How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #1
CLIFFORD
My gracious lord, here in the Parliament
Let us assail the family of York. (1.1.65-66)
Clifford is never one to take a back seat to the action. He wants to kill York and his supporters in the very first scene—in the middle of parliament, no less. We'd like to point out that he calls these people "the family of York." He could have said "supporters," and he could have name-called (since he is not above that), but instead he points out the family relationship here. This is a family: fathers, sons, and brothers, fighting together, against another family of husband, wife, and child.
Quote #2
QUEEN MARGARET
Ah, wretched man, would I had died a maid
And never seen thee, never borne thee son,
Seeing thou hast proved so unnatural a father.
Hath he deserved to lose his birthright thus?
Hadst thou but loved him half so well as I,
Or felt that pain which I did for him once,
Or nourished him as I did with my blood,
Thou wouldst have left thy dearest heart-blood
there,
Rather than have made that savage duke thine heir
And disinherited thine only son. (1.1.223-233)
Calling someone a bad father is no joke, and Margaret isn't kidding. She's so ticked at Henry for making a deal with York, who in her opinion might as well be the devil. Henry cut their son out of his inheritance, while she literally gave her blood to their child while she was pregnant. She's full of opinions, but no one can deny her bond to her kid.
Quote #3
YORK
See, ruthless queen, a hapless father's tears.
This cloth thou dipped'st in blood of my sweet boy,
And I with tears do wash the blood away. (1.4.161-163)
Um, this scene makes us feel a little queasy. Showing a father the blood of his murdered child is downright cruel, and that's exactly York's point. He's saying that everyone will cry over the story because what Margaret's done is so horrible; even his enemies will feel for him. He's got a point. York does a good job of pointing out that there is a connection between parent and child that you don't mess with. Margaret herself will learn this when she's forced to watch the murder of her son, which is the act that finally breaks her.