge even more strongly and says he'll take Salisbury's place in attacking the French. |