Henry vi part 1, p.5
Henry VI, Part 1,
p.5
This edition differs from many earlier ones in its efforts to aid the reader in imagining the play as a performance rather than as a novel or a series of actual events. Thus some stage directions are edited with reference to the stage. For example, in 2.4 a group of noblemen quarrel over a case at law and divide into two parties. They identify themselves as members of their parties by plucking and wearing roses of different colors. One party is led by Richard Plantagenet and wears the white rose. His chief follower is the Earl of Warwick. The opposing party is headed by the Duke of Somerset, whose principal supporter is the Earl of Suffolk; they wear the red rose. Once these parties have formed in this scene, thereafter in stage productions each time they enter their members square off against each other belligerently as they display the roses that signal their allegiances. To emphasize this stage presentation of factionalism in our edition, and to help the reader identify characters with their proper factions, we reorganize the First Folio’s entrance directions. The Folio opens 3.1 with the following stage direction: “Enter . . . Warwick, Somerset, Suffolk, Richard Plantagenet.” In our edition, this direction appears as “Enter . . . Richard Plantagenet
Whenever it is reasonably certain, in our view, that a speech is accompanied by a particular action, we provide a stage direction describing the action, setting the added direction in brackets to signal that it is not found in the Folio. (Occasional exceptions to this general rule occur when the action is so obvious that to add a stage direction would insult the reader.) Stage directions for the entrance of a character in mid-scene are, with rare exceptions, placed so that they immediately precede the character’s participation in the scene, even though these entrances may appear somewhat earlier in the early printed texts. Whenever we move a stage direction, we record this change in the textual notes. Latin stage directions (e.g., Exeunt) are translated into English (e.g., They exit).
We expand the often severely abbreviated forms of names used as speech headings in early printed texts into the full names of the characters. We also regularize the speakers’ names in speech headings, using only a single designation for each character (with the exception of Richard Plantagenet, discussed below), even though the early printed texts sometimes use a variety of designations. Such variety is evident in connection with the character Beaufort, whose official name is Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester. Beaufort is almost always called Winchester in the First Folio, but he is called Cardinal in 5.4, his final scene. (The direction for his entrance is “Enter Cardinall,” and he speaks as “Car.”) We regularize his speech prefix in this scene to WINCHESTER because in all other cases in the play his prefix is “Win.,” “Winch.,” or “Winchest.” In making this change, we record it in the textual notes, as we do all regularizations of speech prefixes. (For the argument that Beaufort’s speech prefixes should be CARDINAL and not WINCHESTER in 5.4, see longer note to 1.3.36.)
Because we accept the argument that Winchester’s status does not actually change in the last act, we do not change the speech prefixes of this character. However, we take a different approach when a character’s status does indeed alter in the course of the play, as is the case with Richard Plantagenet. This change of status occurs at 3.1.178–82, when Richard, up to that point known as Plantagenet, is created “princely Duke of York” by Henry VI. To indicate this transformation of status, as well as to indicate the name by which he is henceforth known, we change his speech prefix from PLANTAGENET to YORK.
In the present edition, as well, we mark with a dash any change of address within a speech, unless a stage direction intervenes. When the -ed ending of a word is to be pronounced, we mark it with an accent. Like editors for the past two centuries, we print metrically linked lines in the following way:
TALBOT
A maid, they say.
BEDFORD A maid? And be so martial?
(2.1.22–23)
However, when there are a number of short verse-lines that can be linked in more than one way, we do not, with rare exceptions, indent any of them.
The Explanatory Notes
The notes that appear in the commentary at the end of the text, are designed to provide readers with the help that they may need to enjoy the play. Whenever the meaning of a word in the text is not readily accessible in a good contemporary dictionary, we offer the meaning in a note. Sometimes we provide a note even when the relevant meaning is to be found in the dictionary but when the word has acquired since Shakespeare’s time other potentially confusing meanings. In our notes, we try to offer modern synonyms for Shakespeare’s words. We also try to indicate to the reader the connection between the word in the play and the modern synonym. For example, Shakespeare sometimes uses the word head to mean source, but, for modern readers, there may be no connection evident between these two words. We provide the connection by explaining Shakespeare’s usage as follows: “head: fountainhead, source.” On some occasions, a whole phrase or clause needs explanation. Then we rephrase in our own words the difficult passage, and add at the end synonyms for individual words in the passage. When scholars have been unable to determine the meaning of a word or phrase, we acknowledge the uncertainty. Bible quotations are from the Geneva Bible (1560), modernized.
* * *
I. We have also consulted the computerized text of the First Folio provided by the Text Archive of the Oxford University Computing Centre, to which we are grateful.
