Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
|
Flourish. Enter King Henry, Exeter, Gloucester, and
Winchester; Richard Plantagenet and Warwick,
with white roses; Somerset and Suffolk, with red
roses; and Others. Gloucester offers to put up a bill.
Winchester snatches it, tears it. WINCHESTER
Com’st thou with deep premeditated lines,
With written pamphlets studiously devised?
Humphrey of Gloucester, if thou canst accuse
Or aught intend’st to lay unto my charge,
Do it without invention, suddenly, 5
As I with sudden and extemporal speech
Purpose to answer what thou canst object. | You can probably guess what's going to happen in this one just by reading the stage direction. Where there's Gloucester and Winchester, there's going to be a quarrel—and in Parliament, no less. Gloucester is trying to bring up a bill listing Winchester's bad behavior in Parliament. Winchester grabs the paper from his hands, and—no kidding—complains that he wrote out what he wants to say. Picky, picky. Winchester says if Gloucester is going to accuse him, he should do it on the spot without planning ahead; apparently Winchester really respects improv. And guess what? He thinks he's pretty darn good at it: He says he'll answer Gloucester without having to plan it. |
GLOUCESTER
Presumptuous priest, this place commands my
patience,
Or thou shouldst find thou hast dishonored me. 10
Think not, although in writing I preferred
The manner of thy vile outrageous crimes,
That therefore I have forged or am not able
Verbatim to rehearse the method of my pen.
No, prelate, such is thy audacious wickedness, 15
Thy lewd, pestiferous, and dissentious pranks,
As very infants prattle of thy pride.
Thou art a most pernicious usurer,
Froward by nature, enemy to peace,
Lascivious, wanton, more than well beseems 20
A man of thy profession and degree.
And for thy treachery, what’s more manifest,
In that thou laid’st a trap to take my life
As well at London Bridge as at the Tower?
Besides, I fear me, if thy thoughts were sifted, 25
The King, thy sovereign, is not quite exempt
From envious malice of thy swelling heart. | Gloucester says he may have written down Winchester's crimes, but he's also perfectly able to recite them from memory. Then he gets going on everything that's wrong with Winchester. Gloucester accuses Winchester of basically being a loan shark, an enemy to peace, and lustful. This is pretty strong stuff anyway, but it's particularly pointed because Winchester is a priest in the Catholic Church and is doubly not supposed to be doing all this stuff. Gloucester finishes it off with the most dangerous accusation of all: Winchester is a traitor and has laid traps to kill Gloucester. Not only that, but Gloucester even suspects him of trying to kill the King. We know from the story of Richard's father that traitors can be executed, so Winchester can't be happy to be called one by the Lord Protector. |
WINCHESTER
Gloucester, I do defy thee.—Lords, vouchsafe
To give me hearing what I shall reply.
If I were covetous, ambitious, or perverse, 30
As he will have me, how am I so poor?
Or how haps it I seek not to advance
Or raise myself, but keep my wonted calling?
And for dissension, who preferreth peace
More than I do, except I be provoked? 35
No, my good lords, it is not that offends;
It is not that that hath incensed the Duke.
It is because no one should sway but he,
No one but he should be about the King;
And that engenders thunder in his breast 40
And makes him roar these accusations forth.
But he shall know I am as good— GLOUCESTER As good!
Thou bastard of my grandfather! | Winchester says none of these accusations are true, and Gloucester just wants to run the Kingdom by influencing the young king. Gloucester interrupts to shout that Winchester is a bastard descended from his grandfather. We at Shmoop try not to use strong language, especially in Parliament, but Gloucester apparently has no such scruples. |
WINCHESTER
Ay, lordly sir; for what are you, I pray, 45
But one imperious in another’s throne? GLOUCESTER
Am I not Protector, saucy priest? WINCHESTER
And am not I a prelate of the Church? GLOUCESTER
Yes, as an outlaw in a castle keeps,
And useth it to patronage his theft. 50 WINCHESTER
Unreverent Gloucester! GLOUCESTER Thou art reverend
Touching thy spiritual function, not thy life. WINCHESTER
Rome shall remedy this. GLOUCESTER Roam thither then. 55 | Winchester accuses Gloucester of pushing people around under the cover of King Henry VI's authority. Gloucester points out that he is officially the Protector of the realm, and Winchester points out that he's pretty high up in the Church (which was quite politically powerful in the time and sometimes challenged kings). Gloucester and Winchester continue to bicker. |
WARWICK, to Winchester
My lord, it were your duty to forbear. SOMERSET
Ay, so the Bishop be not overborne.
Methinks my lord should be religious,
And know the office that belongs to such. WARWICK
Methinks his Lordship should be humbler. 60
It fitteth not a prelate so to plead. SOMERSET
Yes, when his holy state is touched so near. WARWICK
State holy, or unhallowed, what of that?
