Begging and Poor in 3 Henry VI (1591)
Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 3 has five instances of "beg" and 18 of "poor." Characters often act more like the self-concerned rich man in the gospel tale than like beggar Lazarus, with the exception of Henry, who, while a weak king, is more humble than most of his nobles.
[Image cropped from The third Part of Henry the Sixt, with the death of the Duke of Yorke, in the Second Folio edition of 1632, via Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Image Collection. Creative Commons.]
"Poor" in this play is often used to mean "pitiable," and often sarcastically by characters who lack pity (*emphasis* mine):
1.1
York and Lancaster factions argue about their claims to the throne. Lord Clifford is impoverished by the death of his father but also by his thirst for revenge. Warwick calls him "poor Clifford" as one might taunt an enemy:
Earl of Warwick:
"*Poor* Clifford! how I scorn his worthless threats!"
Under duress, Henry agrees to let the crown pass to the house of York, though he regrets disinheriting his son. Queen Margaret is determined to fight so that Prince Edward might one day be king, and the prince is determined to fight with her. After Edward and Margaret exit, Henry reflects:
Henry VI:
"*Poor* queen! how love to me and to her son / Hath made her break out into terms of rage!"
1.3
Because the father of Edmond, Earl of Rutland, had killed the father of Lord Clifford, Clifford will kill the young son, Edmond, and claims his father's blood has stopped his ears from hearing Edmond's pleas for mercy.
Lord Clifford:
"In vain thou speak'st, *poor* boy; my father's blood
Hath stopp'd the passage where thy words should enter."
1.4
Margaret, Clifford and Northumberland have triumphed for a time, and they make York (Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Glocester) stand on a mole hill and give him a paper crown as a ritual of humiliation in place of a true coronation, because earlier, he had sat on the throne and claimed to be king. This dark subversion of a coronation could be compared to the black mass in Hamlet 5.2, when Claudius offers Hamlet a poisoned chalice and pearl. Margaret calls York "poor":
Queen Margaret:
"Alas *poor* York! but that I hate thee deadly,
I should lament thy miserable state."
York replies from the molehill:
Hath that *poor* monarch taught thee to insult?
It needs not, nor it boots thee not, proud queen,
Unless the adage must be verified,
That *beggars* mounted run their horse to death.
2.2
King Edward IV and his brothers try to get Henry VI and his son the prince to recognize their power, but they will not. King Edward tells Margaret, "A wisp of straw were worth a thousand crowns / To make this shameless callet know herself." "Callet" in this context might mean prostitute, or scold, a quarrelsome woman who scolds habitually. Edward notes,
His father revell'd in the heart of France,
And tamed the king, and made the dauphin stoop;
And had he match'd according to his state,
He might have kept that glory to this day;
But when he took a *beggar* to his bed,
And graced thy *poor* sire with his bridal-day,
Even then that sunshine brew'd a shower for him,
That wash'd his father's fortunes forth of France,
And heap'd sedition on his crown at home.
Regardless of the virtues or vices of Queen Margaret, note how King Edward assumes that because Margaret came with no dowry and was therefore a "beggar," she is to be scorned. This reflects as much on the assumptions of Edward as it does on Margaret.
2.5
Henry VI (with an oversimplified view of shepherds) reflects on how much simpler and perhaps happier his life might have been if he'd been a shepherd, just before he sees a son who has killed his father in battle and drags the father's corpse:
So many days my ewes have been with young;
So many weeks ere the *poor* fools will ean:
So many years ere I shall shear the fleece:
So minutes, hours, days, months, and years,
Pass'd over to the end they were created,
Would bring white hairs unto a quiet grave.
After seeing the son who killed his father, Henry says,
O piteous spectacle! O bloody times!
Whiles lions war and battle for their dens,
*Poor* harmless lambs abide their enmity.
3.1
In 3.1, Henry VI reflects on how Queen Margaret and son have gone to France to ask for aid for King Henry, and their trip coincides with Warwicks trip to ask for a bride for King Edward:
My queen and son are gone to France for aid;
And, as I hear, the great commanding Warwick
Is thither gone, to crave the French king's sister
To wife for Edward: if this news be true,
*Poor* queen and son, your labour is but lost;
For Warwick is a subtle orator,
And Lewis a prince soon won with moving words.
