Prescanned Shakespeare.com
presented by Acoustic Learning


Henry VI part two

Act I, Scene 2

GLOUCESTER'S house.
 
[Enter GLOUCESTER and his DUCHESS]
 
DUCHESS
              ,          ,         ,      ,         ,
      Why* droops | my lord | like^ov|er-rip|ened corn,
        ,             ,        ,        ,    2     ,
      Hanging | the head | at Cer|es' plent|eous load?
            ,          ,            ,         ,          ,
      Why doth | the great | Duke^Humph|rey knit | his brows,
           ,        ,        ,       ,         ,
      As frown|ing at | the fav|ors of | the world?
       ,                ,      ,             ,        ,
      Why are | thine^eyes | fixed to | the sul|len earth,
       ,            ,            ,         ,          ,
      Gazing | on that | which seems | to dim | thy sight?
             ,            ,           ,        ,   ,
      What seest | thou there?| King^Hen|ry's di|adem,
           ,           ,         ,       ,         ,
      Enchased | with all | the hon|ors of | the world?
          ,         ,        ,       ,         ,
      If so,| gaze^on,| and grov|el on | thy face,
         ,          ,         ,        ,          ,
      Until | thy head | be circ|led with | the same.
            ,           ,      ,             ,    2     ,
      Put forth | thy hand,| reach at | the glor|ious gold.
        ,     2            ,            ,        ,          ,
      What, is it | too* short?| I'll leng|then it | with mine,
           ,        ,       ,         ,         ,
      And hav|ing both | togeth|er heaved | it up,
              ,       ,        ,          ,           x
      We'll both | togeth|er lift | our heads | to heaven,
           ,       ,       ,          ,         ,
      And nev|er more | abase | our sight | so low,
                ,    ,     T     T    T   2       ,
      As to / vouchsafe | one glance un|to the ground.
 
GLOUCESTER
      .   T     T     T         ,           ,          ,
      O Nell, sweet Nell,| if thou | dost love | thy lord,
       ,            ,       ,      ,           ,
      Banish | the cank|er of | ambi|tious thoughts:
           ,            ,           ,     ,       ,
      And may | that thought,| when I | imag|ine ill
          ,          ,         ,        ,    2    ,     ->
      Against | my king | and neph|ew, vir|tuous He||nry,
       ,        ,      ,           2      ,        ,
      Be | my last | breathing | in this mort|al world.
           ,          ,            ,            ,        ,
      My troub|lous dream | this night,| doth make | me sad.
 
DUCHESS
              ,           ,      ,             ,           x
      What dreamed | my lord,| Tell me,| and I'll | requite it
             ,         ,       ,       ,           ,
      With sweet | rehears|al of | my morn|ing's dream?
 
GLOUCESTER
           ,             ,           ,        ,          ,
      Methought | this staff | mine of|fice-badge | in court
            ,          ,          ,        ,        ,
      Was broke | in twain:| by whom,| I have | forgot,
           ,       ,         ,     ,        ,   2
      But as | I think,| it was | by the | cardinal,
           ,        ,       ,        ,        ,
      And on | the pie|ces of | the brok|en wand
              ,           ,         ,        ,        ,      , ->
      Were placed | the heads | of Ed|mund Duke | of So||merset,
           ,      3  3     ,            ,          x
      And Wil|liam de la Pole | first^duke | of Suffolk.  ??
            ,         ,           ,          ,          ,
      This was | my dream,| what^it | doth^bode | God^knows.
 
DUCHESS
       ,               ,        ,        ,     ,
      Tut, this | was noth|ing but | an arg|ument,
            ,           ,         ,           ,            ,
      That he | that breaks | a stick | of Glouce|ster's grove,
              ,          ,         ,        ,      ,
      Shall lose | his head | for his | presump|tion.
            ,        ,        ,               ,     ,
      But list | to me,| my Humph|rey, my / sweet duke:
           ,         ,         ,        ,     ,
      Methought | I sat | in seat | of maj|esty,
       ,          ,          ,          ,   ,
      In the | cathed|ral church | of West|minster,
           ,          ,             ,            ,            ,
      And in | that chair | where kings | and queens | are crowned,
             ,             ,    ,          ,          ,
      Where Hen|ry and / dame Marg|aret kneeled | to me,
           ,        ,         ,         ,   ,
      And on | my head | did set | the di|adem.
 
GLOUCESTER
          ,     ,           ,        ,          ,
      Nay^El|eanor,| then must | I chide | outright:
          ,     2     ,         ,        ,     ,
      Presump|tuous dame,| ill-nur|tured El|eanor,
            ,         ,       ,      ,         ,
      Art thou | not sec|ond wom|an in | the realm?
       ,            ,          ,        ,         ,
      And the | protect|or's wife,| beloved | of him?
             ,          ,        ,        ,        ,
      Hast thou | not world|ly pleas|ure at | command,
         ,          ,         ,        ,          ,
      Above | the reach | or comp|ass of | thy thought?
            ,           ,         ,    2      ,      ,
      And wilt | thou still | be ham|mering treach|ery,
          ,        ,         ,         ,         ,
      To tum|ble down | thy hus|band, and | thyself,
            ,        ,       ,       ,         ,
      From top | of hon|or, to | disgra|ce's feet?
        ,          ,        ,         ,         ,
      Away | from me,| and let | me hear | no more.
 
DUCHESS
        T     T    .   T         ,        ,     ,
      What, what, my lord?| Are you | so chol|eric
           ,     ,         ,        ,          ,
      With El|eanor,| for tel|ling but | her dream?
             ,           ,          ,        ,       ,
      Next^time | I'll keep | my dreams | unto | myself,
           ,          ,
      And not | be checked.  \\
 
GLOUCESTER
            ,        ,      ,         ,         ,
      Nay* be | not ang|ry, I | am pleased | again.
 
