3.2.14 SP. CLARENCE, formerly GEORGE: In the Folio text of this play, George, duke of Clarence, is called “Clarence” in stage directions and speech prefixes from his first entrance into the play, even though he does not receive his title until the end of 2.6. In contrast, Richard enters the play as Richard and remains Richard throughout, never entering or speaking as “Gloucester.” Neither of these anomalies is present in the 1595 octavo play The true Tragedie of Richard Duke of Yorke, and the death of good King Henrie the Sixt, where, until Edward makes them dukes, they enter and speak as Richard and George, and, after they are made dukes, they enter and speak as Gloster and Clarence. (George/Clarence does not appear in Henry VI, Parts 1 and 2.)

  It seems to us likely that the anomalous naming in the Folio can be explained by the fact that by the time Henry VI, Part 3 was published in the 1623 Folio, the characters of Richard III and his brother Clarence had been made thoroughly familiar through Shakespeare’s Richard III (first published in 1597 in quarto, and reprinted again and again during Shakespeare’s lifetime). In that 1597 quarto, Richard is called “Glocester” and later “King” and Clarence is called Clarence. (In Richard III, Richard makes a grim joke of these names in spreading the rumor that Edward will be killed by “G,” thus getting George arrested and killed, all the while knowing that the danger comes instead from Gloucester.) However, by the time Richard III is printed in the 1623 Folio, he is evidently so famous as “Richard” that he is known by that name, with few exceptions, throughout the Folio play, both before and after he becomes king. The same phenomenon apparently accounts for the naming in Folio Henry VI, Part 3, where the names “Clarence” and “Richard” are used throughout, even where they are inappropriate.

  A modern editor is thus caught in the same bind as was the editor of the Folio Henry VI, Part 3, at least regarding Richard—unwilling to call him “Gloucester” when he is so widely known as Richard. With George/Clarence, we call the character “George” until he is made duke of Clarence, and then follow the Folio text in using the familiar name “Clarence,” even though doing so results in the inconsistency of calling one character by his given name and the other by the name of his duchy.

  3.2.51. As red as fire: While some editors argue that the phrase refers to Lady Grey’s blushing, it seems more likely that it describes the tone of Edward’s wooing of Lady Grey, as perceived by Richard and Clarence. The phrase responds to “He plies her hard” (line 50); “as red as fire” says, in effect, “he is extremely ardent,” since the literal meaning of ardent is “red-hot, burning, flaming.” This flame, George suggests, will melt Lady Grey’s objections and her virtue as if they were wax. (Proverbial: “To melt like wax against a fire.”)

  3.2.144. cut the causes off: The editors of the Arden 3 (2001) edition of this play note the way that Richard, in lines 137–45, puts in parallel the wishes, chidings, and fantasies of the person imagined “upon a promontory” (line 137) and his own wishes, chidings, and dreams of sovereignty. As they point out, this parallel clarifies lines 144–45: “Cutting down those who stand in his way thus becomes a task as impossible as scooping the sea dry.” (See Arden 3 Henry VI, Part 3, note to 3.2.140–42.)

  3.2.163. unlicked bear-whelp: It was believed that bears were born as a shapeless mass of flesh and fur and were then licked into shape by the mother bear. See, for example, the 1567 Golding translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses:

  The Bearwhelp . . .

  . . . like an evil-favored lump of flesh alive doth lie.

  The dam by licking shapeth out his members orderly.

  (15.416–19; spelling modernized)

  3.2.188. mermaid: In classical mythology, the Sirens (who were often equated or confused with mermaids) used their alluring songs to entice sailors to their deaths on the rocks near the Sirens’ island. In the most famous mythological encounter with the creatures, Odysseus has himself tied to the mast of his ship (after stopping up the ears of his sailors with wax) so that he can safely hear the songs of the Sirens as the ship passes their island (see Homer, Odyssey 12).