By this account then Margaret may win him;
For she's a woman to be pitied much:
Her sighs will make a battery in his breast;
Her tears will pierce into a marble heart;
The tiger will be mild whiles she doth mourn;
And Nero will be tainted with remorse,
To hear and see her plaints, her brinish tears.
Ay, but she's come to *beg*, Warwick to give;
She, on his left side, craving aid for Henry,
He, on his right, asking a wife for Edward.
She weeps, and says her Henry is deposed;
He smiles, and says his Edward is install'd;
That she, *poor* wretch, for grief can speak no more;
Whiles Warwick tells his title, smooths the wrong,
Inferreth arguments of mighty strength,
And in conclusion wins the king from her,
With promise of his sister, and what else,
To strengthen and support King Edward's place.
O Margaret, thus 'twill be; and thou, *poor* soul,
Art then forsaken, as thou went'st forlorn!
In 3.2, Elizabeth Woodville, Lady Gray, asks for the return of her husband's estate, and Edward suggests she can make this happen if she will be his lover. She resists in ways that expect the best of him and display her virtue. But meanwhile, others (including George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, here) witness the exchange and jest about it in assides:
"I think he means to *beg* / a child of her."
In refusing to be Edward's lover, in the same scene, Elizabeth still pledges the kind of love that many believe all owe their monarch, with nicely worded qualifiers that keep the king's wrath at bay, and that earn her his respect:
"My love till death, my humble thanks, my prayers; / That love which virtue *begs* and virtue grants."
3.3
Queen Margaret begs for help from King Lewis [Louis] XI of France:
Now, therefore, be it known to noble Lewis,
That Henry, sole possessor of my love,
Is of a king become a banish'd man,
And forced to live in Scotland a forlorn;
While proud ambitious Edward Duke of York
Usurps the regal title and the seat
Of England's true-anointed lawful king.
This is the cause that I, *poor* Margaret,
With this my son, Prince Edward, Henry's heir,
Am come to crave thy just and lawful aid;
And if thou fail us, all our hope is done:
Scotland hath will to help, but cannot help;
Our people and our peers are both misled,
Our treasures seized, our soldiers put to flight,
And, as thou seest, ourselves in heavy plight.
In the same scene, Queen Margaret to King Lewis XI of France:
"Renowned prince, how shall *poor* Henry live, / Unless thou rescue him from foul despair?" 4.1
King Edward and his brothers George (Duke of Clarence) and Richard (later Richard III) argue about what George and Richard view as Edward's lack of wisdom in marrying Elizabeth Woodville. Edward dismisses the importance of his brother's opinion: "Alas, *poor* Clarence! is it for a wife / That thou art malcontent? I will provide thee."
5.1
In 5.1, the Earl of Warwick has changed sides; as a kind of kingmaker, he feels slighted, and when King Edward, Warwick, and Edward's brother Richard speak, they use the language of gifts: Who owes whom a debt for past gifts given, and who can take back such gifts, and what will be the consequences?
King Edward tells Warwick that while his “head is warm and newly cut off,” he will write a sentence in the dust with Warwick’s blood.
Writing in the dust is a curious thing, but it was described in church every time the 8th chapter of John’s gospel was read. This passage in the play might therefore recall John 8:6, when Jesus writes in the dust after a woman caught in adultery is brought before Jesus, and before he tells them that the one without sin should cast the first stone. 3 Henry VI is filled with characters who are hypocrites, so Shakespeare may have had this in mind.
King Edward IV:
Now, Warwick, wilt thou ope the city gates,
Speak gentle words and humbly bend thy knee,
Call Edward king and at his hands *beg* mercy?
And he shall pardon thee these outrages.
Earl of Warwick:
Nay, rather, wilt thou draw thy forces hence,
Confess who set thee up and pluck'd thee own,
Call Warwick patron and be penitent?
And thou shalt still remain the Duke of York.
