William Shakespeare - Complete Works of William Shakespeare

THE COMPLETE WORKS OFWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616) ContentsDelphiClassics 2011 Version 4

THE COMPLETE WORKS OFWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Please note: when reading Shakespeare's plays and poetry on your eReading device, it is recommended to use as small a font size as possible, to allow the formatting of lines to show correctly.
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The PlaysShakespeares birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon
HENRY VI, PART 2 This history play is believed by many scholars to be Shakespeares first play, having been written in 1591, and it was only titled Part II following the production of a prequel two years later. This play focuses on the King Henry's inability to quell the bickering of his nobles, the death of his trusted adviser Duke Humphrey of Gloucester, the rise of the Duke of York and the inevitability of armed conflict. As such, the play culminates with the opening battle of the war - the First Battle of St Albans. Although the Henry VI trilogy was not written in chronological order, the three plays are often grouped together with Richard III to form a tetralogy covering the entire Wars of the Roses saga, from the death of Henry V in 1422 to the rise to power of Henry VII in 1485. The success of these plays firmly established Shakespeare's reputation as a playwright.

Interestingly, Henry VI, Part 2 has the largest cast of all Shakespeare's plays, and is seen by many critics as the best of the Henry VI trilogy, though sadly the play receives little attention elsewhere. Shakespeare's main source text for this play is available via this .
John Shakespeare the writers father, a glove maker, who later became Mayor of Stratford
CONTENTS
DRAMATIS PERSONAE KING HENRY THE SIXTH. HUMPHREY, Duke of Gloucester, his uncle. CARDINAL BEAUFORT, Bishop of Winchester, great-uncle to the King. RICHARD PLANTAGENET, Duke of York.

EDWARD and RICHARD, his sons. DUKE OF SOMERSET. DUKE OF SUFFOLK. DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. LORD CLIFFORD. YOUNG CLIFFORD, his son.

EARL OF SALISBURY. EARL OF WARWICK. LORD SCALES. LORD SAY. SIR HUMPHREY STAFFORD, and WILLIAM STAFFORD, his brother. VAUX. VAUX.

MATTHEW GOFFE. A Sea-Captain, Master, and Master's-Mate, and WALTER WHITMORE. Two Gentlemen, prisoners with Suffolk. JOHN HUME and JOHN SOUTHWELL, priests. ROGER BOLINGBROKE, a conjurer. THOMAS HORNER, an armourer.

PETER, his man. Clerk of Chatham. Mayor of Saint Albans. SIMPCOX, an impostor. ALEXANDER IDEN, a Kentish gentleman. JACK CADE, a rebel.

GEORGE BEVIS, JOHN HOLLAND, DICK the butcher, SMITH the weaver, MICHAEL, etc., followers of Cade. Two Murderers. MARGARET, Queen to King Henry. ELEANOR, Duchess of Gloucester. MARGARET JOURDAIN, a witch. Wife to Simpcox.

Lords, Ladies, and Attendants, Petitioners, Aldermen, a Herald, a Beadle, Sheriff, and Officers, Citizens, Prentices, Falconers, Guards, Soldiers, Messengers, &c. A Spirit. SCENE: England.
ACT I SCENE I. London. Enter the KING, GLOUCESTER, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and CARDINAL BEAUFORT, on the one side; the QUEEN, SUFFOLK, YORK, SOMERSET, and BUCKINGHAM, on the other.] SUFFOLK. Enter the KING, GLOUCESTER, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and CARDINAL BEAUFORT, on the one side; the QUEEN, SUFFOLK, YORK, SOMERSET, and BUCKINGHAM, on the other.] SUFFOLK.

As by your high imperial Majesty I had in charge at my depart for France, As procurator to your excellence, To marry Princess Margaret for your grace, So, in the famous ancient city Tours, In presence of the Kings of France and Sicil, The Dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretagne, and Alencon, Seven earls, twelve barons, and twenty reverend bishops, I have perform'd my task and was espous'd, And humbly now upon my bended knee, In sight of England and her lordly peers, Deliver up my title in the queen To your most gracious hands, that are the substance Of that great shadow I did represent: The happiest gift that ever marquess gave, The fairest queen that ever king receiv'd. KING. Suffolk, arise.Welcome, Queen Margaret. I can express no kinder sign of love Than this kind kiss.O Lord, that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness! For thou hast given me in this beauteous face A world of earthly blessings to my soul, If sympathy of love unite our thoughts. QUEEN. KING. KING.

Her sight did ravish, but her grace in speech, Her words yclad with wisdom's majesty, Makes me from wondering fall to weeping joys; Such is the fulness of my heart's content. Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love. ALL. [Kneeling] Long live Queen Margaret, England's happiness! QUEEN. We thank you all. [Flourish.] SUFFOLK.

My Lord Protector, so it please your grace, Here are the articles of contracted peace Between our sovereign and the French king Charles, For eighteen months concluded by consent. GLOUCESTER. [Reads] 'Imprimis, It is agreed between the French king Charles and William de la Pole, Marquess of Suffolk, ambassador for Henry King of England, that the said Henry shall espouse the Lady Margaret, daughter unto Reignier King of Naples, Sicilia, and Jerusalem, and crown her Queen of England ere the thirtieth of May next ensuing. Item, that the duchy of Anjou and the county of Maine shall be released and delivered to the king her father' [Lets the paper fall.] KING. Uncle, how now! GLOUCESTER. KING. KING.

Uncle of Winchester, I pray, read on. CARDINAL. [Reads] 'Item, It is further agreed between them, that the duchies of Anjou and Maine shall be released and delivered over to the king her father, and she sent over of the King of England's own proper cost and charges, without having any dowry.' KING. They please us well.Lord marquess, kneel down. We here create thee the first duke of Suffolk, And girt thee with the sword.Cousin of York, We here discharge your grace from being regent I' the parts of France, till term of eighteen months Be full expir'd.Thanks, uncle Winchester, Gloucester, York, Buckingham, Somerset, Salisbury, and Warwick; We thank you all for this great favour done In entertainment to my princely queen. [Exeunt King, Queen, and Suffolk.] GLOUCESTER. [Exeunt King, Queen, and Suffolk.] GLOUCESTER.

Brave peers of England, pillars of the state, To you Duke Humphrey must unload his grief, Your grief, the common grief of all the land. What! did my brother Henry spend his youth, His valour, coin, and people, in the wars? Did he so often lodge in open field, In winter's cold and summer's parching heat, To conquer France, his true inheritance? And did my brother Bedford toil his wits To keep by policy what Henry got? Have you yourselves, Somerset, Buckingham, Brave York, Salisbury, and victorious Warwick, Receiv'd deep scars in France and Normandy? Or hath mine uncle Beaufort and myself, With all the learned counsel of the realm, Studied so long, sat in the council-house Early and late, debating to and fro How France and Frenchmen might be kept in awe, And had his highness in his infancy Crowned in Paris in despite of foes? And shall these labours and these honours die? Shall Henry's conquest, Bedford's vigilance, Your deeds of war, and all our counsel die? O peers of England, shameful is this league! Fatal this marriage, cancelling your fame, Blotting your names from books of memory, Razing the characters of your renown, Defacing monuments of conquer'd France, Undoing all, as all had never been! CARDINAL. Nephew, what means this passionate discourse, This peroration with such circumstance? For France, 't is ours; and we will keep it still. GLOUCESTER. Ay, uncle, we will keep it if we can, But now it is impossible we should. SALISBURY. SALISBURY.