Henry VI, part 2, Act 2 Scene 3 runs 100 lines of dialogue, spoken by 12 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 130 lines. This scene is part of Act 2 of Henry VI, part 2.
Full Dialogue
King Henry Vi ♂
Stand forth, Dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloucester's wife:
In sight of God and us, your guilt is great:
Receive the sentence of the law for sins
Such as by God's book are adjudged to death.
You four, from hence to prison back again;
From thence unto the place of execution:
The witch in Smithfield shall be burn'd to ashes,
And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.
You, madam, for you are more nobly born,
Despoiled of your honour in your life,
Shall, after three days' open penance done,
Live in your country here in banishment,
With Sir John Stanley, in the Isle of Man.
In sight of God and us, your guilt is great:
Receive the sentence of the law for sins
Such as by God's book are adjudged to death.
You four, from hence to prison back again;
From thence unto the place of execution:
The witch in Smithfield shall be burn'd to ashes,
And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.
You, madam, for you are more nobly born,
Despoiled of your honour in your life,
Shall, after three days' open penance done,
Live in your country here in banishment,
With Sir John Stanley, in the Isle of Man.
Duchess ♀
Welcome is banishment; welcome were my death.
Gloucester ♂
Eleanor, the law, thou see'st, hath judged thee:
I cannot justify whom the law condemns.
Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
Ah, Humphrey, this dishonour in thine age
Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground!
I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go;
Sorrow would solace and mine age would ease.
I cannot justify whom the law condemns.
Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
Ah, Humphrey, this dishonour in thine age
Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground!
I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go;
Sorrow would solace and mine age would ease.
King Henry Vi ♂
Stay, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester: ere thou go,
Give up thy staff: Henry will to himself
Protector be; and God shall be my hope,
My stay, my guide and lantern to my feet:
And go in peace, Humphrey, no less beloved
Than when thou wert protector to thy King.
Give up thy staff: Henry will to himself
Protector be; and God shall be my hope,
My stay, my guide and lantern to my feet:
And go in peace, Humphrey, no less beloved
Than when thou wert protector to thy King.
Queen Margaret ♀
I see no reason why a king of years
Should be to be protected like a child.
God and King Henry govern England's realm.
Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm.
Should be to be protected like a child.
God and King Henry govern England's realm.
Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm.
Gloucester ♂
My staff? here, noble Henry, is my staff:
As willingly do I the same resign
As e'er thy father Henry made it mine;
And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it
As others would ambitiously receive it.
Farewell, good king: when I am dead and gone,
May honourable peace attend thy throne!
As willingly do I the same resign
As e'er thy father Henry made it mine;
And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it
As others would ambitiously receive it.
Farewell, good king: when I am dead and gone,
May honourable peace attend thy throne!
Queen Margaret ♀
Why, now is Henry king, and Margaret queen;
And Humphrey Duke of Gloucester scarce himself,
That bears so shrewd a maim; two pulls at once;
His lady banish'd, and a limb lopp'd off.
This staff of honour raught, there let it stand
Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand.
And Humphrey Duke of Gloucester scarce himself,
That bears so shrewd a maim; two pulls at once;
His lady banish'd, and a limb lopp'd off.
This staff of honour raught, there let it stand
Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand.
Suffolk ♂
Thus droops this lofty pine and hangs his sprays;
Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days.
Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days.
York ♂
Lords, let him go. Please it your majesty,
This is the day appointed for the combat;
And ready are the appellant and defendant,
The armourer and his man, to enter the lists,
So please your highness to behold the fight.
This is the day appointed for the combat;
And ready are the appellant and defendant,
The armourer and his man, to enter the lists,
So please your highness to behold the fight.
Queen Margaret ♀
Ay, good my lord; for purposely therefore
Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried.
Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried.
King Henry Vi ♂
O God's name, see the lists and all things fit:
Here let them end it; and God defend the right!
Here let them end it; and God defend the right!
York ♂
I never saw a fellow worse bested,
Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant,
The servant of this armourer, my lords.
Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant,
The servant of this armourer, my lords.