Richard:
I thought, at least, he would have said the king;
Or did he make the jest against his will?
Warwick:
Is not a dukedom, sir, a goodly gift?
Richard:
Ay, by my faith, for a *poor* earl to give:
I'll do thee service for so good a gift.
Warwick:
'Twas I that gave the kingdom to thy brother.
Edward:
Why then 'tis mine, if but by Warwick's gift.
Warwick:
Thou art no Atlas for so great a weight:
And weakling, Warwick takes his gift again;
And Henry is my king, Warwick his subject.
Edward:
But Warwick's king is Edward's prisoner:
And, gallant Warwick, do but answer this:
What is the body when the head is off?
Richard:
Alas, that Warwick had no more forecast,
But, whiles he thought to steal the single ten,
The king was slily finger'd from the deck!
You left *poor* Henry at the Bishop's palace,
And, ten to one, you'll meet him in the Tower.
Edward:
'Tis even so; yet you are Warwick still.
Richard:
Come, Warwick, take the time; kneel down, kneel down:
Nay, when? strike now, or else the iron cools.
Warwick:
I had rather chop this hand off at a blow,
And with the other fling it at thy face,
Than bear so low a sail, to strike to thee.
Edward:
Sail how thou canst, have wind and tide thy friend,
This hand, fast wound about thy coal-black hair
Shall, whiles thy head is warm and new cut off,
Write in the dust this sentence with thy blood,
'Wind-changing Warwick now can change no more.'
The language of beggars and charitable souls is the language of gifts, and yet in this exchange, the language of gifts is distorted to become a language of debts and control or power. This is no longer the language of the beggar Lazarus asking of the rich man, but something much darker.
5.4
Before the battle of Tewksbury, Queen Margaret speaks to those ready to fight on her side. In part, she says,
We will not from the helm to sit and weep,
But keep our course, though the rough wind say no,
From shelves and rocks that threaten us with wreck.
As good to chide the waves as speak them fair.
And what is Edward but ruthless sea?
What Clarence but a quicksand of deceit?
And Richard but a ragged fatal rock?
All these the enemies to our *poor* bark.
Say you can swim; alas, 'tis but a while!
Tread on the sand; why, there you quickly sink:
Bestride the rock; the tide will wash you off,
Or else you famish; that's a threefold death.
This speak I, lords, to let you understand,
If case some one of you would fly from us,
That there's no hoped-for mercy with the brothers
More than with ruthless waves, with sands and rocks.
Why, courage then! what cannot be avoided
'Twere childish weakness to lament or fear.
5.6
Henry VI knows his son, Prince Edward, has been killed by Richard and his brothers for refusing to recognize Edward as king. Richard comes to the tower and will soon kill Henry, but Henry suspects Richard may have come to kill him. He uses the language of hunting and trapping birds to describe how he suspects he is the next victim:
Henry:
The bird that hath been limed in a bush,
With trembling wings misdoubteth every bush;
And I, the hapless male to one sweet bird,
Have now the fatal object in my eye
Where my *poor* young was limed, was caught and kill'd.
Henry prophesies dark things to come from Richard, but Richard cuts him short by killing him. When Richard kills Henry, Henry says, "God forgive my sins, and pardon thee!"
(And yes, by speaking true prophesy of Richard, and by asking God to forgive his killer, Henry VI becomes a king of Christ-figure, echoing Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.") Henry has died, but Richard replies before stabbing the corpse again:
Richard:
What, will the aspiring blood of Lancaster
Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted.
[Richard is sarcastic: he thought it would have ascended into heaven.)
See how my sword weeps for the *poor* king's death!
O, may such purple tears be alway shed
From those that wish the downfall of our house!
If any spark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell; and say I sent thee thither:
[Stabs him again]
I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear.
Indeed, 'tis true that Henry told me of;
For I have often heard my mother say
I came into the world with my legs forward:
Had I not reason, think ye, to make haste,
And seek their ruin that usurp'd our right?
The midwife wonder'd and the women cried
'O, Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth!'
And so I was; which plainly signified
That I should snarl and bite and play the dog.