  3.2.195. murderous Machiavel: Niccolò Machiavelli’s book The Prince (1513) counseled ruthless deceptiveness as the way to power. Machiavelli soon became synonymous with the schemer or intriguer and, especially onstage, with the most murderous of villains. For an insightful analysis of how the character of (the future) Richard III is transformed in the course of this “great soliloquy” (lines 126–97), which ends with Richard’s identification with Machiavelli, see E. Pearlman, “The Invention of Richard of Gloucester,” Shakespeare Quarterly 43 (1992): 410–29.

  5.1.111. Barnet: It has been pointed out (by the editors of the 2001 Arden 3 edition of this play) that many of the actions portrayed in this scene are hard to defend militarily. They result from Shakespeare’s decision to change several historical details for dramatic effect. Specifically, he holds off Clarence’s defection to Edward and sets it within the momentous action of 5.1, when the armies are at Coventry. In order then to move both armies to Barnet, where, historically, the crucial conflict between Warwick and the Yorkists took place, he has York allow Warwick to set the site of the coming battle at Barnet, almost 80 miles away from Coventry, and to take his army freely out of Coventry. Neither of these decisions makes military sense, but they work dramatically, since the stage action in Act 5 is made to seem almost continuous.

  5.7.15. made . . . security: The editors of the 2001 Arden 3 edition of this play point out that Richard’s threatened treachery in this scene brings out the irony of this line. The word security has a secondary meaning of “careless overconfidence,” “culpable freedom from anxiety.” Edward’s confidence in Richard is, the audience knows, foolishly misplaced; thus Edward has “made his footstool” out of careless overconfidence rather than genuine freedom from attack or danger.

  5.7.26. that shalt execute: Editors are divided about this clause. Grammatically, shalt, as second person singular, goes with “thou” (“work thou the way”) and not that. Some editors therefore print “thou shalt execute,” and argue that the phrase is addressed to Richard’s shoulder and arm. Other editors retain that shalt, but suggest that the words mean “that thou shalt execute,” again arguing that the addressee is Richard’s shoulder and arm. We read that as the subject of shalt execute, despite the grammatical infelicity.

  Textual Notes

  The reading of the present text appears to the left of the square bracket. Unless otherwise noted, the reading to the left of the bracket is from F, the First Folio text (upon which this edition is based). The earliest sources of readings not in F are indicated as follows: O is the first printing, an octavo, of 1595; Q3 is the third printing, 1619; F2 is the Second Folio of 1632; F3 is the Third Folio of 1663–64; Ed. is an earlier editor of Shakespeare, beginning with Rowe in 1709. No sources are given for emendations of punctuation or for corrections of obvious typographical errors, like turned letters that produce no known word. SD means stage direction; SP means speech prefix; corr. stands for a corrected state of the First Folio; uncorr. stands for an uncorrected state of the First Folio; ~ stands in place of a word already quoted before the square bracket; ^ indicates the omission of a punctuation mark.

  1.1  2 and hereafter to line 78. SP YORK] Ed.; Pl. F;  2. of the] F (of );  6. army; and himself,] ~, ~ ~. F;  43. lords; be] ~^ ~ F;  50 and hereafter until 2.2. SP KING HENRY] Ed.; Henry. F;  67. cousin.] ~^ F;  70. SP EXETER] O; Westm. F;  105 and hereafter in this scene. SP YORK] Ed.; Plant. F;  108. Thy] O; My F;  111 and hereafter. Dauphin] F (Dolphin);  215. SD Queen Margaret, with Prince Edward] Ed.; the Queene F;  220 and hereafter until 3.3. SP QUEEN MARGARET] Ed.; Queene. F;  223. maid^] ~? F;  234 and hereafter until 2.2. SP PRINCE EDWARD] Ed.; Prince. F;  267. with] O, F2; omit F;  269. from] O, F2; to F;  281. SD Flourish] 1 line later in F

  1.2  44. more^] ~? F;  47. SD a Messenger] Ed.; Gabriel F;  49. SP MESSENGER] Ed.; Gabriel F;  76. SD They exit.] Ed.; Exit. F

  1.3  1. SD Enter . . . rose.] 1 line later in F;  49. Di] Ed.; Dij F

  1.4  19. budged] Ed.; bodg’d F;  26. SD Queen Margaret] Ed.; the Queene F;  78. darling^] ~, F;  109. whilst] F (whilest);  119. deeds,] ~. F;  159. inhuman] F (inhumane);  186. SD They exit.] F (Exit.)