First Neighbour ♂
Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you in a cup of
sack: and fear not, neighbour, you shall do well enough.
sack: and fear not, neighbour, you shall do well enough.
Second Neighbour ♂
And here, neighbour, here's a cup of charneco.
Third Neighbour ♂
And here's a pot of good double beer, neighbour:
drink, and fear not your man.
drink, and fear not your man.
Horner ♂
Let it come, i' faith, and I'll pledge you all; and
a fig for Peter!
First 'Prentice Here, Peter, I drink to thee: and be not afraid.
Second 'Prentice Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy master: fight
for credit of the 'prentices.
a fig for Peter!
First 'Prentice Here, Peter, I drink to thee: and be not afraid.
Second 'Prentice Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy master: fight
for credit of the 'prentices.
Peter ♂
I thank you all: drink, and pray for me, I pray
you; for I think I have taken my last draught in
this world. Here, Robin, an if I die, I give thee
my apron: and, Will, thou shalt have my hammer:
and here, Tom, take all the money that I have. O
Lord bless me! I pray God! for I am never able to
deal with my master, he hath learnt me so much fence already.
you; for I think I have taken my last draught in
this world. Here, Robin, an if I die, I give thee
my apron: and, Will, thou shalt have my hammer:
and here, Tom, take all the money that I have. O
Lord bless me! I pray God! for I am never able to
deal with my master, he hath learnt me so much fence already.
Salisbury ♂
Come, leave your drinking, and fall to blows.
Sirrah, what's thy name?
Sirrah, what's thy name?
Peter ♂
Peter, forsooth.
Salisbury ♂
Peter! what more?
Peter ♂
Thump.
Salisbury ♂
Thump! then see thou thump thy master well.
Horner ♂
Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon my man's
instigation, to prove him a knave and myself an
honest man: and touching the Duke of York, I will
take my death, I never meant him any ill, nor the
king, nor the queen: and therefore, Peter, have at
thee with a downright blow!
instigation, to prove him a knave and myself an
honest man: and touching the Duke of York, I will
take my death, I never meant him any ill, nor the
king, nor the queen: and therefore, Peter, have at
thee with a downright blow!
York ♂
Dispatch: this knave's tongue begins to double.
Sound, trumpets, alarum to the combatants!
Sound, trumpets, alarum to the combatants!
Horner ♂
Hold, Peter, hold! I confess, I confess treason.
York ♂
Take away his weapon. Fellow, thank God, and the
good wine in thy master's way.
good wine in thy master's way.
Peter ♂
O God, have I overcome mine enemy in this presence?
O Peter, thou hast prevailed in right!
O Peter, thou hast prevailed in right!
King Henry Vi ♂
Go, take hence that traitor from our sight;
For his death we do perceive his guilt:
And God in justice hath revealed to us
The truth and innocence of this poor fellow,
Which he had thought to have murder'd wrongfully.
Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward.
For his death we do perceive his guilt:
And God in justice hath revealed to us
The truth and innocence of this poor fellow,
Which he had thought to have murder'd wrongfully.
Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward.
100 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| King Henry Vi | 27 | 27.0% |
| Gloucester | 14 | 14.0% |
| Horner | 12 | 12.0% |
| Queen Margaret | 12 | 12.0% |
| York | 12 | 12.0% |
| Peter | 11 | 11.0% |
| Salisbury | 4 | 4.0% |
| Suffolk | 2 | 2.0% |
| First Neighbour | 2 | 2.0% |
| Third Neighbour | 2 | 2.0% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 27 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 8 lines.
Total speakers on stage
12 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 2
This is Scene 3 of 4 in Act 2 of Henry VI, part 2.
Scene length vs. play average
At 100 lines, this scene is shorter than the Henry VI, part 2 average scene in Henry VI, part 2 (~130 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 2 Scene 2 · Next: Act 2 Scene 4
About Act 2 Scene 3 of Henry VI, part 2
Who carries Act 2 Scene 3 of Henry VI, part 2?
King Henry Vi, with 27 lines — about 27% of the scene.
Is the scene a dialogue or a solo?
With 12 speakers and the lead holding 27% of the lines, this scene is a balanced multi-voice exchange.