Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Scene 2 Enter the Queen, Bushy, and Bagot. BUSHY
Madam, your Majesty is too much sad.
You promised, when you parted with the King,
To lay aside life-harming heaviness
And entertain a cheerful disposition. QUEEN
To please the King I did; to please myself 5
I cannot do it. Yet I know no cause
Why I should welcome such a guest as grief,
Save bidding farewell to so sweet a guest
As my sweet Richard. Yet again methinks
Some unborn sorrow ripe in Fortune’s womb 10
Is coming towards me, and my inward soul
With nothing trembles. At some thing it grieves
More than with parting from my lord the King. | At Windsor castle, Bushy tries to cheer up Queen Isabella, who seems sad and preoccupied now that her husband has run off to fight a war in Ireland. Isabella says she's worried that something terrible is about to happen, even though she can't quite put her finger on what it is that's bothering her. Brain Snack: In the play, Shakespeare makes Queen Isabella a grown-up, but historically she was only 7 years old when she married Richard and 10 when Henry Bolingbroke invaded. |
BUSHY
Each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows
Which shows like grief itself but is not so; 15
For sorrow’s eyes, glazed with blinding tears,
Divides one thing entire to many objects,
Like perspectives, which rightly gazed upon
Show nothing but confusion, eyed awry
Distinguish form. So your sweet Majesty, 20
Looking awry upon your lord’s departure,
Find shapes of grief more than himself to wail,
Which, looked on as it is, is naught but shadows
Of what it is not. Then, thrice-gracious queen,
More than your lord’s departure weep not. More is 25
not seen,
Or if it be, ’tis with false sorrow’s eye,
Which for things true weeps things imaginary. QUEEN
It may be so, but yet my inward soul
Persuades me it is otherwise. Howe’er it be, 30
I cannot but be sad—so heavy sad
As thought, on thinking on no thought I think,
Makes me with heavy nothing faint and shrink. BUSHY
’Tis nothing but conceit, my gracious lady. QUEEN
’Tis nothing less. Conceit is still derived 35
From some forefather grief. Mine is not so,
For nothing hath begot my something grief—
Or something hath the nothing that I grieve.
’Tis in reversion that I do possess,
But what it is that is not yet known what, 40
I cannot name. ’Tis nameless woe, I wot. | Bushy tells Isabella to chill out – she's just imagining things. But Isabella insists that her woman's intuition is correct and that something awful is about to go down. |
Enter Green. GREEN
God save your Majesty!—And well met, gentlemen.
I hope the King is not yet shipped for Ireland. QUEEN
Why hopest thou so? ’Tis better hope he is,
For his designs crave haste, his haste good hope. 45
Then wherefore dost thou hope he is not shipped? GREEN
That he, our hope, might have retired his power
And driven into despair an enemy’s hope,
Who strongly hath set footing in this land.
The banished Bolingbroke repeals himself 50
And with uplifted arms is safe arrived
At Ravenspurgh. QUEEN Now God in heaven forbid! GREEN
Ah, madam, ’tis too true. And that is worse,
The Lord Northumberland, his son young Harry 55
Percy,
The Lords of Ross, Beaumont, and Willoughby,
With all their powerful friends, are fled to him. BUSHY
Why have you not proclaimed Northumberland
And all the rest revolted faction traitors? 60 GREEN
We have; whereupon the Earl of Worcester
Hath broken his staff, resigned his stewardship,
And all the Household servants fled with him
To Bolingbroke. QUEEN
So, Green, thou art the midwife to my woe, 65
And Bolingbroke my sorrow’s dismal heir.
Now hath my soul brought forth her prodigy,
And I, a gasping new-delivered mother,
Have woe to woe, sorrow to sorrow joined. BUSHY
Despair not, madam. 70 QUEEN Who shall hinder me?
I will despair and be at enmity
With cozening hope. He is a flatterer,
A parasite, a keeper-back of death,
Who gently would dissolve the bands of life 75
Which false hope lingers in extremity. | Then Green shows up and announces that... something awful has just gone down. Henry Bolingbroke has landed with a huge army at Ravenspurgh (a.k.a. Ravenspur), on the northeastern coast of England. Not only that, but a bunch of the English nobility have joined up with Bolingbroke against the king – including Northumberland, his son Henry Percy, Worcester, Ross, Beaumont, and Willoughby. |
Enter York. GREEN Here comes the Duke of York. QUEEN
With signs of war about his agèd neck.
O, full of careful business are his looks!—
Uncle, for God’s sake speak comfortable words. 80 YORK
Should I do so, I should belie my thoughts.
Comfort’s in heaven, and we are on the Earth,
Where nothing lives but crosses, cares, and grief.
