Act 5, Scene 6 — Richard II — Study Shakespeare

The argument Windsor. Henry IV receives reports that the Oxford conspiracy has been crushed: rebel heads sent from Northumberland and Fitzwater, the Abbot dead of conscience, Carlisle alive and brought in. Henry pardons Carlisle. Exton enters carrying Richard's coffin. Henry thanks him — then repudiates him. Though I wished him dead, I hate the murderer. With Cain go wander. Henry vows a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to wash Richard's blood from his guilty hand.

Flourish. Enter King Henry and York with Lords and Attendants.

KING HENRY ≋ verse KING HENRY

Kind uncle York, the latest news we hear

Is that the rebels have consumed with fire

Our town of Cicester in Gloucestershire,

But whether they be ta’en or slain we hear not.

Kind uncle York, the latest news we hear

Is that the rebels have consumed with fire

Our town of Cicester in Gloucestershire,

But whether they be ta’en or slain we hear not.

kind uncle york, the latest news we hear

is that the rebels have consumed with fire

our town of cicester in gloucestershire,

but whether they be ta’en or slain we hear not.

Kind uncle York, the latest news we hear Is that t

Enter Northumberland.

Welcome, my lord. What is the news?

NORTHUMBERLAND ≋ verse NORTHUMBERLAND

First, to thy sacred state wish I all happiness.

The next news is: I have to London sent

The heads of Salisbury, Spencer, Blunt, and Kent.

The manner of their taking may appear

At large discoursed in this paper here.

First, to thy sacred state wish I all happiness.

The next news is: I have to London sent

The heads of Salisbury, Spencer, Blunt, and Kent.

The manner of their taking may appear

At large discoursed in this paper here.

first, to thy sacred state wish i all happiness.

the next news is: i have to london sent

the heads of salisbury, spencer, blunt, and kent.

the manner of their taking may appear

at large discoursed in this paper here.

First, to thy sacred state wish I all happiness. T

KING HENRY ≋ verse KING HENRY

We thank thee, gentle Percy, for thy pains,

And to thy worth will add right worthy gains.

We thank thee, gentle Percy, for thy pains,

And to thy worth will add right worthy gains.

we thank thee, gentle percy, for thy pains,

and to thy worth will add right worthy gains.

We thank thee, gentle Percy, for thy pains, And to

Enter Fitzwater.

FITZWATER ≋ verse FITZWATER

My lord, I have from Oxford sent to London

The heads of Brocas and Sir Bennet Seely,

Two of the dangerous consorted traitors

That sought at Oxford thy dire overthrow.

My lord, I have from Oxford sent to London

The heads of Brocas and Sir Bennet Seely,

Two of the dangerous consorted traitors

That sought at Oxford thy dire overthrow.

my lord, i have from oxford sent to london

the heads of brocas and sir bennet seely,

two of the dangerous consorted traitors

that sought at oxford thy dire overthrow.

My lord, I have from Oxford sent to London The hea

KING HENRY ≋ verse KING HENRY

Thy pains, Fitzwater, shall not be forgot.

Right noble is thy merit, well I wot.

Thy pains, Fitzwater, shall not be forgot.

Right noble is thy merit, well I wot.

thy pains, fitzwater, shall not be forgot.

right noble is thy merit, well i wot.

Thy pains, Fitzwater, shall not be forgot. Right n

Enter Harry Percy with the Bishop of Carlisle.

PERCY ≋ verse PERCY

The grand conspirator, Abbot of Westminster,

With clog of conscience and sour melancholy,

Hath yielded up his body to the grave.

But here is Carlisle living, to abide

Thy kingly doom and sentence of his pride.

The grand conspirator, Abbot of Westminster,

With clog of conscience and sour melancholy,

Hath yielded up his body to the grave.

But here is Carlisle living, to abide

Thy kingly doom and sentence of his pride.

the grand conspirator, abbot of westminster,

with clog of conscience and sour melancholy,

hath yielded up his body to the grave.

but here is carlisle living, to abide

thy kingly doom and sentence of his pride.

The grand conspirator, Abbot of Westminster, With

KING HENRY ≋ verse KING HENRY

Carlisle, this is your doom:

Choose out some secret place, some reverend room,

More than thou hast, and with it joy thy life.

