List iconHenry VI, Part 3:
Act 5, scene 5List icon

Henry VI, Part 3
Act 5, scene 5

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Entire Play

The English crown changes hands often in Henry VI, Part 3. At first, Richard, Duke of York, is allied with Warwick….

Act 1, scene 1

Richard, Duke of York, aided by the Earl of Warwick, occupies King Henry VI’s throne. Faced with Warwick’s soldiers, Henry…

Act 1, scene 2

York is persuaded by his sons Edward and Richard to break his oath to Henry and fight for the crown….

Act 1, scene 3

Rutland, youngest son of York, is killed by Lord Clifford as revenge against York, who killed Clifford’s father.

Act 1, scene 4

At the battle of Wakefield, York is captured by the victorious Queen Margaret, Prince Edward, Lord Clifford, and the Earl…

Act 2, scene 1

Edward and Richard receive the news of their father’s death. Warwick then brings news of the Yorkist defeat at St….

Act 2, scene 2

Warwick and the Yorkists confront King Henry, Margaret, the newly knighted Prince Edward, and the other Lancastrians. Both the Lancastrian…

Act 2, scene 3

Warwick retires from the battle and meets Edward, Richard, and George. They all fear defeat, but take their farewells and…

Act 2, scene 4

Richard and Clifford fight. When Warwick enters, Clifford flees. Richard prepares to search for Clifford in order to fight to…

Act 2, scene 5

As the battle of Towton proceeds, King Henry contemplates his unhappy life as king and then observes as a young…

Act 2, scene 6

Lord Clifford enters wounded to the death. Warwick, Edward, Richard, and George find Clifford’s body and taunt him. They prepare…

Act 3, scene 1

King Henry is captured by two gamekeepers, who now owe allegiance to King Edward.

Act 3, scene 2

King Edward, while hearing Lady Grey’s petition for her dead husband’s land, decides he wants her for his mistress; she…

Act 3, scene 3

As Queen Margaret persuades the French king Lewis to support her and Prince Edward, Warwick arrives with the offer of…

Act 4, scene 1

King Edward learns of Warwick’s defection and orders that troops be levied in preparation for war. Clarence decides to join…

Act 4, scene 2

Warwick and Clarence prepare to surprise King Edward, who awaits the French troops in a lightly guarded camp.

Act 4, scene 3

Warwick, Clarence, and their troops capture King Edward, remove his crown, and send him captive to the Archbishop of York….

Act 4, scene 4

King Edward’s wife, Queen Elizabeth, hearing of Edward’s capture, fears for her life and that of her unborn child. She…

Act 4, scene 5

Richard rescues King Edward from his captivity. They prepare to sail to Flanders.

Act 4, scene 6

Warwick rescues King Henry from imprisonment in the Tower of London. Henry turns over the government to Warwick and Clarence.

Act 4, scene 7

Edward, having returned from Flanders with a supporting army, enters the city of York, claiming that he wants only his…

Act 4, scene 8

King Henry, left at the Bishop’s Palace in London while Warwick and other Lancastrian leaders search for additional troops, is…

Act 5, scene 1

At Coventry, Warwick awaits the arrival of Clarence. Other forces arrive in Warwick’s support. King Edward then arrives, and is…

Act 5, scene 2

At the battle of Barnet, King Edward brings in a wounded Warwick and leaves him to his death. Lancastrian lords…

Act 5, scene 3

King Edward, Richard, and Clarence are triumphant after the battle of Barnet, but they know they must now meet Queen…

Act 5, scene 4

Queen Margaret rallies her forces despite Henry’s capture and Warwick’s death. King Edward and his forces enter. The battle of…

Act 5, scene 5

Queen Margaret and other Lancastrian leaders are brought in as captives. King Edward sends out orders to find Prince Edward….

Act 5, scene 6

Richard kills King Henry in the Tower, and then begins to plot his own way to the crown, now that…

Act 5, scene 7

King Edward celebrates the Yorkist triumph by having Richard and Clarence kiss his infant son. Richard, while outwardly loving the…
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⌜Scene 5⌝
Flourish. Enter ⌜King⌝ Edward, Richard, ⌜and⌝
Clarence, ⌜all wearing the white rose, with Soldiers
guarding⌝ Queen ⌜Margaret,⌝ Oxford, ⌜and⌝ Somerset,
⌜all wearing the red rose, prisoners.⌝

KING EDWARD 
 Now here a period of tumultuous broils.
 Away with Oxford to Hames Castle straight.
 For Somerset, off with his guilty head.
 Go bear them hence. I will not hear them speak.
237
Henry VI, Part 3
ACT 5. SC. 5

OXFORD 
5 For my part, I’ll not trouble thee with words.
SOMERSET 
 Nor I, but stoop with patience to my fortune.
QUEEN MARGARET 
 So part we sadly in this troublous world
 To meet with joy in sweet Jerusalem.
⌜Oxford and Somerset⌝ exit, ⌜under guard.⌝
KING EDWARD 
 Is proclamation made that who finds Edward
10 Shall have a high reward, and he his life?
RICHARD 
 It is, and lo where youthful Edward comes.