HENRY VI
Part 1
English Ancestry of King Henry VI
[Characters in this play appear in bold]
Characters in the Play
The English
KING HENRY VI
Lord TALBOT, afterwards Earl of Shrewsbury
JOHN TALBOT, his son
Duke of GLOUCESTER, the king’s uncle, and Lord Protector
Duke of BEDFORD, the king’s uncle, and Regent of France
Duke of EXETER, the king’s great-uncle
Cardinal, Bishop of WINCHESTER, the king’s great-uncle
Duke of SOMERSET
Richard PLANTAGENET, later Duke of YORK, and Regent of France
Earl of WARWICK
Earl of SALISBURY
Earl of SUFFOLK, William de la Pole
Edmund MORTIMER, Earl of March
Sir William GLANSDALE
Sir Thomas GARGRAVE
Sir John FASTOLF
Sir William LUCY
WOODVILLE, Lieutenant of the Tower of London
VERNON, of the White Rose or York faction
BASSET, of the Red Rose or Lancaster faction
A LAWYER
JAILORS to Mortimer
A LEGATE
MAYOR of London
Heralds, Attendants, three MESSENGERS, SERVINGMEN in blue coats and in tawny coats, two WARDERS, Officers, Soldiers, Captains, WATCH, Trumpeters, Drummer, Servant, two Ambassadors
The French
CHARLES, Dauphin of France
Joan la PUCELLE, also Joan of Arc
REIGNIER, Duke of Anjou and Maine, King of Naples
MARGARET, his daughter
Duke of ALANSON
Bastard of ORLEANCE
Duke of BURGUNDY
GENERAL of the French forces at Bordeaux
COUNTESS of Auvergne
Her PORTER
MASTER GUNNER of Orleance
BOY, his son
SERGEANT of a Band
A SHEPHERD, Pucelle’s father
Drummer, Soldiers, two SENTINELS, MESSENGER, Soldiers, Governor of Paris, Herald, SCOUT, Fiends accompanying Pucelle
HENRY VI
Part 1
* * *
ACT 1
ACT 1
* * *
Scene 1
Dead March. Enter the funeral of King Henry the Fifth,
attended on by the Duke of Bedford, Regent of France;
the Duke of Gloucester, Protector; the Duke of Exeter;
the Duke of Somerset,
BEDFORD
Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night!
1
Comets, importing change of times and states,
2
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky,
3
And with them scourge the bad revolting stars
4
That have consented unto Henry’s death:
5
King Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long.
6
England ne’er lost a king of so much worth.
7
GLOUCESTER
England ne’er had a king until his time.
8
Virtue he had, deserving to command;
9
His brandished sword did blind men with his beams;
10
His arms spread wider than a dragon’s wings;
11
His sparkling eyes, replete with wrathful fire,
12
More dazzled and drove back his enemies
13
Than midday sun fierce bent against their faces.
14
What should I say? His deeds exceed all speech.
15
He ne’er lift up his hand but conquerèd.
16
EXETER
We mourn in black; why mourn we not in blood?
17
Henry is dead and never shall revive.
18
Upon a wooden coffin we attend,
19
And Death’s dishonorable victory
20
We with our stately presence glorify,
21
Like captives bound to a triumphant car.
22
What? Shall we curse the planets of mishap
23
That plotted thus our glory’s overthrow?
24
Or shall we think the subtle-witted French
25
Conjurers and sorcerers, that, afraid of him,
26
By magic verses have contrived his end?
27
WINCHESTER
He was a king blest of the King of kings;
28
Unto the French the dreadful Judgment Day
29
So dreadful will not be as was his sight.
30
The battles of the Lord of Hosts he fought;
31
The Church’s prayers made him so prosperous.
32
GLOUCESTER
The Church? Where is it? Had not churchmen prayed,
33
His thread of life had not so soon decayed.
34
None do you like but an effeminate prince
35
Whom like a schoolboy you may overawe.
36
WINCHESTER
Gloucester, whate’er we like, thou art Protector
37
And lookest to command the Prince and realm.
38
Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe
39
More than God or religious churchmen may.
40
GLOUCESTER
Name not religion, for thou lov’st the flesh,
41
And ne’er throughout the year to church thou go’st,
42
Except it be to pray against thy foes.
43
BEDFORD
Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace!
44
Let’s to the altar.—Heralds, wait on us.—
45
Instead of gold, we’ll offer up our arms,
46
Since arms avail not, now that Henry’s dead.
47
Posterity, await for wretched years
48
When at their mothers’ moistened eyes babes shall
49
suck,
50
Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears,
51
And none but women left to wail the dead.
52
Henry the Fifth, thy ghost I invocate:
53
Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils,
54
Combat with adverse planets in the heavens.
55
A far more glorious star thy soul will make
56
Than Julius Caesar or bright—
57
Enter a Messenger.
MESSENGER
My honorable lords, health to you all.
58
Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,
59
Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture:
60
Guyen, Champaigne, Rheims,
61
Paris, Gisors, Poitiers, are all quite lost.
62
BEDFORD
What say’st thou, man, before dead Henry’s corse?
63
Speak softly, or the loss of those great towns
64
Will make him burst his lead and rise from death.
65
GLOUCESTER
Is Paris lost? Is Roan yielded up?
66
If Henry were recalled to life again,
67
These news would cause him once more yield the
68
ghost.
69
EXETER
How were they lost? What treachery was used?
70
MESSENGER
No treachery, but want of men and money.
71
Amongst the soldiers, this is mutterèd:
72
That here you maintain several factions
73
And, whilst a field should be dispatched and fought,
74
You are disputing of your generals.
75
One would have ling’ring wars with little cost;
76
Another would fly swift, but wanteth wings;
77
A third thinks, without expense at all,
78
By guileful fair words peace may be obtained.
79
Awake, awake, English nobility!
80
Let not sloth dim your honors new begot.
81
Cropped are the flower-de-luces in your arms;
82
Of England’s coat, one half is cut away.
83
EXETER
Were our tears wanting to this funeral,
84
These tidings would call forth her flowing tides.
85
BEDFORD
Me they concern; regent I am of France.
86
Give me my steelèd coat, I’ll fight for France.
87
Away with these disgraceful wailing robes.
88
Wounds will I lend the French instead of eyes
89
To weep their intermissive miseries.
90
Enter to them another Messenger,
SECOND MESSENGER
Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance.
91
France is revolted from the English quite,
92
Except some petty towns of no import.
93
The Dauphin Charles is crownèd king in Rheims;
94
The Bastard of Orleance with him is joined;
95
Reignier, Duke of Anjou, doth take his part;