So as thou liv’st in peace, die free from strife;

For though mine enemy thou hast ever been,

High sparks of honour in thee have I seen.

Carlisle, this is your doom:

Choose out some secret place, some reverend room,

More than thou hast, and with it joy thy life.

So as thou liv’st in peace, die free from strife;

For though mine enemy thou hast ever been,

High sparks of honour in thee have I seen.

carlisle, this is your doom:

choose out some secret place, some reverend room,

more than thou hast, and with it joy thy life.

so as thou liv’st in peace, die free from strife;

for though mine enemy thou hast ever been,

high sparks of honour in thee have i seen.

Carlisle, this is your doom: Choose out some secre

"High sparks of honour in thee have I seen." Carlisle's prophecy in 4-1 — that the deposition would bring civil war and turn England into 'the field of Golgotha and dead men's skulls' — was correct. Henry pardons the man who was right. The pardon is generous; it may also acknowledge that Carlisle's courage in speaking was the honourable thing Henry could not openly reward.

Why it matters Henry's pardon of Carlisle is the scene's one generous act. It is also structurally interesting: Carlisle prophesied civil war at the deposition, was arrested for treason, and is now pardoned by the king whose succession he tried to prevent. Henry's recognition of 'high sparks of honour' in an enemy is the clearest sign that his political intelligence extends beyond pure self-interest. Whether it redeems anything is another question.

↩ Callback to 4-1 Carlisle's prophecy in 4-1 that deposing Richard would bring civil war — 'the field of Golgotha and dead men's skulls' — was accurate. Henry pardons the prophet who was right.

Enter Exton with attendants, bearing a coffin.

EXTON ≋ verse EXTON

Great king, within this coffin I present

Thy buried fear. Herein all breathless lies

The mightiest of thy greatest enemies,

Richard of Bordeaux, by me hither brought.

Great king, within this coffin I present

Thy buried fear. Herein all breathless lies

The mightiest of thy greatest enemies,

Richard of Bordeaux, by me hither brought.

great king, within this coffin i present

thy buried fear. herein all breathless lies

the mightiest of thy greatest enemies,

richard of bordeaux, by me hither brought.

Great king, within this coffin I present Thy burie

KING HENRY ≋ verse KING HENRY

Exton, I thank thee not, for thou hast wrought

A deed of slander with thy fatal hand

Upon my head and all this famous land.

Exton, I thank thee not, for thou hast wrought

A deed of slander with thy fatal hand

Upon my head and all this famous land.

exton, i thank thee not, for thou hast wrought

a deed of slander with thy fatal hand

upon my head and all this famous land.

Exton, I thank thee not, for thou hast wrought A d

EXTON EXTON

From your own mouth, my lord, did I this deed.

from your own mouth, my lord, did i this deed.

From your own mouth, my lord, did I this deed.

"From your own mouth, my lord, did I this deed." The single most dangerous line in the scene. Exton is asserting, in front of witnesses, that the king ordered the murder. Henry's response in 5-6-017 carefully does not deny that he wished Richard dead — it denies that he loves the agent who acted on that wish. The distinction is morally threadbare but politically functional.

Why it matters Exton's reply is the one moment in the play where the chain of causation is stated openly, in public, by name. Everything else has been inference, interpretation, reported speech. Here: you said it. This is why Exton must be exiled — not as punishment, but to remove from the court the only man who will say the true thing plainly.

↩ Callback to 5-4 Exton's 'from your own mouth, my lord, did I this deed' directly invokes the ambiguous words from 5-4 — the wish that became the order when Exton decided it did. Here the chain of causation is stated aloud, in public, by name.

KING HENRY ≋ verse KING HENRY

They love not poison that do poison need,

Nor do I thee. Though I did wish him dead,

I hate the murderer, love him murdered.

The guilt of conscience take thou for thy labour,

But neither my good word nor princely favour.

With Cain go wander thorough shades of night,

And never show thy head by day nor light.

Lords, I protest my soul is full of woe

That blood should sprinkle me to make me grow.

Come, mourn with me for what I do lament,

And put on sullen black incontinent.