Then, since the heavens have shaped my body so,
Let hell make crook'd my mind to answer it.
I have no brother, I am like no brother;
And this word 'love,' which graybeards call divine,
Be resident in men like one another
And not in me: I am myself alone.
Clarence, beware; thou keep'st me from the light:
But I will sort a pitchy day for thee;
For I will buz abroad such prophecies
That Edward shall be fearful of his life,
And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death.
King Henry and the prince his son are gone:
Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the rest,
Counting myself but bad till I be best.
I'll throw thy body in another room
And triumph, Henry, in thy day of doom.
So Richard will show no mercy to the beggar-king, Henry VI, nor will he show mercy to Clarence, who will be his next victim, or to Edward, his brother and king.
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I have mentioned in previous blog posts that I use the Advanced Search Engine at OpenSourceShakespeare to search for instances of particular words in Shakespeare's plays. I'd like to explain how I do that, in case any of my readers may benefit. There may also be among my readers those who are much better at this than I am, so feel free to leave comments about your experience or recommendations.
First, one should note that there are some searches that might overwhelm the search engine: If a word or phrase appears too often in the works of Shakespeare, the search engine may list, alphabetically, some of the plays where that word or phrase is found, but one has to pay attention to see if other plays were cut off.
Second, some tips for narrowing the searches:
If you search only for "beg," the search will include words you don't want in which "beg" appears, such as begin, began, begun, beguile, begotten, etc. So besides searching FOR a word, it's helpful to include in the advanced search some examples of things you're NOT looking for.
If you enter "beg" as the word you're searching for, and begu as something you're NOT searching for, then this will eliminate both "begun" and "beguile." You have a limited number of options, so it can help to be a bit judicious about what you're searching for, and what you're not. Here's an example of what I did in searching for "beg/beggar/begging/beggars" in Taming of the Shrew:
If you're interested in seeing EVERY instance of "beg" and "poor" that I found in preparing for today's blog post, go to OpenSourceShakespeare's advanced search page, and try it.
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MORE TO COME: This is part in a new multi-part series: After I came near the end of the previous series, on the Lazarus allusion in Hamlet 1.5 (to the Biblical tale of the rich man and Lazarus, the beggar), I decided that since no other character in Hamlet is described as often as Hamlet as begging or poor, I would investigate other Shakespeare plays to see how those two words are used - and to be open to other insights along the way.
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POSTS IN THIS SERIES SO FAR:
1. Beg/beggar/begging/poor in "Two Gentlemen of Verona," 1589-91 - 3 August, 2021
2. Begging and poor in The Taming of the Shrew - 10 August, 2021
3. Begging and Poor in 1 Henry VI, 1591-92 - 17 August, 2021
4. Begging, Poor, Eve, and Protestant-Catholic Context for 2 Henry VI - 31 August, 2021
5. Begging and Poor in 3 Henry VI (1591) - 7 September, 2021
6. Begging & Poor; Dust & Stones in Titus Andronicus (1593) - 14 September, 2021
7. Begging and Poor in Richard III (1592–1593) - 28 September, 2021 8. Begging and Poor in The Comedy of Errors (1594) - 5 October, 2021
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Shakespeare quotes: All quotes from Hamlet in older posts have been taken from the Modern (spelling), Editor's Version at InternetShakespeare via the University of Victoria in Canada. In this post and in the future, I will be taking them also from The Folger Shakespeare Library.
- To find them in the first place, I often use the advanced search feature at OpenSourceShakespeare.org.
Bible quotes, when taken from the Geneva translation, widely available to people of Shakespeare's time, are taken from an internet source somewhat close to their original spelling, from studybible.info, and in a modern spelling, from biblegateway.com.
- Quotes from the Bishop's bible, also available in Shakespeare's lifetime and read in church, are taken from studybible.info.
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Disclaimer: If and when I quote or paraphrase bible passages in many of my blog posts, I do not intend to promote any religion over another, nor am I attempting to promote religious belief in general; only to point out how the Bible may have influenced Shakespeare, his plays, and his age.
