211. I’ll to: i.e., I’ll go to

  212. keep: remain in

  216. bewray: disclose, reveal

  223. would I: i.e., I wish I; a maid: i.e., unmarried, a virgin

  229. nourished . . . blood: See longer note.

  235. succeed: i.e., follow you as king, become your successor

  237. enforced: compelled

  240. undone: ruined, destroyed

  241. head: i.e., unbridled freedom, free rein

  246. Callice: Calais

  247. Falconbridge: uncle of Warwick and Montague, and admiral of England; the Narrow Seas: the channels separating Great Britain from France and Ireland

  251. silly: helpless, defenseless

  253. granted: agreed, consented

  255. seeing: i.e., seeing that; divorce: remove, separate

  259. forsworn: abandoned, renounced

  273. into terms of rage: in angry words

  276. cost: attack, assail; an empty: a hungry

  277. Tire: pull and tear while feeding

  279. fair: kindly, courteously

  ACT 1

  * * *

 

  1.2  York is persuaded by his sons Edward and Richard to break his oath to Henry and fight for the crown. Learning that Margaret’s army is marching toward his castle, York prepares to meet them in the field (for the battle of Wakefield).

  1. give me leave: i.e., allow me (to speak)

  3. reasons: arguments

  4. at a strife: i.e., disagreeing

  6. quarrel: violent confrontation; contention: dispute

  13. house: family; breathe: take breath, pause

  14. It: i.e., the crown (line 9); outrun: elude

  16. for . . . broken: Proverbial: “For a kingdom any law may be broken.”

  18. be forsworn: commit perjury, swear falsely

  22. moment: importance, weight

  26. depose: promise formally upon oath

  28–31. do but think . . . joy: an echo of Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine, Part 1 (1590) (See longer note.)  circuit: compass, circumference  Elysium: i.e., a state of perfect happiness  feign: relate or represent in fiction

  36. Brother: See note to 1.1.14. presently: at once

  37. whet on: incite, urge on

  39. privily: privately

  41. rise: take up arms, rebel

  43. Witty: skillful; intelligent; liberal: generous; spirit: courage (See longer note.)

  44. resteth: remains

  45. occasion: opportunity; rise: advance in rank and fortune

  46. privy to: aware of; drift: aim, intention

  48. post: haste

  50. besiege . . . castle: i.e., lay siege to the castle in order to capture it

  51. hard by: very near, close by

  52. fortify your hold: i.e., protect your castle with fortifications  hold: stronghold, fortress

  56. post: ride with haste

  58. Protectors of the King: perhaps, guardians of the King; or, perhaps, defenders of the realm during the incapacity of the King

  59. policy: cunning; political sagacity

  60. simple: foolish; half-witted

  68. for a need: in an emergency, if necessary

  69. A woman’s: i.e., a woman is the

  69 SD. march afar off: i.e., drum and fife offstage

  71. straight: i.e., straightaway, at once

  73. doubt not . . . of: do not fear for

  75. Whenas: at a time when

  76. the like success: i.e., a similar outcome or result

  ACT 1

  * * *

 

  1.3  Rutland, youngest son of York, is killed by Lord Clifford as revenge against York, who killed Clifford’s father.

  2. bloody: bloodthirsty

  10. How now: an interjection that means, in effect, “how is it now”

  12. pent-up lion: “that is, the lion that hath long been ‘confined’ without food, and is let out to devour a man condemned” (Samuel Johnson)

  13. his: its

  14. so: thus; insulting: exulting

  16. gentle: noble

  19. mean: petty, inferior

  25. cope with: come to blows with

  32. fury: madness, frenzy (See longer note.)

  33. line: i.e., family, lineage

  36. let me pray: Rutland may kneel at this line, and may remain kneeling.

  43. thereof: i.e., of your killing me; sith: since

  46. occasion: reason, ground

  49. Di . . . tuae: “The gods grant this may be the height of thy praise” (Ovid, Heroides 2.66). In Ovid, this line is said in bitter mockery.

