Henry VI, part 2, Act 4 Scene 9 runs 49 lines of dialogue, spoken by 6 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 130 lines. This scene is part of Act 4 of Henry VI, part 2.
Full Dialogue
King Henry Vi ♂
Was ever king that joy'd an earthly throne,
And could command no more content than I?
No sooner was I crept out of my cradle
But I was made a king, at nine months old.
Was never subject long'd to be a king
As I do long and wish to be a subject.
And could command no more content than I?
No sooner was I crept out of my cradle
But I was made a king, at nine months old.
Was never subject long'd to be a king
As I do long and wish to be a subject.
Buckingham ♂
Health and glad tidings to your majesty!
King Henry Vi ♂
Why, Buckingham, is the traitor Cade surprised?
Or is he but retired to make him strong?
Or is he but retired to make him strong?
Clifford ♂
He is fled, my lord, and all his powers do yield;
And humbly thus, with halters on their necks,
Expect your highness' doom of life or death.
And humbly thus, with halters on their necks,
Expect your highness' doom of life or death.
King Henry Vi ♂
Then, heaven, set ope thy everlasting gates,
To entertain my vows of thanks and praise!
Soldiers, this day have you redeemed your lives,
And show'd how well you love your prince and country:
Continue still in this so good a mind,
And Henry, though he be infortunate,
Assure yourselves, will never be unkind:
And so, with thanks and pardon to you all,
I do dismiss you to your several countries.
To entertain my vows of thanks and praise!
Soldiers, this day have you redeemed your lives,
And show'd how well you love your prince and country:
Continue still in this so good a mind,
And Henry, though he be infortunate,
Assure yourselves, will never be unkind:
And so, with thanks and pardon to you all,
I do dismiss you to your several countries.
All ♂
God save the king! God save the king!
Messenger ♂
Please it your grace to be advertised
The Duke of York is newly come from Ireland,
And with a puissant and a mighty power
Of gallowglasses and stout kerns
Is marching hitherward in proud array,
And still proclaimeth, as he comes along,
His arms are only to remove from thee
The Duke of Somerset, whom he terms traitor.
The Duke of York is newly come from Ireland,
And with a puissant and a mighty power
Of gallowglasses and stout kerns
Is marching hitherward in proud array,
And still proclaimeth, as he comes along,
His arms are only to remove from thee
The Duke of Somerset, whom he terms traitor.
King Henry Vi ♂
Thus stands my state, 'twixt Cade and York distress'd.
Like to a ship that, having 'scaped a tempest,
Is straightway calm'd and boarded with a pirate:
But now is Cade driven back, his men dispersed;
And now is York in arms to second him.
I pray thee, Buckingham, go and meet him,
And ask him what's the reason of these arms.
Tell him I'll send Duke Edmund to the Tower;
And, Somerset, we'll commit thee thither,
Until his army be dismiss'd from him.
Like to a ship that, having 'scaped a tempest,
Is straightway calm'd and boarded with a pirate:
But now is Cade driven back, his men dispersed;
And now is York in arms to second him.
I pray thee, Buckingham, go and meet him,
And ask him what's the reason of these arms.
Tell him I'll send Duke Edmund to the Tower;
And, Somerset, we'll commit thee thither,
Until his army be dismiss'd from him.
Somerset ♂
My lord,
I'll yield myself to prison willingly,
Or unto death, to do my country good.
I'll yield myself to prison willingly,
Or unto death, to do my country good.
King Henry Vi ♂
In any case, be not too rough in terms;
For he is fierce and cannot brook hard language.
For he is fierce and cannot brook hard language.
Buckingham ♂
I will, my lord; and doubt not so to deal
As all things shall redound unto your good.
As all things shall redound unto your good.
King Henry Vi ♂
Come, wife, let's in, and learn to govern better;
For yet may England curse my wretched reign.
For yet may England curse my wretched reign.
49 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| King Henry Vi | 31 | 63.3% |
| Messenger | 8 | 16.3% |
| Clifford | 3 | 6.1% |
| Buckingham | 3 | 6.1% |
| Somerset | 3 | 6.1% |
| All | 1 | 2.0% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 31 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 8 lines.
Total speakers on stage
6 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 4
This is Scene 9 of 10 in Act 4 of Henry VI, part 2.
Scene length vs. play average
At 49 lines, this scene is shorter than the Henry VI, part 2 average scene in Henry VI, part 2 (~130 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 4 Scene 8 · Next: Act 4 Scene 10