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 again we sit on England's royal throne, Bought back with the blood of our enemies. What mighty opponents, like autumn's grain, Have we cut down at the peak of their pride! Three Dukes of Somerset, three times renowned For hardy and undoubted champions; Two Cliffords, the father and the son; And two Northumberlands; two braver men Never spurred their horses at the trumpet's sound; With them the two brave bears, Warwick and Montague, Who in chains bound the kingly lion And made the forest tremble when they roared. Thus have we swept doubt away from our seat And made security our footstool. Come here, Bess, and let me kiss my boy. Young Ned, for your sake your uncles and I Have worn our armor through the winter's night, Walked on foot through summer's burning heat, So that you could recover the crown in peace; And from our labor you shall gain the reward.
Here we are sitting on England's throne again, and we bought it back with enemy blood. Look at all those mighty enemies we mowed down like harvest - at the peak of their pride, too! Three famous Somerset dukes, two Cliffords - father and son - two Northumberlands. None of them were cowards - real warriors, all of them. And Warwick and Montague, those two bears, they were fierce enough to tie down a king. This is it - we've gotten rid of all the suspicion and fear, and now we're secure. Come over here, Bess, let me kiss my boy. Young Ned, your uncles and I have done everything for you - we've worn armor through freezing nights, marched through scorching summer heat, all so you could take back the crown safely. And now you get to enjoy the benefits of everything we fought for.
we took back the throne killed all our enemies it was worth it for you rest easy now
[_Aside_.] I’ll blast his harvest, if your head were laid;
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.
I'll wreck his success if your head were removed; For I'm not yet recognized in the world. These shoulders were built to carry heavy weight, And they will carry it—or break from the strain. You take the lead, and I'll make it happen.
I'd destroy all this if you were dead. But nobody knows who I am yet. Still, I've got the strength to do whatever needs doing, even if it kills me. You show the way, I'll get it done.
id destroy it all if u were gone im not known yet but im strong enough to carry anything even if it breaks me u lead ill follow thru
Clarence and Gloucester, love my lovely Queen;
And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both.
Clarence and Gloucester, care deeply for my beautiful Queen; And give a kiss to your royal nephew, both you brothers.
Clarence and Gloucester, show respect to my beautiful Queen and give a kiss to your noble nephew, both of you.
love the queen kiss the baby
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.
The duty that I owe unto your Majesty
I seal upon the lips of this sweet babe.
The loyalty that I owe to your Majesty I seal with a kiss upon this sweet baby's lips.
I'm showing my loyalty to you by kissing this sweet baby.
sealed with a kiss
Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy brother, thanks.
Thank you, noble Clarence; worthy brother, thank you.
Thanks, noble Clarence - you're a worthy brother. Thank you.
thanks bro
And, that I love the tree from whence thou sprang’st,
Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit.
And, to show that I love the tree from which you grew, Let this loving kiss upon the fruit be witness.
And to prove I love your mother - the tree you grew from - look at this loving kiss I'm giving you, the fruit of that tree.
i love your mom so i kiss you
[_Aside_.] To say the truth, so Judas kissed his master
And cried “All hail!” when as he meant all harm.
[Aside.] If I'm honest, this kiss is just like the one Judas gave his master, Jesus, shouting "Greetings!" while he intended nothing but harm.
[To himself.] Truth is, that's exactly how Judas kissed Jesus: all warm hellos on the outside, pure betrayal underneath.
kissing the baby like judas kissed jesus smiling "hiii" plotting the whole time 😈
Now am I seated as my soul delights,
Having my country’s peace and brothers’ loves.
Now I am seated as my heart desires, Having my country's peace and my brothers' love.
Now I'm sitting exactly where my heart wants to be - with peace in my country and the love of my brothers.
finally content peace and family
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.
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 do with Margaret? Reignier, her father, to the King of France Has pledged Sicily and Jerusalem as payment, And they have sent this money as her ransom.
What are you going to do with Margaret? Her father Reignier has put up Sicily and Jerusalem to the King of France, and they're sending the money as her ransom.
what about margaret her dad offered kingdoms for ransom
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?
Send her away and transport her to France. And now what remains but that we spend the time With grand celebrations, amusing comic performances, Such as befits the pleasure of the court?
Send her away, get her to France. Now we just need to celebrate - put on grand ceremonies and funny shows, the kind of entertainment a royal court should enjoy.
send her to france let's celebrate court festivities
For here, I hope, begins our lasting joy.
For here, I trust, begins our lasting happiness.
Because here is where our lasting happiness begins, I hope.
here's where our happiness starts
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.