Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Alarum. Enter Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York;
Edward; Richard; Norfolk; Montague; Warwick; and
Soldiers, all wearing the white rose. WARWICK
I wonder how the King escaped our hands. YORK
While we pursued the horsemen of the north,
He slyly stole away and left his men;
Whereat the great lord of Northumberland,
Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat, 5
Cheered up the drooping army; and himself,
Lord Clifford, and Lord Stafford, all abreast,
Charged our main battle’s front and, breaking in,
Were by the swords of common soldiers slain. EDWARD
Lord Stafford’s father, Duke of Buckingham, 10
Is either slain or wounded dangerous.
I cleft his beaver with a downright blow.
That this is true, father, behold his blood. He shows his bloody sword. MONTAGUE, to York, showing his sword
And, brother, here’s the Earl of Wiltshire’s blood,
Whom I encountered as the battles joined. 15 | We begin in the middle of things—or, if you want to get all fancy about it, in medias res—with York, his sons Edward and Richard, and his supporters Norfolk, Montague, and Warwick. They're all are hanging out at parliament. York and company have just hightailed it there after a battle with King Henry VI and his supporters. York won the battle, but the war isn't over yet. Richard heard that the king fled to parliament, and they want to beat him there, because, um, that's the manly thing to do. Want to know more? Check out Henry VI, Part 2. |
RICHARD, holding up a severed head
Speak thou for me, and tell them what I did. YORK
Richard hath best deserved of all my sons.
But is your Grace dead, my lord of Somerset? NORFOLK
Such hope have all the line of John of Gaunt! RICHARD
Thus do I hope to shake King Henry’s head. 20 WARWICK
And so do I, victorious prince of York.
Before I see thee seated in that throne
Which now the house of Lancaster usurps,
I vow by heaven these eyes shall never close.
This is the palace of the fearful king, 25
And this the regal seat. Possess it, York,
For this is thine and not King Henry’s heirs’. | York and company get to parliament first. (All things considered, we can't say we're surprised.) They wonder how they beat the king there, but talk quickly turns to how awesome Richard is. Richard himself says that he's pretty rad, and he holds up the Duke of Somerset's head to prove it. Here come the severed heads again. The backstory? Somerset disagreed with York back in Henry VI, Part 1 over some law. Instead of sticking with York, Somerset stood for the red rose of Lancaster. So that pretty much sealed his fate with York's side, and York killed him at the end of Henry VI, Part 2. |
YORK
Assist me, then, sweet Warwick, and I will,
For hither we have broken in by force. NORFOLK
We’ll all assist you. He that flies shall die. 30 YORK
Thanks, gentle Norfolk. Stay by me, my lords.—
And soldiers, stay and lodge by me this night.
They go up onto a dais or platform. WARWICK
And when the King comes, offer him no violence
Unless he seek to thrust you out perforce. Soldiers exit or retire out of sight. YORK
The Queen this day here holds her parliament, 35
But little thinks we shall be of her council.
By words or blows, here let us win our right. RICHARD
Armed as we are, let’s stay within this house. WARWICK
“The Bloody Parliament” shall this be called
Unless Plantagenet, Duke of York, be king 40
And bashful Henry deposed, whose cowardice
Hath made us bywords to our enemies. YORK
Then leave me not, my lords; be resolute.
I mean to take possession of my right. WARWICK
Neither the King nor he that loves him best, 45
The proudest he that holds up Lancaster,
Dares stir a wing if Warwick shake his bells.
I’ll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares.
Resolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown. York sits in the chair of state. | York thanks Richard for his support, and a couple of jokes are made at the enemy's expense. Then Warwick points out that York should take the throne. They did just defeat the king, after all, and the throne is (literally) right in front of them. Sit in it just this once, Warwick prompts.
York's not sure at first, but after some gentle urging, he pops a squat. Hmm… that was easy. |
Flourish. Enter King Henry, Clifford, Northumberland,
Westmorland, Exeter, and the rest, all wearing
the red rose. KING HENRY
My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits, 50
Even in the chair of state! Belike he means,
Backed by the power of Warwick, that false peer,
To aspire unto the crown and reign as king.
Earl of Northumberland, he slew thy father,
And thine, Lord Clifford, and you both have vowed 55
revenge
On him, his sons, his favorites, and his friends. NORTHUMBERLAND
If I be not, heavens be revenged on me! CLIFFORD
The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel. WESTMORLAND
What, shall we suffer this? Let’s pluck him down. 60
My heart for anger burns. I cannot brook it. KING HENRY
Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmorland. CLIFFORD
Patience is for poltroons such as he.
