READ STUDY GUIDE: Act II, Scenes i-ii |
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Act II, Scene ii
| [Flourish. Enter KING HENRY, QUEEN MARGARET, the PRINCE OF WALES, CLIFFORD, and NORTHUMBERLAND, with drums and trumpets.] |
| QUEEN MARGARET.: |
| Welcome, my lord, to this brave town of York. |
| Yonder's the head of that arch-enemy |
| That sought to be encompass'd with your crown; |
| Doth not the object cheer your heart, my lord? |
| KING HENRY.: |
| Ay, as the rocks cheer them that fear their wreck; |
| To see this sight, it irks my very soul.— |
| Withhold revenge, dear God! 't is not my fault, |
| Nor wittingly have I infring'd my vow. |
| CLIFFORD.: |
| My gracious liege, this too much lenity |
| And harmful pity must be laid aside. |
| To whom do lions cast their gentle looks? |
| Not to the beast that would usurp their den. |
| Whose hand is that the forest bear doth lick? |
| Not his that spoils her young before her face. |
| Who scapes the lurking serpent's mortal sting? |
| Not he that sets his foot upon her back. |
| The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on, |
| And doves will peck in safeguard of their brood. |
| Ambitious York did level at thy crown, |
| Thou smiling while he knit his angry brows. |
| He, but a duke, would have his son a king, |
| And raise his issue like a loving sire; |
| Thou, being a king, blest with a goodly son, |
| Didst yield consent to disinherit him, |
| Which argu'd thee a most unloving father. |
| Unreasonable creatures feed their young; |
| And though man's face be fearful to their eyes, |
| Yet, in protection of their tender ones, |
| Who hath not seen them, even with those wings |
| Which sometime they have us'd with fearful flight, |
| Make war with him that climb'd unto their nest, |
| Offering their own lives in their young's defence? |
| For shame, my liege! make them your precedent. |
| Were it not pity that this goodly boy |
| Should lose his birthright by his father's fault, |
| And long hereafter say unto his child, |
| 'What my great-grandfather and grandsire got, |
| My careless father fondly gave away?' |
| Ah, what a shame were this! Look on the boy, |
| And let his manly face, which promiseth |
| Successful fortune, steel thy melting heart |
| To hold thine own, and leave thine own with him. |
| KING HENRY.: |
| Full well hath Clifford play'd the orator, |
| Inferring arguments of mighty force. |
| But, Clifford, tell me, didst thou never hear |
| That things ill got had ever bad success? |
| And happy always was it for that son |
| Whose father for his hoarding went to hell? |
| I'll leave my son my virtuous deeds behind, |
| And would my father had left me no more; |
| For all the rest is held at such a rate |
| As brings a thousand-fold more care to keep |
| Than in possession any jot of pleasure.— |
| Ah, cousin York! would thy best friends did know |
| How it doth grieve me that thy head is here! |
| QUEEN MARGARET.: |
| My lord, cheer up your spirits; |
| our foes are nigh, |
| And this soft courage makes your followers faint. |
| You promis'd knighthood to our forward son; |
| Unsheathe your sword and dub him presently.— |
| Edward, kneel down. |
| KING HENRY.: |
| Edward Plantagenet, arise a knight; |
| And learn this lesson,—draw thy sword in right. |
| PRINCE.: |
| My gracious father, by your kingly leave, |
| I'll draw it as apparent to the crown, |
| And in that quarrel use it to the death. |
| CLIFFORD.: |
| Why, that is spoken like a toward prince. |
| [Enter a Messenger.] |
| MESSENGER.: |
| Royal commanders, be in readiness; |
| For with a band of thirty thousand men |
| Comes Warwick, backing of the Duke of York, |
| And in the towns, as they do march along, |
| Proclaims him king, and many fly to him. |
| Darraign your battle, for they are at hand. |
| CLIFFORD.: |
| I would your highness would depart the field; |
| The queen hath best success when you are absent. |
| QUEEN MARGARET.: |
| Ay, good my lord, and leave us to our fortune. |
| KING HENRY.: |
| Why, that's my fortune too; therefore I'll stay. |
| NORTHUMBERLAND.: |
| Be it with resolution then to fight. |
| PRINCE.: |
| My royal father, cheer these noble lords, |
| And hearten those that fight in your defence. |
| Unsheathe your sword, good father; cry'saint George!' |
| [March. Enter EDWARD, GEORGE, RICHARD, WARWICK, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, and Soldiers.] |
| EDWARD.: |
| Now, perjur'd Henry, wilt thou kneel for grace |
| And set thy diadem upon my head, |
| Or bide the mortal fortune of the field? |
| QUEEN MARGARET.: |
| Go, rate thy minions, proud insulting boy! |
| Becomes it thee to be thus bold in terms |
| Before thy sovereign and thy lawful king? |
| EDWARD.: |
| I am his king, and he should bow his knee. |