  52. rust: i.e., form a coating as of rust

  ACT 1

  * * *

 

  1.4  At the battle of Wakefield, York is captured by the victorious Queen Margaret, Prince Edward, Lord Clifford, and the Earl of Northumberland. They put a paper crown on his head, and after telling him about Rutland’s murder, they torment him by giving him a handkerchief dipped in Rutland’s blood to dry his tears. York is then stabbed by Clifford and Margaret, who orders that his head be placed over the gates of the city of York.

  1. got the field: i.e., won the victory

  2. My uncles: the Mortimers (See 1.2.63.)

  3. to . . . foe: i.e., in the face of, or when confronted by, the eager foe

  5. hunger-starvèd: i.e., starving

  6. bechancèd: befallen

  7. demeaned: conducted

  8. borne: carried

  9. lane: passageway through the battle

  12. purple falchion: crimson sword

  14. retire: retreat from the battle

  15. Charge: attack

  18. out alas: an exclamation of lamentation or reproach

  19. budged: i.e., retreated, failed to stand fast

  20. bootless: futile

  21. with: i.e., against

  21 SD. within: offstage

  23. fly: flee from

  24. shun: fly from, evade

  25. sands: i.e., grains of sand in an hourglass (When only a few grains remain, they can be counted or numbered.) See picture.

  An hourglass. (1.4.25)

  From August Casimir Redel, Apophtegmata symbolica . . . [n.d.].

  27. bloody: bloodthirsty; rough: violent, harsh

  28. dare . . . rage: challenge your unquenchable fury to feel even more rage

  29. your butt: i.e., the target of your shot; abide: await

  32. downright payment: i.e., absolute or thoroughgoing reward (but with wordplay on payment as “retribution” and on downright as the description of a blow straight downward)

  33. Phaëton . . . car: a reference to Phaëton’s plunge to the earth when trying to drive the chariot (car) of the sun (See note to 2.6.10–12 and picture.)

  Phaëton tumbling “from his car.” (1.4.33; 2.6.11)

  From Ovid, . . . Metamorphoseos . . . (1527).

  34. noontide prick: mark of noon on a sundial (See picture.)

  A sundial. (1.4.34)

  From August Casimir Redel, Apophtegmata symbolica . . . [n.d.].

  35. Phoenix’: The Phoenix is the mythical bird that dies by setting itself on fire; from its ashes emerges the new (or resurrected) Phoenix. (See picture.)

  Phoenix.

  From Conrad Lycosthenes, Prodigiorum . . . [1557].

  36. revenge upon: take revenge on

  39. fear: i.e., afraid

  40. So . . . further: Proverbial: “Despair makes cowards courageous.”

  42. hopeless: despairing (Theft was a capital crime.)

  43. officers: perhaps, arresting officers; or, perhaps, jailers or executioners

  44. bethink thee: consider

  45. o’errun: review, go over; former time: past

  49. bandy: exchange (as in bandying a tennis ball)

  50. buckler: perhaps, ward off blows with a shield (This word may be an error for buckle—i.e., engage, grapple.)

  56. grin: bare its teeth

  58. spurn: strike or kick

  59. prize: privilege; all vantages: i.e., every advantage or opportunity

  60. impeach of: detriment to

  61–62. so strives . . . net: Both the woodcock and the coney (rabbit) are figures for the dupe or the gull because they are easily trapped; gin and net both mean “snare” or “trap.” (See picture.)

  Woodcocks trapped in a “gin.” (1.4.61)

  From Henry Parrot, Laquei ridiculosi . . . (1613).

  64. true: honest; yield with: i.e., yield to

  68. raught: reached; mountains: Proverbial: “To make a mountain out of a molehill” (line 67).