  2.1  40. target] Targuet F;  42. SD a Messenger] Ed.; one F;  98. recount] tecompt F;  115, 122, 206. Saint] F (S.);  126. spleen,] ~. F;  133. an idle] O; a lazie F;  200. Richard,] ~^ F

  2.2  0. SD King Henry] Ed.; the King F;  Queen Margaret] Ed.; the Queene F;  Northumberland] Northum- | and F;  5 and hereafter until 2.4. SP KING HENRY] Ed.; K. F;  5. wrack!] ~, F;  71. him.] ~, F;  81. SD George] Ed.; Clarence F;  90. Since] F2; Cla. Since F;  105. Saint] F (S.);  109. your] yout F;  136. SP RICHARD] O; War. F;  167 and hereafter until 3.2. SP GEORGE] Ed.; Cla. F;  179. Stay,] ~^ F

  2.3  7. SD. 1 line later in F;  7. SD George] Ed.; Clarence F;  9, 49. SP GEORGE] Ed.; Cla. F;  14. thou] F ();  49. all together] F (altogether)

  2.5  1. SP KING HENRY] Ed.; Hen. F;  54. SD Alarum . . . at one door, . . . carrying the body.] Ed. Alarum. Enter a Sonne that hath kill’d his Father, at one doore: and a Father that hath kill’d his Sonne at another doore. F (For deleted words, see note to line 78 below.);  73 and hereafter until line 111. SP KING HENRY] Ed.; King. F;  78. SD Enter at another door a Father that hath killed his Son, bearing of his Son’s body.] Ed.; Enter Father, bearing of his Sonne. F;  89. stratagems] Stragems F;  90. Erroneous] Erreoneous F;  111 and hereafter until 3.1.56. SP KING HENRY] Ed.; Hen. F;  119. E’en] Ed.; Men F;  124. SD Queen Margaret] Ed.; the Queen F;  Prince Edward] Ed.; the Prince F;  125. SP PRINCE EDWARD] Ed.; Prin. F

  2.6  6. fall,] ~. F;  8. whither] F (whether);  18. Had] Hed F;  29. SD George] Ed.; Clarence F;  43. SP EDWARD See . . . and] O; See. . . . Ed. And F;  51. the head] F ( head);  59. his] O; is F;  68, 72, 75. SP GEORGE] Ed.; Cla. F;  80. but] O; not in F

  3.1  0. SD two Gamekeepers] Ed.; Sinklo, and Humfrey F;  1 and hereafter. SP FIRST GAMEKEEPER] Ed.; Sink. F;  5 and hereafter except line 12. SP SECOND GAMEKEEPER] Ed.; Hum. F;  12. SP SECOND GAMEKEEPER] Ed.; Sink. F;  12. SD King Henry, in disguise] Ed.; the King F;  17. wast] F3; was F;  19. press] F (prease);  30. Is] F2; I F;  55. that] O; not in F;  56 and hereafter until 4.6. SP KING HENRY] Ed.; King. F;  65. seldom] F (sildome);  74. King] (K.) F;  92. kings:] ~, F

  3.2  0. SD King] F (K.);  1 and hereafter until 4.3. SP KING EDWARD] Ed.; King. F;  1. Saint] F (S.);  18 and hereafter in this scene. SP LADY GREY] Ed.; Wid. F;  125. honorably] O; honourable F;  180. find] flnde F

  3.3  1. SP KING LEWIS] Ed.; Lewis F;  5 and hereafter in this scene. SP QUEEN MARGARET] Ed.; Marg. F;  45. SD Enter . . . rose.] 1 line later in F;  83. SP PRINCE EDWARD] Ed.; Edw. F;  131. eternal] O; externall F;  137, 221, 225, 236. SP LADY BONA] Ed.; Bona F;  138. SD Speaks to Warwick.] 1 line later in F;  169. SD Post . . . within.] 1 line earlier in F;  171. SD speaks to Warwick.] 1 line later in F;  261. SD Warwick] F (Warw.)