He durst not sit there had your father lived.
My gracious lord, here in the Parliament 65
Let us assail the family of York. NORTHUMBERLAND
Well hast thou spoken, cousin. Be it so. | As soon as York sits down, Henry and his posse enter. Henry is totally peeved. That's my seat, York, he says, and then he reminds his followers that York is trying to steal his kingdom. Northumberland and Clifford (Henry's peeps) don't take this lying down: they want to fight York, right then and there. He did kill their fathers after all, so he deserves it. |
KING HENRY
Ah, know you not the city favors them,
And they have troops of soldiers at their beck? EXETER
But when the Duke is slain, they’ll quickly fly. 70 KING HENRY
Far be the thought of this from Henry’s heart,
To make a shambles of the Parliament House!
Cousin of Exeter, frowns, words, and threats
Shall be the war that Henry means to use.—
Thou factious Duke of York, descend my throne 75
And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet.
I am thy sovereign. YORK I am thine. EXETER
For shame, come down. He made thee Duke of
York. 80 YORK
It was my inheritance, as the earldom was. | Henry isn't so sure. He tells Northumberland and Clifford that York has soldiers there, and it could end badly for them. He worries about what will happen. Henry asks York to get out of his seat. York isn't biting. After some verbal smack down, he claims he has the right to the throne. |
EXETER
Thy father was a traitor to the crown. WARWICK
Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown
In following this usurping Henry. CLIFFORD
Whom should he follow but his natural king? 85 WARWICK
True, Clifford, that’s Richard, Duke of York. KING HENRY, to York
And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne? YORK
It must and shall be so. Content thyself. WARWICK, to King Henry
Be Duke of Lancaster. Let him be king. WESTMORLAND
He is both king and Duke of Lancaster, 90
And that the lord of Westmorland shall maintain. WARWICK
And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget
That we are those which chased you from the field
And slew your fathers and, with colors spread,
Marched through the city to the palace gates. 95 NORTHUMBERLAND
Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief;
And by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it. WESTMORLAND
Plantagenet, of thee and these thy sons,
Thy kinsmen, and thy friends, I’ll have more lives
Than drops of blood were in my father’s veins. 100 CLIFFORD
Urge it no more, lest that, instead of words,
I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger
As shall revenge his death before I stir. WARWICK
Poor Clifford, how I scorn his worthless threats! YORK
Will you we show our title to the crown? 105
If not, our swords shall plead it in the field. KING HENRY
What title hast thou, traitor, to the crown?
Thy father was as thou art, Duke of York;
Thy grandfather, Roger Mortimer, Earl of March.
I am the son of Henry the Fifth, 110
Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop
And seized upon their towns and provinces. WARWICK
Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost it all. | Henry isn't buying it. He points out that while York's dad was just a duke, Henry's own dad was a king, so he totally wins. Not so fast. Warwick and Richard point out that Henry lost the lands his dad (Henry V) won in France. He's such a loser he can't even keep lands that are already his. |
KING HENRY
The Lord Protector lost it and not I.
When I was crowned, I was but nine months old. 115 RICHARD
You are old enough now, and yet, methinks, you
lose.—
Father, tear the crown from the usurper’s head. EDWARD
Sweet father, do so. Set it on your head. MONTAGUE, to York
Good brother, as thou lov’st and honorest arms, 120
Let’s fight it out and not stand caviling thus. RICHARD
Sound drums and trumpets, and the King will fly. YORK Sons, peace! KING HENRY
Peace thou, and give King Henry leave to speak! | Henry says that's unfair. He got the crown when he was a little baby, so how could he possibly rule at that time? The Lord Protector Gloucester lost those lands, not him. York's supporters don't care about this distinction. The lands were England's before Henry's reign, and they are not England's now, so he's to blame. End of story. Richard says they're taking the crown. York tells his sons to shut it; he wants to listen to what Henry has to say. |
WARWICK
Plantagenet shall speak first. Hear him, lords, 125
And be you silent and attentive too,
For he that interrupts him shall not live. KING HENRY
Think’st thou that I will leave my kingly throne,
Wherein my grandsire and my father sat?
No. First shall war unpeople this my realm; 130
Ay, and their colors, often borne in France,
And now in England to our heart’s great sorrow,
Shall be my winding-sheet. Why faint you, lords?