| I was adopted heir by his consent; |
| Since when, his oath is broke; for, as I hear, |
| You, that are king, though he do wear the crown, |
| Have caus'd him by new act of parliament |
| To blot out me and put his own son in. |
| CLIFFORD.: |
| And reason, too; |
| Who should succeed the father but the son? |
| RICHARD.: |
| Are you there, butcher?—O, I cannot speak! |
| CLIFFORD.: |
| Ay, crook-back; here I stand, to answer thee, |
| Or any he the proudest of thy sort. |
| RICHARD.: |
| 'T was you that kill'd young Rutland, was it not? |
| CLIFFORD.: |
| Ay, and old York, and yet not satisfied. |
| RICHARD.: |
| For God's sake, lords, give signal to the fight. |
| WARWICK.: |
| What say'st thou, Henry, wilt thou yield the crown? |
| QUEEN MARGARET.: |
| Why, how now, long-tongued Warwick! dare you speak? |
| When you and I met at Saint Alban's last, |
| Your legs did better service than your hands. |
| WARWICK.: |
| Then 't was my turn to fly, and now 't is thine. |
| CLIFFORD.: |
| You said so much before, and yet you fled. |
| WARWICK.: |
| 'T was not your valour, Clifford, drove me thence. |
| NORTHUMBERLAND.: |
| No, nor your manhood that durst make you stay. |
| RICHARD.: |
| Northumberland, I hold thee reverently. |
| Break off the parley; for scarce I can refrain |
| The execution of my big-swoln heart |
| Upon that Clifford, that cruel child-killer. |
| CLIFFORD.: |
| I slew thy father; call'st thou him a child? |
| RICHARD.: |
| Ay, like a dastard and a treacherous coward, |
| As thou didst kill our tender brother Rutland, |
| But ere sunset I'll make thee curse the deed. |
| KING HENRY.: |
| Have done with words, my lords, and hear me speak. |
| QUEEN MARGARET.: |
| Defy them then, or else hold close thy lips. |
| KING HENRY.: |
| I prithee, give no limits to my tongue; |
| I am a king, and privileg'd to speak. |
| CLIFFORD.: |
| My liege, the wound that bred this meeting here |
| Cannot be cur'd by words; therefore be still. |
| RICHARD.: |
| Then, executioner, unsheathe thy sword. |
| By him that made us all, I am resolv'd |
| That Clifford's manhood lies upon his tongue. |
| EDWARD.: |
| Say, Henry, shall I have my right, or no? |
| A thousand men have broke their fasts to-day |
| That ne'er shall dine unless thou yield the crown. |
| WARWICK.: |
| If thou deny, their blood upon thy head; |
| For York in justice puts his armour on. |
| PRINCE.: |
| If that be right which Warwick says is right, |
| There is no wrong, but every thing is right. |
| RICHARD.: |
| Whoever got thee, there thy mother stands; |
| For, well I wot, thou hast thy mother's tongue. |
| QUEEN MARGARET.: |
| But thou art neither like thy sire nor dam, |
| But like a foul misshapen stigmatic, |
| Mark'd by the destinies to be avoided, |
| As venom toads or lizards' dreadful stings. |
| RICHARD.: |
| Iron of Naples hid with English gilt, |
| Whose father bears the title of a king,— |
| As if a channel should be call'd the sea,— |
| Sham'st thou not, knowing whence thou art extraught, |
| To let thy tongue detect thy base-born heart? |
| EDWARD.: |
| A wisp of straw were worth a thousand crowns |
| To make this shameless callat know herself.— |
| Helen of Greece was fairer far than thou, |
| Although thy husband may be Menelaus; |
| And ne'er was Agamemmon's brother wrong'd |
| By that false woman as this king by thee. |
| His father revell'd in the heart of France, |
| And tam'd the king, and made the dauphin stoop; |
| And, had he match'd according to his state, |
| He might have kept that glory to this day; |
| But when he took a beggar to his bed, |
| And grac'd thy poor sire with his bridal day, |
| Even then that sunshine brew'd a shower for him |
| That wash'd his father's fortunes forth of France |
| And heap'd sedition on his crown at home. |
| For what hath broach'd this tumult but thy pride? |
| Hadst thou been meek, our title still had slept; |
| And we, in pity of the gentle king, |
| Had slipp'd our claim until another age. |
| GEORGE.: |
| But when we saw our sunshine made thy spring, |
| And that thy summer bred us no increase, |
| We set the axe to thy usurping root; |
| And though the edge hath something hit ourselves, |
| Yet, know thou, since we have begun to strike, |
| We'll never leave till we have hewn thee down |
| Or bath'd thy growing with our heated bloods. |
| EDWARD.: |
| And in this resolution I defy thee; |
| Not willing any longer conference, |
| Since thou deniest the gentle king to speak.— |
| Sound trumpets;—let our bloody colours wave, |
| And either victory or else a grave! |
| QUEEN MARGARET.: |
| Stay, Edward. |
| EDWARD.: |
| No, wrangling woman, we'll no longer stay; |
| These words will cost ten thousand lives this day. |
| [Exeunt.] |
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