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Thanks for reading! My current project is a book tentatively titled Hamlet’s Bible, about biblical allusions and plot echoes in Hamlet.
Below is a link to a list of some of my top posts (“greatest hits”), including a description of my book project (last item on the list):
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-20-hamlet-bible-posts.html
I post every week, so please visit as often as you like and consider subscribing.
"Poor" in this play is often used to mean "pitiable," and often sarcastically by characters who lack pity (*emphasis* mine):
1.1
York and Lancaster factions argue about their claims to the throne. Lord Clifford is impoverished by the death of his father but also by his thirst for revenge. Warwick calls him "poor Clifford" as one might taunt an enemy:
Earl of Warwick:
"*Poor* Clifford! how I scorn his worthless threats!"
Under duress, Henry agrees to let the crown pass to the house of York, though he regrets disinheriting his son. Queen Margaret is determined to fight so that Prince Edward might one day be king, and the prince is determined to fight with her. After Edward and Margaret exit, Henry reflects:
Henry VI:
"*Poor* queen! how love to me and to her son / Hath made her break out into terms of rage!"
1.3
Because the father of Edmond, Earl of Rutland, had killed the father of Lord Clifford, Clifford will kill the young son, Edmond, and claims his father's blood has stopped his ears from hearing Edmond's pleas for mercy.
Lord Clifford:
"In vain thou speak'st, *poor* boy; my father's blood
Hath stopp'd the passage where thy words should enter."
1.4
Margaret, Clifford and Northumberland have triumphed for a time, and they make York (Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Glocester) stand on a mole hill and give him a paper crown as a ritual of humiliation in place of a true coronation, because earlier, he had sat on the throne and claimed to be king. This dark subversion of a coronation could be compared to the black mass in Hamlet 5.2, when Claudius offers Hamlet a poisoned chalice and pearl. Margaret calls York "poor":
Queen Margaret:
"Alas *poor* York! but that I hate thee deadly,
I should lament thy miserable state."
York replies from the molehill:
Hath that *poor* monarch taught thee to insult?
It needs not, nor it boots thee not, proud queen,
Unless the adage must be verified,
That *beggars* mounted run their horse to death.
2.2
King Edward IV and his brothers try to get Henry VI and his son the prince to recognize their power, but they will not. King Edward tells Margaret, "A wisp of straw were worth a thousand crowns / To make this shameless callet know herself." "Callet" in this context might mean prostitute, or scold, a quarrelsome woman who scolds habitually. Edward notes,
His father revell'd in the heart of France,
And tamed the king, and made the dauphin stoop;
And had he match'd according to his state,
He might have kept that glory to this day;
But when he took a *beggar* to his bed,
And graced thy *poor* sire with his bridal-day,
Even then that sunshine brew'd a shower for him,
That wash'd his father's fortunes forth of France,
And heap'd sedition on his crown at home.
Regardless of the virtues or vices of Queen Margaret, note how King Edward assumes that because Margaret came with no dowry and was therefore a "beggar," she is to be scorned. This reflects as much on the assumptions of Edward as it does on Margaret.
2.5
Henry VI (with an oversimplified view of shepherds) reflects on how much simpler and perhaps happier his life might have been if he'd been a shepherd, just before he sees a son who has killed his father in battle and drags the father's corpse:
So many days my ewes have been with young;
So many weeks ere the *poor* fools will ean:
So many years ere I shall shear the fleece:
So minutes, hours, days, months, and years,
Pass'd over to the end they were created,
Would bring white hairs unto a quiet grave.
After seeing the son who killed his father, Henry says,
O piteous spectacle! O bloody times!
Whiles lions war and battle for their dens,
*Poor* harmless lambs abide their enmity.
3.1
In 3.1, Henry VI reflects on how Queen Margaret and son have gone to France to ask for aid for King Henry, and their trip coincides with Warwicks trip to ask for a bride for King Edward:
My queen and son are gone to France for aid;
And, as I hear, the great commanding Warwick
Is thither gone, to crave the French king's sister
To wife for Edward: if this news be true,
*Poor* queen and son, your labour is but lost;
For Warwick is a subtle orator,
And Lewis a prince soon won with moving words.