My title’s good, and better far than his. WARWICK
Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king. 135 KING HENRY
Henry the Fourth by conquest got the crown. YORK
’Twas by rebellion against his king. KING HENRY, aside
I know not what to say; my title’s weak.—
Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir? YORK What then? 140 KING HENRY
An if he may, then am I lawful king;
For Richard, in the view of many lords,
Resigned the crown to Henry the Fourth,
Whose heir my father was, and I am his. YORK
He rose against him, being his sovereign, 145
And made him to resign his crown perforce. WARWICK
Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrained,
Think you ’twere prejudicial to his crown? EXETER
No, for he could not so resign his crown
But that the next heir should succeed and reign. 150 | Henry traces his family tree back for them. His dad was Henry V, and his granddad was Henry IV. He should be king because pops and grandpops were kings. York decides to get technical. Actually, Henry VI's granddad Henry IV stole the crown from Richard II, York's relative. You can't really claim to be the rightful king by stealing the crown. Hmm… good point? While Henry mulls this over, Exeter (one of his guys) sides with York. That argument does make sense to him, and he wants to serve the rightful king. Ouch. |
KING HENRY
Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter? EXETER
His is the right, and therefore pardon me. YORK
Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not? EXETER
My conscience tells me he is lawful king. KING HENRY, aside
All will revolt from me and turn to him. 155 NORTHUMBERLAND, to York
Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay’st,
Think not that Henry shall be so deposed. WARWICK
Deposed he shall be, in despite of all. NORTHUMBERLAND
Thou art deceived. ’Tis not thy southern power
Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent, 160
Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,
Can set the Duke up in despite of me. CLIFFORD
King Henry, be thy title right or wrong,
Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defense.
May that ground gape and swallow me alive 165
Where I shall kneel to him that slew my father. KING HENRY
O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart! YORK
Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown.—
What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords? WARWICK, to King Henry
Do right unto this princely Duke of York, 170
Or I will fill the house with armèd men,
And over the chair of state, where now he sits,
Write up his title with usurping blood. He stamps with his foot,
and the Soldiers show themselves. KING HENRYMy lord of Warwick, hear but one word:
Let me for this my lifetime reign as king. 175 YORK
Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs,
And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou liv’st. KING HENRY
I am content. Richard Plantagenet,
Enjoy the kingdom after my decease. | Clifford hears all this and says he doesn't care who should be king; he'll defend Henry either way. He says to York: "You killed his father. Prepare to die." Henry is relieved by this, but he still worries that everyone will turn against him like Exeter just did. York makes a compelling argument, and Henry's already losing his followers. So, Henry comes up with a solution: how about he gets to keep the throne… for now? When he dies, York can become king. It's a win-win situation. |
CLIFFORD
What wrong is this unto the Prince your son! 180 WARWICK
What good is this to England and himself! WESTMORLAND
Base, fearful, and despairing Henry! CLIFFORD
How hast thou injured both thyself and us! WESTMORLAND
I cannot stay to hear these articles. NORTHUMBERLAND Nor I. 185 CLIFFORD
Come, cousin, let us tell the Queen these news. WESTMORLAND
Farewell, faint-hearted and degenerate king,
In whose cold blood no spark of honor bides. NORTHUMBERLAND
Be thou a prey unto the house of York,
And die in bands for this unmanly deed. 190 CLIFFORD
In dreadful war mayst thou be overcome,
Or live in peace abandoned and despised! Westmorland, Northumberland, Clifford,
and their Soldiers exit. | Clifford is horrified, because this will plan will rob Henry's son of
the crown. Annoyed, he and the king's followers run off to tell Queen
Margaret what is happening. |
WARWICK
Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not. EXETER
They seek revenge and therefore will not yield. KING HENRY
Ah, Exeter! 195 WARWICK Why should you sigh, my lord? KING HENRY
Not for myself, Lord Warwick, but my son,
Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit.
But be it as it may. (To York.) I here entail
The crown to thee and to thine heirs forever, 200
Conditionally, that here thou take an oath
To cease this civil war and, whilst I live,
To honor me as thy king and sovereign,
And neither by treason nor hostility
To seek to put me down and reign thyself. 205 YORK
This oath I willingly take and will perform. WARWICK
Long live King Henry! Plantagenet, embrace him. York stands, and King Henry ascends the dais. KING HENRY, to York
And long live thou and these thy forward sons! They embrace. | Henry knows his followers are right and feels bad for doing this to his kid. Oh, well: he quickly gets over it, because in the next line, he makes the deal with York. Henry and York shake on it, and York boldly proclaims that the families of York and Lancaster (who have been fighting each other over the crown this whole time) are now friends again. He promises to be peaceful until Henry dies, after which he'll get the crown. |
YORK
Now York and Lancaster are reconciled. EXETER
Accursed be he that seeks to make them foes. 210 Sennet. Here they come down. YORK, to King Henry
Farewell, my gracious lord. I’ll to my castle. WARWICK
And I’ll keep London with my soldiers. NORFOLK
And I to Norfolk with my followers. MONTAGUE
And I unto the sea, from whence I came. York, Edward, Richard, Warwick, Norfolk,
Montague, and their Soldiers exit. KING HENRY
And I with grief and sorrow to the court. 215 Enter Queen Margaret, with Prince Edward. EXETER
Here comes the Queen, whose looks bewray her
anger.