[Enter Messenger]
 
MESSENGER
           ,        ,         ,          ,          ,       2->
      My lord | protect|or, 'tis | his high|ness' plea||sure
           ,        ,         ,       ,          ,       ->
      You do | prepare | to ride | unto | Saint^Al||ban's,
        ,       2      ,          ,          ,         ,
      Where | as the king | and queen | do mean | to hawk.
 
GLOUCESTER
         ,     T    T    T           ,          ,
      I go.| Come Nell thou | wilt ride | with us?
 
[Exeunt GLOUCESTER and Messenger]
 
DUCHESS
       ,              ,          ,       ,       ,
      Yes my | good lord,| I'll fol|low pres|ently.
       ,           ,       ,       ,       ,
      Follow | I must,| I can|not go | before,
               ,          ,            ,         ,        ,
      While Glouce|ster bears | this base | and hum|ble mind.
           ,      ,        ,          ,         ,
      Were^I | a man,| a duke,| and next | of blood,
          ,         ,           ,   2     ,           ,
      I would | remove | these ted|ious stum|bling-blocks,
             ,         ,      ,            ,         ,
      And smooth | my way | upon | their head|less necks.
           ,    2   ,      ,         ,         ,
      And be|ing a wom|an, I | will not | be slack
           ,         ,        ,          ,    ,
      To play | my part | in For|tune's pag|eant.
             ,           ,          ,           ,         ,
      Where^are | you there?| Sir John;| nay* fear | not man,
          ,       ,             ,          ,        ,
      We are | alone,| here's none | but thee,| and I.
 
[Enter HUME]
 
HUME
       ,           ,           ,      ,    ,
      Jesus | preserve | your roy|al maj|esty.
 
DUCHESS
             ,            ,     ,      ,         ,
      What sayst | thou? maj|esty:| I am | but grace.
 
HUME
           ,         ,         ,          ,          ,
      But by | the grace | of God,| and Hume's | advice,
            ,        ,       ,         ,      ,
      Your gra|ce's tit|le shall | be mult|iplied.
 
DUCHESS
             ,           ,           ,        ,          ,
      What sayst | thou man?| Hast thou | as yet | conferred
            ,           ,   ,         ,         ,
      With Marg|ery / Jourdain | the cun|ning witch,
            ,      ,       ,          ,     ,
      With Rog|er Bol|ingbroke,| the con|jurer?
            ,          ,      ,        ,        ,
      And will | they und|ertake | to do | me good?
 
HUME
        ,      2        ,     ,         ,           ,
      This they have | promi|sed to | show your | highness
         ,         ,            ,         ,       ,
      A spir|it raised | from depth | of und|erground,
        T    T     T     ,            ,      ,
      That shall make | answer | to such | questions,
          ,          ,            ,        ,       ,
      As by | your grace | shall be | propound|ed him.
 
DUCHESS
       ,   2    ,             ,      ,          ,
      It is e|nough, I'll | think u|pon the | questions:
        ,                ,        ,        ,        ,
      When from | Saint^Al|ban's we | do make | return,
             ,             ,        ,       ,         ,
      We'll see | these^things | effect|ed to | the full.
        T    T     T        2    ,          ,      ,
      Here Hume, take | this reward,| make^mer|ry man,
            ,        ,      ,      2       ,        ,
      With^thy | confed|erates | in this weigh|ty cause.
 
[Exit]
 
HUME
        ,           ,   ,                  ,         ,
      Hume must | make mer/ry with | the duch|ess' gold:
       ,   2        ,                ,     T    T    T
      Marry and | shall: But | how* now,| Sir John Hume?
            ,          ,          ,         ,          ,
      Seal^up | your lips,| and give | no^words | but mum,
           ,         ,       ,       ,     ,
      The bus|iness ask|eth sil|ent sec|recy.
           ,      ,     T     T    .   T           ,
      Dame^El|eanor | gives gold, to bring | the witch:
        T   T  .    T       ,          ,        x
      Gold cannot come | amiss,| were she | a devil.
            ,        ,      ,            ,        ,
      Yet have | I gold | flies from | anoth|er coast:
          ,         ,                 ,   ,     ,
      I dare | not say,| from the / rich card|inal,
       ,      2        ,          T    T    T        ,       ->
      And from the | great and | new-made Duke | of Suf||folk;
       ,     2     ,        ,    ,            ,
      Yet | I do find | it so:| for to | be plain,
              ,     2     ,      ,        ,       ,     2->
      They (know|ing Dame^El|eanor's | aspir|ing hum||or)
             ,      ,       ,      ,         ,
      Have hired | me to | under|mine the | duchess,
            ,           ,     ,        ,         ,
      And buzz | these con|jura|tions in | her brain.
            ,        ,       ,            ,           x
      They say,| A craf|ty knave | does^need | no* broker,
       ,          ,        ,          ,     2      x
      Yet am | I Suf|folk and | the card|inal's broker.
        ,     2        T   T    T          ,          ,
      Hume, if you | take not heed,| you shall | go near
           ,           ,        ,         ,        ,
      To call | them both | a pair | of craf|ty knaves.
        ,              ,           ,        ,         ,
      Well, so | it stands:| and thus | I fear | at last,
        ,      ,              ,         ,         ,
      Hume's knav/ery | will be | the duch|ess' wreck,
           ,        ,          ,         ,           ,
      And her | attain|ture, will | be Humph|rey's fall:
            ,         ,        ,            ,         ,
      Sort^how | it will,| I shall | have gold | for all.
 
[Exit]

← Previous Scene | Next Scene →


Home