Once more we sit in England’s royal throne,
Repurchased with the blood of enemies.
What valiant foemen, like to autumn’s corn,
Have we mowed down in tops of all their pride!
Three Dukes of Somerset, threefold renowned
For hardy and undoubted champions;
Two Cliffords, as the father and the son;
And two Northumberlands; two braver men
Ne’er spurred their coursers at the trumpet’s sound;
With them the two brave bears, Warwick and Montague,
That in their chains fettered the kingly lion
And made the forest tremble when they roared.
Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat
And made our footstool of security.
Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy.
Young Ned, for thee thine uncles and myself
Have in our armours watched the winter’s night,
Went all afoot in summer’s scalding heat,
That thou mightst repossess the crown in peace;
And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain.
Once more we sit in England’s royal throne, Repurchased with the blood of enemies. What valiant foemen, like to autumn’s corn, Have we mowed down in tops of all their pride! Three Dukes of Somerset, threefold renowned For hardy and undoubted champions; Two Cliffords, as the father and the son; And two Northumberlands; two braver men Ne’er spurred their coursers at the trumpet’s sound; With them the two brave bears, Warwick and Montague, That in their chains fettered the kingly lion And made the forest tremble when they roared. Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat And made our footstool of security. Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy. Young Ned, for you your uncles and myself Have in our armours watched the winter’s night, Went all afoot in summer’s scalding heat, That you mightst repossess the crown in peace; And of our labours you shall reap the gain.
Once more we sit in England’s royal throne, Repurchased with the blood of enemies. What valiant foemen, like to autumn’s corn, Have we mowed down in tops of all their pride! Three Dukes of Somerset, threefold renowned For hardy and undoubted champions; Two Cliffords, as the father and the son; And two Northumberlands; two braver men Ne’er spurred their coursers at the trumpet’s sound; With them the two brave bears, Warwick and Montague, That in their chains fettered the kingly lion And made the forest tremble when they roared. Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat And made our footstool of security. Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy. Young Ned, for you your uncles and myself Have in our armours watched the winter’s night, Went all afoot in summer’s scalding heat, That you mightst repossess the crown in peace; And of our labours you shall reap the gain.
proof right here
For yet I am not looked on in the world.
This shoulder was ordained so thick to heave,
And heave it shall some weight or break my back.
Work thou the way, and that shall execute.
For yet I am not looked on in the world. This shoulder was ordained so thick to heave, And heave it shall some weight or break my back. Work you the way, and that shall execute.
For yet I am not looked on in the world. This shoulder was ordained so thick to heave, And heave it shall some weight or break my back. Work you the way, and that shall execute.
yeah brutal
The final scene of Henry VI Part 3 is a genuine celebration — and a completely false ending. The Yorkist dynasty is secure, the heir is born, the wars are over. Edward's final couplet promises 'lasting joy.' But the audience watching in the 1590s knew — from history, from the Richard III that followed this play in the popular imagination — that the joy lasts about twelve years. By 1483, Edward IV is dead. His two sons are in the Tower. His brother Richard has declared himself king. Clarence has been drowned. Margaret's curses come true, item by item.
Shakespeare is doing something structurally interesting by ending on joy: he is forcing the audience to hold two things simultaneously. The celebration is real. The catastrophe is coming. The dramatic irony of the final scene is not that the characters are foolishly unaware — it's that they have genuinely won, and it won't be enough. Which is the most honest thing Shakespeare says about political victory in all his history plays: winning is not the same as being safe.
Clarence and Gloucester, love my lovely Queen;
And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both.
Clarence and Gloucester, love my lovely Queen; And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both.
Clarence and Gloucester, love my lovely Queen; And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both.
hm
The duty that I owe unto your Majesty
I seal upon the lips of this sweet babe.
The duty that I owe unto your Majesty I seal upon the lips of this sweet babe.
The duty that I owe unto your Majesty I seal upon the lips of this sweet babe.
hm
Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy brother, thanks.
Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy brother, thanks.
Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy brother, thanks.
hm
And, that I love the tree from whence thou sprang’st,
Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit.
And, that I love the tree from whence you sprang’st, Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit.
And, that I love the tree from whence you sprang’st, Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit.
hm
Richard's aside after kissing the baby — 'to say the truth, so Judas kissed his master / and cried "All hail!" when as he meant all harm' — is one of the play's most carefully placed theatrical moments. The kiss of Judas is the most famous act of betrayal in Western culture. Richard is not merely noting a parallel; he is inhabiting it consciously, with a kind of aesthetic pleasure. He knows the reference. He makes it to the audience, not to any character on stage. He is, in that moment, sharing a private joke with us about how completely he is fooling everyone else.
This is the Richard III mode of theatrical engagement that Shakespeare will develop fully in the next play — the villain as confidant, taking the audience into his conspiracy, making us feel clever for being in on the secret. It is deeply manipulative. It works every time.
Now am I seated as my soul delights,
Having my country’s peace and brothers’ loves.
Now am I seated as my soul delights, Having my country’s peace and brothers’ loves.
Now am I seated as my soul delights, Having my country’s peace and brothers’ loves.
hm
What will your Grace have done with Margaret?
Reignier, her father, to the King of France
Hath pawned the Sicils and Jerusalem,
And hither have they sent it for her ransom.
What will your Grace have done with Margaret? Reignier, her father, to the King of France has pawned the Sicils and Jerusalem, And hither have they sent it for her ransom.
What will your Grace have done with Margaret? Reignier, her father, to the King of France has pawned the Sicils and Jerusalem, And hither have they sent it for her ransom.
yeah brutal
Away with her and waft her hence to France.
And now what rests but that we spend the time
With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows,
Such as befits the pleasure of the court?
Away with her and waft her hence to France. And now what rests but that we spend the time With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows, Such as befits the pleasure of the court?
Away with her and waft her hence to France. And now what rests but that we spend the time With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows, Such as befits the pleasure of the court?
how did that even happen
The Reckoning
The play ends in celebration — and it's a genuine celebration, not ironic. Edward is back, his baby is healthy, the family is together, even Clarence is restored to good standing. But Richard is in the room. He kisses the baby while comparing himself to Judas. Edward says 'Having my country's peace and brothers' loves' — which is the most unconsciously ironic line in the play. The final couplet promises 'lasting joy,' which the audience who has just watched 5-6 knows is a lie. The celebration is real. The disaster is already in the baby's future.
If this happened today…
The company's IPO party. The founding CEO is back, the product launched, the stock is up. His baby son is there in photos. His two brothers are on stage. One of them — the one who's been killing rivals all quarter — kisses the baby for the cameras and leans over to whisper to the camera operator: 'This shoulder was built to carry weight. The baby's cute. But the empire is mine, once I remove a few obstacles.' The CEO gives the speech: 'I've never been happier. Country, peace, brothers, love.' The music plays.