I’ll steal away. KING HENRY Exeter, so will I. They begin to exit. | York and his supporters head out. Just then, Margaret and Prince Edward (ahem, the heir to the throne) enter. Exeter notices that she looks angry, and he and the king try to run away from her. Real mature, guys. |
QUEEN MARGARET
Nay, go not from me. I will follow thee. 220 KING HENRY
Be patient, gentle queen, and I will stay. QUEEN MARGARET
Who can be patient in such extremes?
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. 225
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 230
there,
Rather than have made that savage duke thine heir
And disinherited thine only son. PRINCE EDWARD
Father, you cannot disinherit me.
If you be king, why should not I succeed? 235 KING HENRY
Pardon me, Margaret.—Pardon me, sweet son.
The Earl of Warwick and the Duke enforced me. | Margaret tells Henry and Exeter to stop and pay attention—otherwise, she'll just follow them around. She demands to know why Henry just gave the crown away. Henry claims it was all Warwick and York's fault: they forced him to do it. |
QUEEN MARGARET
Enforced thee? Art thou king and wilt be forced?
I shame to hear thee speak. Ah, timorous wretch,
Thou hast undone thyself, thy son, and me, 240
And giv’n unto the house of York such head
As thou shalt reign but by their sufferance!
To entail him and his heirs unto the crown,
What is it but to make thy sepulcher
And creep into it far before thy time? 245
Warwick is Chancellor and the lord of Callice;
Stern Falconbridge commands the Narrow Seas;
The Duke is made Protector of the realm;
And yet shalt thou be safe? Such safety finds
The trembling lamb environèd with wolves. 250
Had I been there, which am a silly woman,
The soldiers should have tossed me on their pikes
Before I would have granted to that act.
But thou preferr’st thy life before thine honor.
And seeing thou dost, I here divorce myself 255
Both from thy table, Henry, and thy bed,
Until that act of Parliament be repealed
Whereby my son is disinherited.
The northern lords that have forsworn thy colors
Will follow mine if once they see them spread; 260
And spread they shall be, to thy foul disgrace
And utter ruin of the house of York.
Thus do I leave thee.—Come, son, let’s away.
Our army is ready. Come, we’ll after them. | Margaret asks how these guys could force a king to do anything. She gives Henry a real tongue-lashing, pointing out that now York and his "wolves" will attack; they'll be waiting for any opportunity for Henry to die so that York can seize the crown. Margaret says that even though she's just a "silly woman," she's defended herself before. How come Henry can't do the same? He cares more about his own head than honor, she claims. Margaret tells Henry she wants to stay away from him because of what he's done. |
KING HENRY
Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak. 265 QUEEN MARGARET
Thou hast spoke too much already. Get thee gone. KING HENRY
Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me? QUEEN MARGARET
Ay, to be murdered by his enemies! PRINCE EDWARD
When I return with victory from the field,
I’ll see your Grace. Till then, I’ll follow her. 270 QUEEN MARGARET
Come, son, away. We may not linger thus. Queen Margaret and Prince Edward exit. KING HENRY
Poor queen! How love to me and to her son
Hath made her break out into terms of rage!
Revenged may she be on that hateful duke,
Whose haughty spirit, wingèd with desire, 275
Will cost my crown, and like an empty eagle
Tire on the flesh of me and of my son.
The loss of those three lords torments my heart.
I’ll write unto them and entreat them fair.
Come, cousin, you shall be the messenger. 280 EXETER
And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all. Flourish. They exit. | Henry, however, really wants Margaret to stay with him. When he gets a cold response, he tries to plead with his son. Surely he'll stay with his dear old dad? Nope. Edward wants to go with his mom. When Margaret and Edward leave, Henry notices that she has gone all hateful on him because she cares so much about the prince. He asks Exeter to help him get the lords on his side again. Exeter agrees, and the two of them leave. |