Henry VI, part 1, Act 2 Scene 2 runs 61 lines of dialogue, spoken by 5 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 102 lines. This scene is part of Act 2 of Henry VI, part 1.
Full Dialogue
Bedford ♂
The day begins to break, and night is fled,
Whose pitchy mantle over-veil'd the earth.
Here sound retreat, and cease our hot pursuit.
Whose pitchy mantle over-veil'd the earth.
Here sound retreat, and cease our hot pursuit.
Talbot ♂
Bring forth the body of old Salisbury,
And here advance it in the market-place,
The middle centre of this cursed town.
Now have I paid my vow unto his soul;
For every drop of blood was drawn from him,
There hath at least five Frenchmen died tonight.
And that hereafter ages may behold
What ruin happen'd in revenge of him,
Within their chiefest temple I'll erect
A tomb, wherein his corpse shall be interr'd:
Upon the which, that every one may read,
Shall be engraved the sack of Orleans,
The treacherous manner of his mournful death
And what a terror he had been to France.
But, lords, in all our bloody massacre,
I muse we met not with the Dauphin's grace,
His new-come champion, virtuous Joan of Arc,
Nor any of his false confederates.
And here advance it in the market-place,
The middle centre of this cursed town.
Now have I paid my vow unto his soul;
For every drop of blood was drawn from him,
There hath at least five Frenchmen died tonight.
And that hereafter ages may behold
What ruin happen'd in revenge of him,
Within their chiefest temple I'll erect
A tomb, wherein his corpse shall be interr'd:
Upon the which, that every one may read,
Shall be engraved the sack of Orleans,
The treacherous manner of his mournful death
And what a terror he had been to France.
But, lords, in all our bloody massacre,
I muse we met not with the Dauphin's grace,
His new-come champion, virtuous Joan of Arc,
Nor any of his false confederates.
Bedford ♂
'Tis thought, Lord Talbot, when the fight began,
Roused on the sudden from their drowsy beds,
They did amongst the troops of armed men
Leap o'er the walls for refuge in the field.
Roused on the sudden from their drowsy beds,
They did amongst the troops of armed men
Leap o'er the walls for refuge in the field.
Burgundy ♂
Myself, as far as I could well discern
For smoke and dusky vapours of the night,
Am sure I scared the Dauphin and his trull,
When arm in arm they both came swiftly running,
Like to a pair of loving turtle-doves
That could not live asunder day or night.
After that things are set in order here,
We'll follow them with all the power we have.
For smoke and dusky vapours of the night,
Am sure I scared the Dauphin and his trull,
When arm in arm they both came swiftly running,
Like to a pair of loving turtle-doves
That could not live asunder day or night.
After that things are set in order here,
We'll follow them with all the power we have.
Messenger ♂
All hail, my lords! which of this princely train
Call ye the warlike Talbot, for his acts
So much applauded through the realm of France?
Call ye the warlike Talbot, for his acts
So much applauded through the realm of France?
Talbot ♂
Here is the Talbot: who would speak with him?
Messenger ♂
The virtuous lady, Countess of Auvergne,
With modesty admiring thy renown,
By me entreats, great lord, thou wouldst vouchsafe
To visit her poor castle where she lies,
That she may boast she hath beheld the man
Whose glory fills the world with loud report.
With modesty admiring thy renown,
By me entreats, great lord, thou wouldst vouchsafe
To visit her poor castle where she lies,
That she may boast she hath beheld the man
Whose glory fills the world with loud report.
Burgundy ♂
Is it even so? Nay, then, I see our wars
Will turn unto a peaceful comic sport,
When ladies crave to be encounter'd with.
You may not, my lord, despise her gentle suit.
Will turn unto a peaceful comic sport,
When ladies crave to be encounter'd with.
You may not, my lord, despise her gentle suit.
Talbot ♂
Ne'er trust me then; for when a world of men
Could not prevail with all their oratory,
Yet hath a woman's kindness over-ruled:
And therefore tell her I return great thanks,
And in submission will attend on her.
Will not your honours bear me company?
Could not prevail with all their oratory,
Yet hath a woman's kindness over-ruled:
And therefore tell her I return great thanks,
And in submission will attend on her.
Will not your honours bear me company?
Bedford ♂
No, truly; it is more than manners will:
And I have heard it said, unbidden guests
Are often welcomest when they are gone.
And I have heard it said, unbidden guests
Are often welcomest when they are gone.
Talbot ♂
Well then, alone, since there's no remedy,
I mean to prove this lady's courtesy.
Come hither, captain.
You perceive my mind?
I mean to prove this lady's courtesy.
Come hither, captain.
You perceive my mind?
Captain ♂
I do, my lord, and mean accordingly.
61 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Talbot | 29 | 47.5% |
| Burgundy | 12 | 19.7% |
| Bedford | 10 | 16.4% |
| Messenger | 9 | 14.8% |
| Captain | 1 | 1.6% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 29 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 12 lines.
Total speakers on stage
5 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 2
This is Scene 2 of 5 in Act 2 of Henry VI, part 1.
Scene length vs. play average
At 61 lines, this scene is shorter than the Henry VI, part 1 average scene in Henry VI, part 1 (~102 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 2 Scene 1 · Next: Act 2 Scene 3
About Act 2 Scene 2 of Henry VI, part 1
Who carries Act 2 Scene 2 of Henry VI, part 1?
Talbot, with 29 lines — about 48% of the scene.
Is the scene a dialogue or a solo?
With 5 speakers and the lead holding 48% of the lines, this scene is a balanced multi-voice exchange.