I’ll make a voyage to the Holy Land

To wash this blood off from my guilty hand.

March sadly after; grace my mournings here

In weeping after this untimely bier.

They love not poison that do poison need,

Nor do I thee. Though I did wish him dead,

I hate the murderer, love him murdered.

The guilt of conscience take thou for thy labour,

But neither my good word nor princely favour.

With Cain go wander thorough shades of night,

And never show thy head by day nor light.

Lords, I protest my soul is full of woe

That blood should sprinkle me to make me grow.

Come, mourn with me for what I do lament,

And put on sullen black incontinent.

I’ll make a voyage to the Holy Land

To wash this blood off from my guilty hand.

March sadly after; grace my mournings here

In weeping after this untimely bier.

they love not poison that do poison need,

nor do i thee. though i did wish him dead,

i hate the murderer, love him murdered.

the guilt of conscience take thou for thy labour,

but neither my good word nor princely favour.

with cain go wander thorough shades of night,

and never show thy head by day nor light.

lords, i protest my soul is full of woe

that blood should sprinkle me to make me grow.

come, mourn with me for what i do lament,

and put on sullen black incontinent.

i’ll make a voyage to the holy land

to wash this blood off from my guilty hand.

march sadly after; grace my mournings here

in weeping after this untimely bier.

They love not poison that do poison need, Nor do I

"They love not poison that do poison need, / Nor do I thee." The opening maxim is constructed to be unfalsifiable: it is definitionally true that one can need something without loving it. Henry uses this grammatical manoeuvre to separate his wish from his responsibility. He wished Richard dead; he needed this outcome; therefore he did not love — could not love — the mechanism that achieved it.

"Though I did wish him dead, / I hate the murderer, love him murdered." This is the most direct admission of complicity in the play. Henry does not say 'I did not wish it' — he says 'I wished it, but I hate the means.' The distinction matters morally but not causally. The admission is remarkable for a man who spent 5-4 deniably not ordering anything.

"blood should sprinkle me to make me grow" The plant-watered-by-blood image is one of the play's darkest self-recognitions. Henry knows exactly what he is: a thing that grew by consuming something. He is not pretending otherwise.

"I'll make a voyage to the Holy Land / To wash this blood off from my guilty hand." The vow that launches two more plays. Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 are organised in part around this unfulfilled promise — Henry is always about to go to Jerusalem, always prevented by domestic crisis. He dies in a room called the Jerusalem Chamber, never having made the voyage. The guilt travels with him.

Why it matters Henry's closing speech is the play's final paradox: the man who has won everything acknowledges that the winning was a stain. 'Blood should sprinkle me to make me grow' — he is the plant fed by the corpse. The Holy Land vow is the beginning of a guilt that will organise two more plays. Richard II ends not with triumph but with a king standing over an untimely coffin, wearing black he ordered his court to wear, vowing a journey he will never make.

🎭 Dramatic irony The audience has watched Henry construct the machinery of deniable assassination through 5-4. When he says 'Though I did wish him dead, / I hate the murderer' — we have just seen the architecture of how the wish became the murder. The admission is extraordinary because it is honest about the wish while being dishonest about the mechanism.

[_Exeunt._]

The Reckoning

Eighteen chunks — the play ends in under a hundred lines, which is unusual for Shakespeare. It ends in guilt. Henry has won everything and holds the stage alone at the close, speaking of holy land and guilty hands. The efficiency is deliberate: the coda does not celebrate. It itemizes the cost. The heads arrive, the pardon is granted, the coffin comes in. Henry says the things a king must say. And then, privately, he admits the thing that will haunt his reign: 'blood should sprinkle me to make me grow.' He is the plant watered by the blood of Richard, and he knows it.

If this happened today…

The new CEO holds a meeting after the hostile takeover is complete. Subordinates bring in the results: the old board removed, the resisters handled, one man acquitted on a technicality and spared. Then the consultant who arranged the 'removal' of the previous CEO walks in to claim his reward. The new CEO looks at the consultant, then looks at the assembled executives, then says: I never gave that order. I never asked for that. Whatever you think you heard — no. Get out. Then, alone with the board: I know what happened. I know what this cost. I'll spend the rest of my time in this office trying to make it right.