By this account then Margaret may win him;
For she's a woman to be pitied much:
Her sighs will make a battery in his breast;
Her tears will pierce into a marble heart;
The tiger will be mild whiles she doth mourn;
And Nero will be tainted with remorse,
To hear and see her plaints, her brinish tears.
Ay, but she's come to *beg*, Warwick to give;
She, on his left side, craving aid for Henry,
He, on his right, asking a wife for Edward.
She weeps, and says her Henry is deposed;
He smiles, and says his Edward is install'd;
That she, *poor* wretch, for grief can speak no more;
Whiles Warwick tells his title, smooths the wrong,
Inferreth arguments of mighty strength,
And in conclusion wins the king from her,
With promise of his sister, and what else,
To strengthen and support King Edward's place.
O Margaret, thus 'twill be; and thou, *poor* soul,
Art then forsaken, as thou went'st forlorn!
In 3.2, Elizabeth Woodville, Lady Gray, asks for the return of her husband's estate, and Edward suggests she can make this happen if she will be his lover. She resists in ways that expect the best of him and display her virtue. But meanwhile, others (including George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, here) witness the exchange and jest about it in assides:
"I think he means to *beg* / a child of her."
In refusing to be Edward's lover, in the same scene, Elizabeth still pledges the kind of love that many believe all owe their monarch, with nicely worded qualifiers that keep the king's wrath at bay, and that earn her his respect:
"My love till death, my humble thanks, my prayers; / That love which virtue *begs* and virtue grants."
3.3
Queen Margaret begs for help from King Lewis [Louis] XI of France:
Now, therefore, be it known to noble Lewis,
That Henry, sole possessor of my love,
Is of a king become a banish'd man,
And forced to live in Scotland a forlorn;
While proud ambitious Edward Duke of York
Usurps the regal title and the seat
Of England's true-anointed lawful king.
This is the cause that I, *poor* Margaret,
With this my son, Prince Edward, Henry's heir,
Am come to crave thy just and lawful aid;
And if thou fail us, all our hope is done:
Scotland hath will to help, but cannot help;
Our people and our peers are both misled,
Our treasures seized, our soldiers put to flight,
And, as thou seest, ourselves in heavy plight.
In the same scene, Queen Margaret to King Lewis XI of France:
"Renowned prince, how shall *poor* Henry live, / Unless thou rescue him from foul despair?" 4.1
King Edward and his brothers George (Duke of Clarence) and Richard (later Richard III) argue about what George and Richard view as Edward's lack of wisdom in marrying Elizabeth Woodville. Edward dismisses the importance of his brother's opinion: "Alas, *poor* Clarence! is it for a wife / That thou art malcontent? I will provide thee."
5.1
In 5.1, the Earl of Warwick has changed sides; as a kind of kingmaker, he feels slighted, and when King Edward, Warwick, and Edward's brother Richard speak, they use the language of gifts: Who owes whom a debt for past gifts given, and who can take back such gifts, and what will be the consequences?
King Edward tells Warwick that while his “head is warm and newly cut off,” he will write a sentence in the dust with Warwick’s blood.
Writing in the dust is a curious thing, but it was described in church every time the 8th chapter of John’s gospel was read. This passage in the play might therefore recall John 8:6, when Jesus writes in the dust after a woman caught in adultery is brought before Jesus, and before he tells them that the one without sin should cast the first stone. 3 Henry VI is filled with characters who are hypocrites, so Shakespeare may have had this in mind.
King Edward IV:
Now, Warwick, wilt thou ope the city gates,
Speak gentle words and humbly bend thy knee,
Call Edward king and at his hands *beg* mercy?
And he shall pardon thee these outrages.
Earl of Warwick:
Nay, rather, wilt thou draw thy forces hence,
Confess who set thee up and pluck'd thee own,
Call Warwick patron and be penitent?
And thou shalt still remain the Duke of York.
Richard:
I thought, at least, he would have said the king;
Or did he make the jest against his will?
Warwick:
Is not a dukedom, sir, a goodly gift?
