How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #7
KING HENRY
Hide not thy poison with such sugared words;
Lay not thy hands on me. Forbear, I say!
Their touch affrights me as a serpent's sting.
Thou baleful messenger, out of my sight! (3.2.47-50)
One of the only times Henry cares about something is when Gloucester dies, and he yells at Suffolk for being a poser. Sure, he's got control over a whole country, but he openly admits he doesn't care what happens with all the political decisions. It's only when these political affairs cause the death of his innocent mentor that he gets passionate about something.
Quote #8
QUEEN MARGARET
Be woe for me, more wretched than he is.
What, dost thou turn away and hide thy face?
I am no loathsome leper. Look on me.
What, art thou, like the adder, waxen deaf?
Be poisonous too, and kill thy forlorn queen. (3.2.75-79)
Like any good queen and wife, Margaret's more concerned about herself than anything else at the news of Gloucester's death. She says she's worried about people accusing her of killing Gloucester (of course, we know she did). Her speech about what people will make of her shows just how far she's willing to go to keep her lies secret… and it's pretty far.
Quote #9
WARWICK
The Commons, like an angry hive of bees
That want their leader, scatter up and down
And care not who they sting in his revenge. (3.2.129-131)
Here, Warwick explains what the commoners are on about. It's not just about class drama; it's also that the people think Henry and his nobles are lying about Gloucester's death. Lying might be the norm with the nobles, but it's a dangerous thing for rulers to be doing, because it shows how corrupt and lawless the government actually is. Henry and his nobles risk losing all legitimacy if they let this kind of thing happen.