  4.1  5. SD Flourish.] 1 line later in F;  8. SD Enter . . . other.] 2 lines earlier in F;  58. wife’s] F (Wiues);  68. SP QUEEN ELIZABETH] Ed.; Lady Grey. F

  4.2  14. rests^] ~? F;  18. pleasure?] ~, F

  4.3  0. SD King Edward’s] Ed.; the Kings F;  27. SD King Edward] Ed.; the King F;  61. SD Somerset . . . Edward.] F (Exeunt);  66. SD They exit.] F (exit.)

  4.4  0. SD Queen Elizabeth] Ed.; Lady Gray F;  2 and hereafter in this scene. SP QUEEN ELIZABETH] Ed.; Gray F;  16. life’s] F (liues);  17. wean] F (waine);  26. informèd] F (inform’d);  35. fly.] ~, F.

  4.5  4. stands] Ed.; stand F;  8. Comes] Ed.; Come F;  24. guessed] F (guest)

  4.6  1. Master] F (M.);  10. kindness,] ~. F;  13. Conceive^] ~; F;  38 and hereafter until 5.6. SP KING HENRY] Ed.; King. F;  56. be] Ed.; not in F;  59. first^] ~, F;  69. SD Richmond’s] Ed.; his F;  90. SD All . . . exit.] F (Exeunt. | Manet Somerset, Richmond, and Oxford.)

  4.7  0. SD King Edward] Ed.; Edward F;  1 and hereafter until 5.3. SP KING EDWARD] Ed.; Edw. F

  4.8  0. SD King Henry] Ed.; the King F;  0. SD Exeter] Ed.; Somerset F;  50. SD York! . . . York] Ed.; Lancaster. . . . Lancaster F;  51. SD and Soldiers] Ed.; and his Souldiers F

  5.1  22. knee?] ~, F;  79. an] F2; in F

  5.3  1 and hereafter in this scene. SP KING EDWARD] Ed.; King. F;  4. threat’ning] threarning F;  22. augmented^] ~: F;  23. along.] ~, F

  5.4  0. SD Queen Margaret] Ed.; the Queene F;  1 and hereafter. SP QUEEN MARGARET] Ed.; Qu. F;  27. ragged] F (raged);  39 and hereafter. SP PRINCE EDWARD] Ed.; Prince. F;  67 and hereafter until 5.5.68. SP KING EDWARD] Ed.; Edw. F

  5.5  0. SD Flourish . . . prisoners.] Ed.; Flourish. Enter Edward, Richard, Queene, Clarence, Oxford, Somerset. F;  8. SD Oxford . . . guard.] 2 lines earlier in F;  11. SD Prince Edward] Ed.; the Prince F;  39. SD Richard] F (Rich.);  40. SD Clarence] F (Clar.);  47. matter.] ~, F;  50. The Tower] O; Tower F;  63. butchers.] ~) ^ F;  66. off^] ~. F;  68. SP KING EDWARD] Ed.; King. F;  76. charity.] ~^ F;  77. thou] F ();  82 and hereafter in this scene. SP KING EDWARD] Ed.; Ed. F;  92. SD They exit.] F (Exit.)