Is not his Grace Protector to the King? | Warwick and Somerset get in on the action, trying to settle the dispute. |
PLANTAGENET, aside
Plantagenet, I see, must hold his tongue, 65
Lest it be said “Speak, sirrah, when you should;
Must your bold verdict enter talk with lords?”
Else would I have a fling at Winchester. KING HENRY
Uncles of Gloucester and of Winchester,
The special watchmen of our English weal, 70
I would prevail, if prayers might prevail,
To join your hearts in love and amity.
O, what a scandal is it to our crown
That two such noble peers as you should jar!
Believe me, lords, my tender years can tell 75
Civil dissension is a viperous worm
That gnaws the bowels of the commonwealth. A noise within: “Down with the tawny coats!” What tumult ’s this? | Richard says he has to hold his tongue and not interfere in the debate just now (before being restored to his title), but otherwise he'd argue with Winchester. The young King Henry VI makes a moving appeal to Gloucester and Winchester to make peace. There's a commotion outside as he speaks. |
WARWICK An uproar, I dare warrant,
Begun through malice of the Bishop’s men. 80 A noise again: “Stones! Stones!” Enter Mayor. MAYOR
O, my good lords, and virtuous Henry,
Pity the city of London, pity us!
The Bishop and the Duke of Gloucester’s men,
Forbidden late to carry any weapon,
Have filled their pockets full of pebble stones 85
And, banding themselves in contrary parts,
Do pelt so fast at one another’s pate
That many have their giddy brains knocked out;
Our windows are broke down in every street,
And we, for fear, compelled to shut our shops. 90 | The Mayor turns up again. This guy has a hard job—and last time he told
Gloucester and Winchester that their men couldn't carry weapons, so now
they're throwing stones. They really are like squabbling kids. He asks
the lords and the king to stop the fight. Windows are getting knocked
out in the city, and shops have to close. |
Enter Servingmen in skirmish with bloody pates. KING HENRY
We charge you, on allegiance to ourself,
To hold your slaught’ring hands and keep the peace.—
Pray, Uncle Gloucester, mitigate this strife. FIRST SERVINGMAN Nay, if we be forbidden stones, we’ll
fall to it with our teeth. 95 SECOND SERVINGMAN
Do what you dare, we are as
resolute. Skirmish again. GLOUCESTER
You of my household, leave this peevish broil,
And set this unaccustomed fight aside. THIRD SERVINGMAN
My lord, we know your Grace to be a man 100
Just and upright, and, for your royal birth,
Inferior to none but to his Majesty;
And ere that we will suffer such a prince,
So kind a father of the commonweal,
To be disgracèd by an inkhorn mate, 105
We and our wives and children all will fight
And have our bodies slaughtered by thy foes. FIRST SERVINGMAN
Ay, and the very parings of our nails
Shall pitch a field when we are dead. Begin again. | The King tells the men to stop fighting, and they say, "Tough luck! We're going to keep fighting even if we have to use our teeth." Or something like that. They go back to fighting. Gloucester tells his men to stop. One of his servants says they're fighting so Gloucester won't be disgraced, though, and another expresses enthusiasm—and then they start fighting again. |
GLOUCESTER Stay, stay, I say! 110
And if you love me, as you say you do,
Let me persuade you to forbear awhile. KING HENRY
O, how this discord doth afflict my soul!
Can you, my Lord of Winchester, behold
My sighs and tears, and will not once relent? 115
Who should be pitiful if you be not?
Or who should study to prefer a peace
If holy churchmen take delight in broils? WARWICK
Yield, my Lord Protector—yield, Winchester—
Except you mean with obstinate repulse 120
To slay your sovereign and destroy the realm.
You see what mischief, and what murder too,
Hath been enacted through your enmity.
Then be at peace, except you thirst for blood. | Gloucester tells them to stop, the King pleads with Winchester to back
off (not all that kingly, possibly), and Warwick appeals to both the
feuding nobles to make peace. |
WINCHESTER
He shall submit, or I will never yield. 125 GLOUCESTER
Compassion on the King commands me stoop,
Or I would see his heart out ere the priest
Should ever get that privilege of me. WARWICK
Behold, my Lord of Winchester, the Duke
Hath banished moody discontented fury, 130
As by his smoothèd brows it doth appear.
