Henry VIII, Act 5 Scene 2 runs 41 lines of dialogue, spoken by 4 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 190 lines. This scene is part of Act 5 of Henry VIII.
Full Dialogue
Cranmer ♂
I hope I am not too late; and yet the gentleman,
That was sent to me from the council, pray'd me
To make great haste. All fast? what means this? Ho!
Who waits there? Sure, you know me?
That was sent to me from the council, pray'd me
To make great haste. All fast? what means this? Ho!
Who waits there? Sure, you know me?
Keeper ♂
Yes, my lord;
But yet I cannot help you.
But yet I cannot help you.
Cranmer ♂
Why?
Keeper ♂
Your grace must wait till you be call'd for.
Cranmer ♂
So.
Doctor Butts ♂
[Aside] This is a piece of malice. I am glad
I came this way so happily: the king
Shall understand it presently.
I came this way so happily: the king
Shall understand it presently.
Cranmer ♂
[Aside] 'Tis Butts,
The king's physician: as he pass'd along,
How earnestly he cast his eyes upon me!
Pray heaven, he sound not my disgrace! For certain,
This is of purpose laid by some that hate me–
God turn their hearts! I never sought their malice–
To quench mine honour: they would shame to make me
Wait else at door, a fellow-counsellor,
'Mong boys, grooms, and lackeys. But their pleasures
Must be fulfill'd, and I attend with patience.
The king's physician: as he pass'd along,
How earnestly he cast his eyes upon me!
Pray heaven, he sound not my disgrace! For certain,
This is of purpose laid by some that hate me–
God turn their hearts! I never sought their malice–
To quench mine honour: they would shame to make me
Wait else at door, a fellow-counsellor,
'Mong boys, grooms, and lackeys. But their pleasures
Must be fulfill'd, and I attend with patience.
Doctor Butts ♂
I'll show your grace the strangest sight–
King Henry Viii ♂
What's that, Butts?
Doctor Butts ♂
I think your highness saw this many a day.
King Henry Viii ♂
Body o' me, where is it?
Doctor Butts ♂
There, my lord:
The high promotion of his grace of Canterbury;
Who holds his state at door, 'mongst pursuivants,
Pages, and footboys.
The high promotion of his grace of Canterbury;
Who holds his state at door, 'mongst pursuivants,
Pages, and footboys.
King Henry Viii ♂
Ha! 'tis he, indeed:
Is this the honour they do one another?
'Tis well there's one above 'em yet. I had thought
They had parted so much honesty among 'em
At least, good manners, as not thus to suffer
A man of his place, and so near our favour,
To dance attendance on their lordships' pleasures,
And at the door too, like a post with packets.
By holy Mary, Butts, there's knavery:
Let 'em alone, and draw the curtain close:
We shall hear more anon.
Is this the honour they do one another?
'Tis well there's one above 'em yet. I had thought
They had parted so much honesty among 'em
At least, good manners, as not thus to suffer
A man of his place, and so near our favour,
To dance attendance on their lordships' pleasures,
And at the door too, like a post with packets.
By holy Mary, Butts, there's knavery:
Let 'em alone, and draw the curtain close:
We shall hear more anon.
41 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cranmer | 16 | 39.0% |
| King Henry Viii | 13 | 31.7% |
| Doctor Butts | 9 | 22.0% |
| Keeper | 3 | 7.3% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 16 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 10 lines.
Total speakers on stage
4 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 5
This is Scene 2 of 5 in Act 5 of Henry VIII.
Scene length vs. play average
At 41 lines, this scene is shorter than the Henry VIII average scene in Henry VIII (~190 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 5 Scene 1 · Next: Act 5 Scene 3