Richard:
Ay, by my faith, for a *poor* earl to give:
I'll do thee service for so good a gift.
Warwick:
'Twas I that gave the kingdom to thy brother.
Edward:
Why then 'tis mine, if but by Warwick's gift.
Warwick:
Thou art no Atlas for so great a weight:
And weakling, Warwick takes his gift again;
And Henry is my king, Warwick his subject.
Edward:
But Warwick's king is Edward's prisoner:
And, gallant Warwick, do but answer this:
What is the body when the head is off?
Richard:
Alas, that Warwick had no more forecast,
But, whiles he thought to steal the single ten,
The king was slily finger'd from the deck!
You left *poor* Henry at the Bishop's palace,
And, ten to one, you'll meet him in the Tower.
Edward:
'Tis even so; yet you are Warwick still.
Richard:
Come, Warwick, take the time; kneel down, kneel down:
Nay, when? strike now, or else the iron cools.
Warwick:
I had rather chop this hand off at a blow,
And with the other fling it at thy face,
Than bear so low a sail, to strike to thee.
Edward:
Sail how thou canst, have wind and tide thy friend,
This hand, fast wound about thy coal-black hair
Shall, whiles thy head is warm and new cut off,
Write in the dust this sentence with thy blood,
'Wind-changing Warwick now can change no more.'
The language of beggars and charitable souls is the language of gifts, and yet in this exchange, the language of gifts is distorted to become a language of debts and control or power. This is no longer the language of the beggar Lazarus asking of the rich man, but something much darker.
5.4
Before the battle of Tewksbury, Queen Margaret speaks to those ready to fight on her side. In part, she says,
We will not from the helm to sit and weep,
But keep our course, though the rough wind say no,
From shelves and rocks that threaten us with wreck.
As good to chide the waves as speak them fair.
And what is Edward but ruthless sea?
What Clarence but a quicksand of deceit?
And Richard but a ragged fatal rock?
All these the enemies to our *poor* bark.
Say you can swim; alas, 'tis but a while!
Tread on the sand; why, there you quickly sink:
Bestride the rock; the tide will wash you off,
Or else you famish; that's a threefold death.
This speak I, lords, to let you understand,
If case some one of you would fly from us,
That there's no hoped-for mercy with the brothers
More than with ruthless waves, with sands and rocks.
Why, courage then! what cannot be avoided
'Twere childish weakness to lament or fear.
5.6
Henry VI knows his son, Prince Edward, has been killed by Richard and his brothers for refusing to recognize Edward as king. Richard comes to the tower and will soon kill Henry, but Henry suspects Richard may have come to kill him. He uses the language of hunting and trapping birds to describe how he suspects he is the next victim:
Henry:
The bird that hath been limed in a bush,
With trembling wings misdoubteth every bush;
And I, the hapless male to one sweet bird,
Have now the fatal object in my eye
Where my *poor* young was limed, was caught and kill'd.
Henry prophesies dark things to come from Richard, but Richard cuts him short by killing him. When Richard kills Henry, Henry says, "God forgive my sins, and pardon thee!"
(And yes, by speaking true prophesy of Richard, and by asking God to forgive his killer, Henry VI becomes a king of Christ-figure, echoing Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.") Henry has died, but Richard replies before stabbing the corpse again:
Richard:
What, will the aspiring blood of Lancaster
Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted.
[Richard is sarcastic: he thought it would have ascended into heaven.)
See how my sword weeps for the *poor* king's death!
O, may such purple tears be alway shed
From those that wish the downfall of our house!
If any spark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell; and say I sent thee thither:
[Stabs him again]
I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear.
Indeed, 'tis true that Henry told me of;
For I have often heard my mother say
I came into the world with my legs forward:
Had I not reason, think ye, to make haste,
And seek their ruin that usurp'd our right?
The midwife wonder'd and the women cried
'O, Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth!'
And so I was; which plainly signified
That I should snarl and bite and play the dog.
Then, since the heavens have shaped my body so,
Let hell make crook'd my mind to answer it.