  5.6  2 and hereafter. SP KING HENRY] Ed.; Hen. F;  7. from the] F (from );  24. boy^] ~. F;  32. art.] ~, F;  36. thou didst] F ( didst);  54. wast] F (was’t);  65. always] F (alway);  69. fear.] ~, F;  73. haste] F (hast);  82. “love”] F ([Loue]);   85. keep’st] F (keept’st)

  5.7  1 and hereafter. SP KING EDWARD] Ed.; King. F;  5. renowned] O; Renowne F;  17. Young] F corr. (Yong); Kong F uncorr.;  25. back.] ~, F;  26. and] F corr.; add F uncorr.;  28. kiss] F corr. (kis); ’tis F uncorr.;  31. SP KING EDWARD] Ed.; Cla. F;  31. Thanks] Ed.; Thanke F;  32. thou] F ();  33. fruit.] ~, F;  38. Margaret?] ~, F;  43. rests] F corr.; tests F uncorr.

  Appendices

  Authorship of Henry VI, Part 3

  Henry VI, Part 3 was first published in 1623, together with thirty-five other plays, in the first collection of Shakespeare’s plays to be issued in a single volume—the book we now call the Shakespeare First Folio. Until Edmond Malone in 1787, no one suggested that any of the play was the work of someone else besides Shakespeare. Malone argued that rather than composing the play Henry VI, Part 3 with reference only to historical chronicles, Shakespeare revised and adapted the play that was eventually printed in 1595 as The true Tragedie of Richard Duke of Yorke, a play Malone thought to be the work of Robert Greene. Malone’s views were highly influential on succeeding scholars. He inspired a number of investigators using different methods who have attempted to discriminate between those parts of the play to be credited to Shakespeare and those parts to be attributed to other named playwrights of the period, including Greene, Thomas Nashe, George Peele, and Christopher Marlowe. These scholars have arrived at no consensus about exactly who wrote which parts.

  We do not think it impossible or even improbable that other hands may be represented in the play. It is conservatively estimated that at least half the plays from the public theater of Shakespeare’s time were collaborative efforts. We respect the labor expended and skill exhibited by attribution scholars, and, at the same time, we take seriously the limitations that, as they acknowledge, necessarily attend their efforts. On this basis, we simply set aside the question of whether Greene, Nashe, Peele, or Marlowe wrote some of Henry VI, Part 3 and contest neither those who have argued for collaboration nor those who have claimed the play for Shakespeare.

  We treat the play in the same way as the others published in the Shakespeare First Folio, referring to it for convenience as a Shakespeare play. In doing so, we fully recognize that the theater is always the location of collaborative creation, not just among named dramatists but also among members of acting companies and their employees and associates. We are aware of documentary evidence of other hands reaching into dramatic manuscripts in the course of their annotation or transcription, and we suspect that Shakespeare’s words could not possibly have commanded in their own time the same reverence they have been accorded in later times. Such circumstances attach to all the Shakespeare printed plays that come down to us. In calling Henry VI, Part 3 Shakespeare’s, we are simply acknowledging its inclusion in the 1623 First Folio.

  Shakespeare’s Two Tetralogies

  When Shakespeare’s plays were collected and published in 1623, the volume included eight plays that together dramatize the “Wars of the Roses.” This name has been given to a period in English history that, while shown as flaring into actual warfare at the end of Henry VI, Part 2, arguably stems from the death of Edward the Black Prince in 1376 and ends when Henry Tudor is proclaimed King Henry VII in 1485. Edward, the oldest son of King Edward III, was a valiant warrior and skilled diplomat who held out the promise of continuing his father’s rule over England and much of France. When, however, the “Black Prince” predeceased his father, his infant son Richard became heir to the throne, and, on Edward III’s death, was proclaimed King Richard II. His royal uncles began to compete for power, and Richard was deposed in 1399 by his cousin Henry, son of the duke of Lancaster. In the following years, the descendants of Edward III divided themselves into two factions—those who sympathized with the deposed and murdered Richard II and his Yorkist supporters, and those who followed the Lancastrians. The factions battled each other for the nation’s throne with increasing ferocity, with first one faction then the other in the ascendancy. In 1485, Richard III, the last of the Yorkist kings, was killed at the battle of Bosworth Field. His opponent, Henry Tudor, a descendant of the Lancastrians, married Elizabeth York and thereby brought together the two battling family lines and brought an end to the Wars of the Roses.