in The Reign of King Edward the Third — Anonymous; Shakespeare, William (?)
Metadata
Play
The Reign of King Edward the Third
Author
Anonymous; Shakespeare, William (?)
Year (catalogued)
1596
First performance
1590
Decade
1590s
Genre
History
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Derby's (Strange's) Men (?)
Speech prefix(es)
Vil. | Vil:
Words
347
Characters
1807
Typicality
0.41 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A21144
BritDrama no.
952
Cluster
Cluster 14 — Law & judgment
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
I will my Lord, but I must speak with him. I hope your highness will not so disgrace me, and dash the virtue of my seal at arms, He hath my never broken name to show, Carectred with this princely hand of mine, and rather let me leave to be a prince, Than break the stable verdict of a prince, I do beseech you let him pass in quiet, To that condition I agree my Lord, And will unfeignedly perform the same. Not for his sake my gracious Lord so much, Am I become and earnest advocate, As that thereby my ransom will be quit, No good my Lord except the same be joust, For profit must with honour be commixed, Or else our actions are but scandalous: But letting pass these intricate objections, Wilt please your highness to subscribe or no? Why then I know the extremity my Loid, I must return to prison whence I came, Changed Return, I hope thou wilt not, What bird that hath escaped the fowlers gin, Will not beware how she's insnard again: Or what is he so senseless and secure, That having hardly passed a dangerous gulf, Will put him self in peril there again. Ah but it is mine oath my gracious Lord, Which I in conscience may not violate, Or else a kingdom should not draw me hence. In all things that uprightly he commands: But either to persuade or threaten me, Not to perform the covenant of my word, Is lawless, and I needs not to obey. To kill my Lord when war is once proclaimed, So that our quarrel be for wrongs receaude, No doubt is lawfully permitted us: But in and oath we must be well advised, How we do swear, and when we once have sworn, Not to infringe it though we die therefore: Therefore my Lord, as willing I return, As if I were to fly to paradise. I humbly thank your grace, I must dispatch, And send this passport first unto the Earl, And then I will attend your highness pleasure.
Plot summary
Plot — The Reign of King Edward the Third
KingledwWardlll of England hears of his claim to the French throne by his mother’s right, and plans an invasion. The French have induced the Scots to invade England, and they have laid siege to the Countess of 1593 Salisbury’s castle. King Edward goes north to deal with them, and they flee at his approach, but the Countess persuades him to stay rather than pursue them. He falls in love with her, but neither his wooing nor her father’s unwilling advocacy can overcome her fidelity to her husband. She breaks his obsession by first demanding the deaths of his queen and her husband, then threatening to stab herself. With his troops mustered, Edward sets off for France. The French gather their allies about them, but their navy fails to prevent the English from landing. Edward’s army lays waste the country, and the inhabitants flee. PRGSIBAWArd is formally armed, and his father refuses to commit troops to help him out of danger at the battle of Crécy; the honour of his victory is thereby the greater. MHeEArNonSalisbiity releases his prisoner Willli@rs to seek safe conduct for him to Calais, on condition that he returns a prisoner if unsuccessful. His insistence on keeping his oath to return persuades the reluctant Dalipiin to issue a passport. Emboldened by an ambiguous prophecy, the French give battle to Prince Edward. Salisbury is captured, but produces his passport; Kimggohih is reluctantly compelled to honour it. The terms of the prophecy are fulfilled: the French army is frightened by ravens and, out of ammunition, the Prince’s army fights with the stones of the earth. The French are routed and King John taken prisoner. King Edward besieges Calais: after expelling its poor men to save food, the town surrenders; but Edward’s terms are that six leading burgesses must give themselves up within two days to suffer what fate he pleases. He is about to attack when they do so; and QHeeHEPHTippa persuades Edward to spare their lives. THEIKINGOHSESts is taken prisoner, and his captor brings him to France to surrender him to King Edward in person. Prince Edward also brings his father the gift of a captive king; King John is taken prisoner to England.