I have no brother, I am like no brother;
And this word 'love,' which graybeards call divine,
Be resident in men like one another
And not in me: I am myself alone.
Clarence, beware; thou keep'st me from the light:
But I will sort a pitchy day for thee;
For I will buz abroad such prophecies
That Edward shall be fearful of his life,
And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death.
King Henry and the prince his son are gone:
Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the rest,
Counting myself but bad till I be best.
I'll throw thy body in another room
And triumph, Henry, in thy day of doom.
So Richard will show no mercy to the beggar-king, Henry VI, nor will he show mercy to Clarence, who will be his next victim, or to Edward, his brother and king.
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I have mentioned in previous blog posts that I use the Advanced Search Engine at OpenSourceShakespeare to search for instances of particular words in Shakespeare's plays. I'd like to explain how I do that, in case any of my readers may benefit. There may also be among my readers those who are much better at this than I am, so feel free to leave comments about your experience or recommendations.
First, one should note that there are some searches that might overwhelm the search engine: If a word or phrase appears too often in the works of Shakespeare, the search engine may list, alphabetically, some of the plays where that word or phrase is found, but one has to pay attention to see if other plays were cut off.
Second, some tips for narrowing the searches:
If you search only for "beg," the search will include words you don't want in which "beg" appears, such as begin, began, begun, beguile, begotten, etc. So besides searching FOR a word, it's helpful to include in the advanced search some examples of things you're NOT looking for.
If you enter "beg" as the word you're searching for, and begu as something you're NOT searching for, then this will eliminate both "begun" and "beguile." You have a limited number of options, so it can help to be a bit judicious about what you're searching for, and what you're not. Here's an example of what I did in searching for "beg/beggar/begging/beggars" in Taming of the Shrew:
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MORE TO COME: This is part in a new multi-part series: After I came near the end of the previous series, on the Lazarus allusion in Hamlet 1.5 (to the Biblical tale of the rich man and Lazarus, the beggar), I decided that since no other character in Hamlet is described as often as Hamlet as begging or poor, I would investigate other Shakespeare plays to see how those two words are used - and to be open to other insights along the way.
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POSTS IN THIS SERIES SO FAR:
1. Beg/beggar/begging/poor in "Two Gentlemen of Verona," 1589-91 - 3 August, 2021
2. Begging and poor in The Taming of the Shrew - 10 August, 2021
3. Begging and Poor in 1 Henry VI, 1591-92 - 17 August, 2021
4. Begging, Poor, Eve, and Protestant-Catholic Context for 2 Henry VI - 31 August, 2021
5. Begging and Poor in 3 Henry VI (1591) - 7 September, 2021
6. Begging & Poor; Dust & Stones in Titus Andronicus (1593) - 14 September, 2021
7. Begging and Poor in Richard III (1592–1593) - 28 September, 2021 8. Begging and Poor in The Comedy of Errors (1594) - 5 October, 2021
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Shakespeare quotes: All quotes from Hamlet in older posts have been taken from the Modern (spelling), Editor's Version at InternetShakespeare via the University of Victoria in Canada. In this post and in the future, I will be taking them also from The Folger Shakespeare Library.
- To find them in the first place, I often use the advanced search feature at OpenSourceShakespeare.org.
Bible quotes, when taken from the Geneva translation, widely available to people of Shakespeare's time, are taken from an internet source somewhat close to their original spelling, from studybible.info, and in a modern spelling, from biblegateway.com.
- Quotes from the Bishop's bible, also available in Shakespeare's lifetime and read in church, are taken from studybible.info.
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Disclaimer: If and when I quote or paraphrase bible passages in many of my blog posts, I do not intend to promote any religion over another, nor am I attempting to promote religious belief in general; only to point out how the Bible may have influenced Shakespeare, his plays, and his age.
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Thanks for reading! My current project is a book tentatively titled Hamlet’s Bible, about biblical allusions and plot echoes in Hamlet.
Below is a link to a list of some of my top posts (“greatest hits”), including a description of my book project (last item on the list):
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-20-hamlet-bible-posts.html
I post every week, so please visit as often as you like and consider subscribing.
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