Why look you still so stern and tragical? GLOUCESTER
Here, Winchester, I offer thee my hand. Winchester refuses Gloucester’s hand. KING HENRY
Fie, Uncle Beaufort! I have heard you preach
That malice was a great and grievous sin; 135
And will not you maintain the thing you teach,
But prove a chief offender in the same? WARWICK
Sweet king! The Bishop hath a kindly gird.—
For shame, my Lord of Winchester, relent;
What, shall a child instruct you what to do? 140 WINCHESTER
Well, Duke of Gloucester, I will yield to thee;
Love for thy love and hand for hand I give. They take each other’s hand. | Winchester says he won't yield. Gloucester says he'll stop for the King, but that's the only reason. Gloucester does try to make peace, but Winchester brushes him off.; finally the King and Warwick convince him to shake hands with Gloucester. |
GLOUCESTER, aside
Ay, but I fear me with a hollow heart.—
See here, my friends and loving countrymen,
This token serveth for a flag of truce 145
Betwixt ourselves and all our followers,
So help me God, as I dissemble not. WINCHESTER, aside
So help me God, as I intend it not. KING HENRY
O, loving uncle—kind Duke of Gloucester—
How joyful am I made by this contract. 150
To the Servingmen. Away, my masters, trouble us
no more,
But join in friendship as your lords have done. FIRST SERVINGMAN Content. I’ll to the surgeon’s. SECOND SERVINGMAN And so will I. 155 THIRD SERVINGMAN And I will see what physic the tavern
affords. They exit with Mayor and Others. | Gloucester doubts that Winchester's sincere, but tries to convince Parliament and the public that the two are at peace. The King says how happy he is and tells the servants to stop fighting now that their lords have agreed. The servants head off to find a doctor. |
WARWICK, presenting a scroll
Accept this scroll, most gracious sovereign,
Which in the right of Richard Plantagenet
We do exhibit to your Majesty. 160 GLOUCESTER
Well urged, my Lord of Warwick.—For, sweet prince,
An if your Grace mark every circumstance,
You have great reason to do Richard right,
Especially for those occasions
At Eltham Place I told your Majesty. 165 KING HENRY
And those occasions, uncle, were of force.—
Therefore, my loving lords, our pleasure is
That Richard be restorèd to his blood. WARWICK
Let Richard be restorèd to his blood;
So shall his father’s wrongs be recompensed. 170 WINCHESTER
As will the rest, so willeth Winchester. | Warwick now introduces the topic of Richard becoming Duke of York again.
Gloucester, the King, and Warwick all like the idea, and Winchester
agrees to go along with it. |
KING HENRY
If Richard will be true, not that alone
But all the whole inheritance I give
That doth belong unto the house of York,
From whence you spring by lineal descent. 175 PLANTAGENET
Thy humble servant vows obedience
And humble service till the point of death. KING HENRY
Stoop then, and set your knee against my foot;
Plantagenet kneels.
And in reguerdon of that duty done
I girt thee with the valiant sword of York. 180
Rise, Richard, like a true Plantagenet,
And rise created princely Duke of York. YORK, formerly PLANTAGENET, standing
And so thrive Richard as thy foes may fall!
And as my duty springs, so perish they
That grudge one thought against your Majesty. 185 ALL
Welcome, high prince, the mighty Duke of York. | The king says that he'll restore all of York's lost inheritance to Richard if Richard will be loyal to him. Richard vows obedience and service up to death. No small promise, that. They do the ceremony that makes Richard Duke, and the lords welcome Richard as one of them. |
SOMERSET, aside
Perish, base prince, ignoble Duke of York. GLOUCESTER
Now will it best avail your Majesty
To cross the seas and to be crowned in France.
The presence of a king engenders love 190
Amongst his subjects and his loyal friends,
As it disanimates his enemies. KING HENRY
When Gloucester says the word, King Henry goes,
For friendly counsel cuts off many foes. GLOUCESTER
Your ships already are in readiness. 195 Sennet. Flourish. All but Exeter exit. | Well, mostly. Somerset mutters to the audience that he wants the Duke of York to die. Apparently he's not of the forget-and-forgive school. Gloucester says to the king, "Hey, let's go get you crowned in France." The King says something like, "Whatever you say, my friend." Gloucester is still kind of running this show, even if it is Henry who's about to be crowned; Gloucester's even got the ships ready to go. But his advice is good, as Henry says. |
EXETER
Ay, we may march in England or in France,
Not seeing what is likely to ensue.
This late dissension grown betwixt the peers
Burns under feignèd ashes of forged love
And will at last break out into a flame. 200
As festered members rot but by degree
Till bones and flesh and sinews fall away,
So will this base and envious discord breed.
And now I fear that fatal prophecy
Which in the time of Henry named the Fifth 205
Was in the mouth of every sucking babe:
That Henry born at Monmouth should win all,
And Henry born at Windsor should lose all,
Which is so plain that Exeter doth wish
His days may finish ere that hapless time. 210 He exits. | Exeter is pretty worried about the feuds among the nobles. He says it's like a fire hidden under ashes that will break out into a flame, or like an infection slowly rotting away a sick person's body. Then he quotes a prophecy that Henry born at Monmouth (Henry V) would win all, while Henry born at Windsor (Henry VI) would lose all. Exeter is loyal, even if he doesn't expect things to go well. He says he wishes he would die before these bad things happen. |