  69. parted: divided, broke; shadow: delusive image; unsubstantial object of pursuit

  72. made a preachment: i.e., preached a sermon; high descent: noble lineage

  73. mess of: i.e., four

  75. crookback: hunchback; prodigy: monster

  77. mutinies: revolts against constituted authority

  79. napkin: handkerchief

  83. withal: with

  84. but that: except for the fact that

  86. prithee: pray you

  89. patient: long-suffering; mad: insane, furious

  92. fee’d: paid; make me sport: entertain me

  97. marry: i.e., indeed (originally an oath on the name of the Virgin Mary)

  102. bethink me: call to mind, recollect

  104. pale: encircle

  107. fault: transgression, offense

  109. breathe: pause, rest; do him dead: i.e., put him to death

  110. office: job, function

  114. adder’s tooth: i.e., the fang of a venomous serpent

  115. ill-beseeming: inappropriate, unfitting

  116. triumph: exult; Amazonian trull: strumpet of the tribe of Amazons, who were fierce female warriors (See picture.)

  An Amazon. (1.4.116; 4.1.108)

  From Giovanni Battista Cavalleriis, Antiquarum statuarum . . . (1585–94).

  117. their woes whom: i.e., the woes of those whom; Fortune: the goddess Fortuna, thought to control one’s luck (See picture.) captivates: puts in subjection, subjugates

  118. vizard-like: i.e., like a mask (See picture.)

  Vizards, or masks. (1.4.118)

  From Guillaume de la Perrière, Le théâtre des bons engins . . . [1539?].

  119. with . . . deeds: i.e., through habitual acts of evil

  121. derived: descended

  124. type: i.e., crown (literally, distinguishing mark or sign)

  125. both the Sicils: i.e., Sicily and Naples (See longer note.)

  126. yeoman: commoner, farmer

  127. insult: act arrogantly, exult insolently

  128. needs not: is not necessary; boots: benefits

  135. government: demeanor; discretion

  136. want: lack, deficiency

  138. Antipodes: those who live on the opposite side of the globe (For the region known as the Antipodes, see picture.)

  World map with the Antipodes. (1.4.138)

  From Ambrosius Aurelius Theodosius Macrobius, In Somnium Scipionis [1492].

  139. the Septentrion: the north

  141. drain: i.e., draw off (with a handkerchief) See longer note.

  144. pitiful: compassionate

  145. stern: harsh; flinty: hard-hearted; rough: violent

  152. fell: cruel

  154. Beshrew me: a mild oath; passions: passionate speeches

  155. hardly: only with difficulty

  160. tigers of Hyrcania: Dido accounts for Aeneas’s cruelty by recalling that he had been suckled by tigers of Hyrcania, a region at the southern end of the Caspian Sea (Virgil, Aeneid 4.366–67).

  164. napkin: handkerchief

  165. heavy: sorrowful, distressful

  166. Upon my soul: a mild oath

  172. reap: acquire

  176. I . . . him: i.e., I would weep with him even if it cost my life

  177. inly: inward, heartfelt; gripes: lays hold of

  178. weeping ripe: ready to weep

  180. melting: wordplay on (1) liquid; (2) piteous

  181. my oath: See 1.1.55–57.

  182. right: redress the injuries of

  186 SD. Flourish: fanfare of trumpets

 

  * * *

 

  2.1  Edward and Richard receive the news of their father’s death. Warwick then brings news of the Yorkist defeat at St. Albans following the battle of Wakefield. As the Yorkist leaders prepare once more to meet the Lancastrian forces, Warwick announces that Edward, now Duke of York, will be proclaimed king of England.

  0 SD. march: drum beat to accompany the march of troops; power: army

  4. ta’en: taken, captured

  10. right: i.e., truly; is become: i.e., has gone

  11. range: move, roam

  12. singled . . . forth: i.e., separated Clifford from the pack (language from hunting)

  13. Methought: it seemed to me; bore him: conducted himself

  14. neat: cattle

  15. a bear . . . dogs: In bearbaiting, the bear is chained and attacked by dogs. (See picture.)

  Bearbaiting. (2.1.15)

  From William Lily, Antibossicon . . . (1521).