Enter Prince ⌜Edward, wearing the red rose,
under guard.⌝

KING EDWARD 
 Bring forth the gallant; let us hear him speak.
 What, can so young a thorn begin to prick?—
 Edward, what satisfaction canst thou make
15 For bearing arms, for stirring up my subjects,
 And all the trouble thou hast turned me to?
PRINCE EDWARD 
 Speak like a subject, proud ambitious York.
 Suppose that I am now my father’s mouth:
 Resign thy chair, and where I stand, kneel thou,
20 Whilst I propose the selfsame words to thee
 Which, traitor, thou wouldst have me answer to.
QUEEN MARGARET 
 Ah, that thy father had been so resolved!
RICHARD 
 That you might still have worn the petticoat
 And ne’er have stol’n the breech from Lancaster.
PRINCE EDWARD 
25 Let Aesop fable in a winter’s night;
 His currish riddles sorts not with this place.
239
Henry VI, Part 3
ACT 5. SC. 5

RICHARD 
 By heaven, brat, I’ll plague you for that word.
QUEEN MARGARET 
 Ay, thou wast born to be a plague to men.
RICHARD 
 For God’s sake, take away this captive scold.
PRINCE EDWARD 
30 Nay, take away this scolding crookback, rather.
KING EDWARD 
 Peace, willful boy, or I will charm your tongue.
CLARENCE, ⌜to Prince Edward⌝ 
 Untutored lad, thou art too malapert.
PRINCE EDWARD 
 I know my duty. You are all undutiful.
 Lascivious Edward, and thou perjured George,
35 And thou misshapen Dick, I tell you all
 I am your better, traitors as you are,
 And thou usurp’st my father’s right and mine.
KING EDWARD 
 Take that, the likeness of this railer here!Stabs him.
RICHARD 
 Sprawl’st thou? Take that to end thy agony!
Richard stabs him.
CLARENCE 
40 And there’s for twitting me with perjury.
Clarence stabs him.
QUEEN MARGARET O, kill me too!
RICHARD Marry, and shall.Offers to kill her.
KING EDWARD 
 Hold, Richard, hold, for we have done too much.
RICHARD 
 Why should she live to fill the world with words?
⌜Queen Margaret faints.⌝
KING EDWARD 
45 What, doth she swoon? Use means for her recovery.
⌜They attempt to revive her.⌝
241
Henry VI, Part 3
ACT 5. SC. 5

RICHARD, ⌜taking Clarence aside⌝ 
 Clarence, excuse me to the King my brother.
 I’ll hence to London on a serious matter.
 Ere you come there, be sure to hear some news.
CLARENCE What? What?
RICHARD 50⌜The⌝ Tower, the Tower!He exits.
QUEEN MARGARET, ⌜rising from her swoon⌝ 
 O Ned, sweet Ned, speak to thy mother, boy.
 Canst thou not speak? O traitors, murderers!
 They that stabbed Caesar shed no blood at all,
 Did not offend, nor were not worthy blame,
55 If this foul deed were by to equal it.
 He was a man; this, in respect, a child,
 And men ne’er spend their fury on a child.
 What’s worse than murderer, that I may name it?
 No, no, my heart will burst an if I speak,
60 And I will speak, that so my heart may burst.
 Butchers and villains, bloody cannibals,
 How sweet a plant have you untimely cropped!
 You have no children, butchers. If you had,
 The thought of them would have stirred up remorse.
65 But if you ever chance to have a child,
 Look in his youth to have him so cut off
 As, deathsmen, you have rid this sweet young prince.
KING EDWARD 
 Away with her. Go bear her hence perforce.
QUEEN MARGARET 
 Nay, never bear me hence! Dispatch me here.
70 Here sheathe thy sword; I’ll pardon thee my death.
 What, wilt thou not?—Then, Clarence, do it thou.
CLARENCE 
 By heaven, I will not do thee so much ease.
QUEEN MARGARET 
 Good Clarence, do! Sweet Clarence, do thou do it.
CLARENCE 
 Didst thou not hear me swear I would not do it?
243
Henry VI, Part 3
ACT 5. SC. 6

QUEEN MARGARET 
75 Ay, but thou usest to forswear thyself.
 ’Twas sin before, but now ’tis charity.
 What, wilt thou not? Where is that devil’s butcher,
 Richard,
 Hard-favored Richard? Richard, where art thou?
80 Thou art not here. Murder is thy alms-deed;
 Petitioners for blood thou ne’er putt’st back.
KING EDWARD 
 Away, I say! ⌜(To Soldiers.)⌝ I charge you bear her
 hence.
QUEEN MARGARET 
 So come to you and yours as to this prince!
Queen ⌜Margaret⌝ exits ⌜under guard.
Soldiers carry off Prince Edward’s body.⌝
KING EDWARD 85Where’s Richard gone?
CLARENCE 
 To London all in post, and, as I guess,
 To make a bloody supper in the Tower.
KING EDWARD 
 He’s sudden if a thing comes in his head.
 Now march we hence. Discharge the common sort
90 With pay and thanks, and let’s away to London
 And see our gentle queen how well she fares.
 By this I hope she hath a son for me.
⌜They⌝ exit.


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