How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #4
YORK
O, tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide,
How couldst thou drain the life-blood of the child
To bid the father wipe his eyes withal,
And yet be seen to bear a woman's face?
Women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible;
Thou stern, obdurate, flinty, rough, remorseless. (1.4.140-145)
York sums it up quite nicely here. He outlines what a woman should be: weak and mild. Margaret is totally the opposite of those things. Okay, okay, so he's a little biased because her men just killed his son, but his characterization of her clearly shows how women were supposed to behave in this time. Why does it matter that the king's and queen's gender roles seem to be reversed? What does this say about the legitimacy of the crown?
Quote #5
EDWARD
No, wrangling woman, we'll no longer stay.
These words will cost ten thousand lives this day. (2.2.180-181)
After heated words and intense insults, Edward tells Margaret she's an argumentative woman. He's got a point: she argues with the men about who should be king more than Henry does, and it's his crown they're after. We know that for Shakespeare, language is power, so it makes sense that the men in this play don't want women to be able to argue with them.
Quote #6
KING HENRY
By this account, then, Margaret may win him,
For she's a woman to be pitied much.
Her sighs will make a battery in his breast,
Her tears will pierce into a marble heart.
The tiger will be mild whiles she doth mourn. (3.1.35-39)
Henry is confident in his wife's abilities; he's sure she'll win over France. He knows she's good with convincing people to do things (hey, he's totally been there once or twice before). It's interesting that he doesn't seem annoyed or embarrassed by her strength. In fact, he's almost bragging about it here.