  16. pinched: bitten, seized with the teeth; cry: howl

  17. him: i.e., the bear

  19. enemies my: i.e., enemies from my

  20. prize: privilege

  21–22. morning . . . sun: In mythology, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, parts from her brother, the sun god, each morning as he starts his daily journey across the sky. (See pictures, below and at note to 4.7.80.)  opes: opens

  The sun god beginning his daily journey. (2.1.21–22; 4.7.80–81)

  From Claude François Menestrier, L’art des emblemes . . . (1684).

  24. Trimmed: arrayed, dressed; younker: fashionable young man; prancing to: i.e., swaggering before

  25. three suns: See picture.

  “. . . I see three suns . . . each . . . a perfect sun.” (2.1.25–26)

  From Conrad Lycosthenes, Prodigiorum . . . [1557].

  27. with: by; racking: wind-driven

  28. severed: dispersed

  30. league: covenant, compact

  32. figures: prefigures, shows in advance

  33. yet: until now

  34. cites: summons, calls; field: battlefield

  36. meeds: merits, excellence

  37. lights: wordplay on (1) beams of light; (2) luminous reputations

  38. overshine: shine on, illuminate; this: i.e., this sun illuminates

  40. target: i.e., shield

  41. bear: wordplay on (1) display on a heraldic shield; (2) give birth to; by your leave: an ironic apology

  42. breeder: i.e., female, producer of offspring

  42 SD. blowing: perhaps, blowing a horn; perhaps, puffing from exertion

  43. heavy: sorrowful

  46. Whenas: at the time when

  50. Environèd: surrounded

  51. stood: remained steadfast; against: in resistance to; the hope of Troy: the name given by Virgil to the Trojan warrior Hector (Aeneid 2.281) See picture.

  Hector. (2.1.51; 4.8.25)

  From [Guillaume Rouillé,] . . . Promptuarii iconum . . . (1553).

  52. the Greeks . . . Troy: For ten years, the Greeks attempted to gain entrance into Troy.

  53. Hercules: a mythological hero renowned for his strength (See picture.) odds: superior strength or numbers

  Hercules. (2.1.53)

  From Vincenzo Cartari, Le vere e noue imagini . . . (1615).

  59. despite: contempt, scorn

  62. napkin: handkerchief

  69. stay: support

  70. boist’rous: savage

  71. flower: choicest man; chivalry: prowess in war

  74. my . . . palace: i.e., my body (line 75)

  75. would she: i.e., I wish my soul would

  80. Scarce: scarcely; furnace-burning heart: i.e., heart, which burns like a furnace

  82. selfsame: the very same; withal: with

  83. fires: i.e., fire, ignite

  87. for babes: i.e., are for infants

  91. chair: seat (or situation) of authority

  92. bird: eaglet, nestling

  93. descent: lineage, ancestry; gazing ’gainst the sun: The eagle was thought to be able to look directly into the sun.  ’gainst: toward

  96. that: i.e., throne and kingdom; his: begotten of him

  97. fair: a term of courteous address; What fare: i.e., what is the state of things

  100. poniards: daggers (See picture.)

  A poniard. (2.1.100)

  From Louis de Gaya, A treatise of the arms . . . (1678).

  104. held thee dearly: esteemed or regarded you as dearly

  105. stern: merciless, cruel

  106. these: i.e., this

  107. measure: quantity, increase

  108. sith then befall’n: i.e., that have happened since then

  110. latest: last

  111. posts: i.e., post-horses, used to carry mail

  112. depart: death

  117. in my behalf: for my benefit

  118. advertisèd: notified

  119. intent: will, inclination

  120. dash: reject

  123. battles: armies

  124. coldness: indifference, apathy

  125. full gently: very mildly or kindly

  126. spleen: proud temper, spirit, courage

  128. rigor: harshness

  131. Their: i.e., the queen’s soldiers’

  142. Marches: border country (of Wales)

  143. Making another head: raising another body of troops

  147. for: as for

  150. ’Twas odds: perhaps, the odds were against us (See longer note.) belike: perhaps

  152. retire: retreat, yielding ground

  155. faint: timid, feeble