Your husband, he is gone to save far off
Whilst others come to make him lose at home. 85
Here am I left to underprop his land,
Who, weak with age, cannot support myself.
Now comes the sick hour that his surfeit made;
Now shall he try his friends that flattered him. | York shows up dressed in battle gear and looking all serious and stressed out. Queen Isabella asks York for comfort. He says something like, "Sorry sweetie – I'm an old man and can barely comfort myself. Plus, I'm pretty busy trying to defend the kingdom while your husband's off fighting some silly war on Ireland." |
Enter a Servingman. SERVINGMAN
My lord, your son was gone before I came. 90 YORK
He was? Why, so go all which way it will.
The nobles they are fled; the commons they are
cold
And will, I fear, revolt on Hereford’s side.
Sirrah, get thee to Plashy, to my sister Gloucester; 95
Bid her send me presently a thousand pound.
Hold, take my ring. SERVINGMAN
My lord, I had forgot to tell your Lordship:
Today as I came by I callèd there—
But I shall grieve you to report the rest. 100 YORK What is ’t, knave? SERVINGMAN
An hour before I came, the Duchess died. | A Servingman shows up and announces that York's son Aumerle has run off, probably to hook up with Bolingbroke's army. (Remember Aumerle? He's the one who said he was glad Bolingbroke got booted out of England back in Act 1, Scene 4.) York orders the Servingman to go ask his sister-in-law (the Duchess of Gloucester) if he can borrow some cash so he can put together an army and confront Henry Bolingbroke. York's timing couldn't be worse. The Servingman tells him the Duchess won't be lending out money any time soon – she died about an hour ago. |
YORK
God for His mercy, what a tide of woes
Comes rushing on this woeful land at once!
I know not what to do. I would to God, 105
So my untruth had not provoked him to it,
The King had cut off my head with my brother’s!
What, are there no posts dispatched for Ireland?
How shall we do for money for these wars?—
Come, sister—cousin I would say, pray pardon 110
me.—
Go, fellow, get thee home. Provide some carts
And bring away the armor that is there. Servingman exits. Gentlemen, will you go muster men?
If I know how or which way to order these affairs 115
Thus disorderly thrust into my hands,
Never believe me. Both are my kinsmen.
T’ one is my sovereign, whom both my oath
And duty bids defend; t’ other again
Is my kinsman, whom the King hath wronged, 120
Whom conscience and my kindred bids to right.
Well, somewhat we must do. To Queen. Come,
cousin,
I’ll dispose of you.—Gentlemen, go muster up your
men 125
And meet me presently at Berkeley.
I should to Plashy too,
But time will not permit. All is uneven,
And everything is left at six and seven. Duke of York and Queen exit.
Bushy, Green, and Bagot remain. | York is shocked. He says he wishes he had been beheaded along with his brother Gloucester. York wonders how to pay for the wars and asks his men to go rustle up some soldiers to help defend the kingdom against Bolingbroke. Then he worries about who he should be loyal to. On the one hand, Richard is his king, but both Richard and Bolingbroke are his family, and Richard was wrong to steal Bolingbroke's inheritance. Everyone leaves except Bushy, Green, and Bagot. |
BUSHY
The wind sits fair for news to go for Ireland, 130
But none returns. For us to levy power
Proportionable to the enemy
Is all unpossible. GREEN
Besides, our nearness to the King in love
Is near the hate of those love not the King. 135 BAGOT
And that is the wavering commons, for their love
Lies in their purses, and whoso empties them
By so much fills their hearts with deadly hate. BUSHY
Wherein the King stands generally condemned. BAGOT
If judgment lie in them, then so do we, 140
Because we ever have been near the King. GREEN
Well, I will for refuge straight to Bristow Castle.
The Earl of Wiltshire is already there. BUSHY
Thither will I with you, for little office
Will the hateful commons perform for us, 145
Except like curs to tear us all to pieces.—
Will you go along with us? | Bushy and Green know that Richard is going down. They don't want to be
anywhere near him when it happens, since Bolingbroke will likely come
after them too. So they decide to hightail it to Bristol Castle to hide.
|
BAGOT
No, I will to Ireland to his Majesty.
Farewell. If heart’s presages be not vain,
We three here part that ne’er shall meet again. 150 BUSHY
That’s as York thrives to beat back Bolingbroke. GREEN
Alas, poor duke, the task he undertakes
Is numb’ring sands and drinking oceans dry.
Where one on his side fights, thousands will fly.
Farewell at once, for once, for all, and ever. 155 BUSHY
Well, we may meet again. BAGOT I fear me, never.
They exit. | Bagot says he'll go to the king in Ireland. |