Henry IV, Part II

What’s happening, my Lord Chief Justice? Where are you going?

How’s the King doing?

Very well. All his worries are ended now.

Not dead, I hope.

He’s gone down nature’s path; for our purposes, he is no longer living.

I wish his majesty had brought me with him. The work I did for him while he was alive makes me very vulnerable, now that he’s dead.

Indeed, I think the young King has no love for you.

I know he doesn’t. I’m preparing myself to deal with whatever happens, which can’t be any worse than what I’ve imagined.

Here come the heavy-hearted children of dead Harry. If only the living Harry had the character of the worst of these three young men. Then a lot of noblemen would remain secure, instead of having to step aside to make room for lowlifes.

Oh God! I’m afraid everything will be turned upside-down.

Good morning, cousin Warwick, good morning.

Good morning, cousin.

We’re all like men who don’t remember how to speak.

We remember how, but what we have to say is so sad that we cannot speak.

Well, peace be with the man who has made us sad.

Peace be with us, or else we’ll be even sadder!

Oh, my good lord, you’ve lost a friend, indeed. I’m sure you’re not borrowing that sorrowful face; it’s certainly your own.

Even though no man can know what blessings will come his way, he must expect the worst. I am sorry; I wish it were otherwise.

Well, now you are only allowed to speak well of Sir John Falstaff, which goes against the nature of a man of your quality.

Sweet princes, what I did, I did honorably, impartially, and with a clear conscience. You won’t see me begging vilely for a pardon, which is sure to be withdrawn as soon as it is given. If truth and honest innocence don’t help me, then I’ll join my dead King and tell him who sent me.

Here comes the Prince.

Good morning, and God save your majesty!

This new and gorgeous robe of majesty doesn’t fit me as comfortably as you think. Brothers, your sadness is mixed with fear. This is the English court, not the Turkish one. I’m not Amurath, who had his brothers killed when he inherited his father King Amurath’s crown; I’m a Harry, following another Harry. But be sad, brothers, because truly, it suits you. You look so regal in your sorrow that I will solemnly put it on as well, and wear it in my heart. Be sad, but don’t let it be anything more than a burden we all share jointly. I want you to rest assured that as far as I’m concerned, I’ll be both your father and your brother now. Just trust me with your love, and you can trust me to care for you. Keep weeping for Harry, who is dead; I will, as well. But one Harry still lives, and he will convert those tears one by one into hours of happiness.

We hope that’s exactly what you’ll do.

You’re all looking at me strangely. (to the CHIEF JUSTICE) You, most of all. I think you’re certain that I don’t love you.

I’m certain that, if my actions are fairly considered, your majesty will find no just reason to hate me.

No? How can a great prince like me forget the terrible wrongs you did me? What were you thinking, to scold, punish, and violently imprison the heir to the English throne? Was this nothing? Should this be dipped in the river of forgetfulness and simply ignored?

I acted with the authority of your father, whose power was vested in me. And when it came to the law—which I was busy enforcing, for the good of the country—you chose to ignore my rank, and the majesty and power of law and justice which I bore as a representative of the King. You struck me in the head, the very location of my judgment. With that action, you committed a crime against your father’s own laws. So I did what my power demanded, and imprisoned you. If that was wrong, then—now that you wear the crown—I hope you’ll someday be satisfied with a son who mocks your laws, who scorns the judges who rule in your authority, who disrupts the course of law, and blunts the swords that guard your personal peace and safety. No, even worse than that: a son who disrespects your deputies, and the officers you appoint in your name. Question yourself, and imagine being in your father’s position. Be a father, and imagine a son. Listen to your own dignity being profaned. Watch as your most solemn laws are laughed at so lightly. Behold yourself being so disdained by a son. And then imagine that I take your side, and that in your name I gently silence your son. Soberly consider this, and then pronounce my sentence. As king, tell me what I have done that was so unseemly for my station, myself, or my king’s authority.

You’re right, Chief Justice, and you have considered this well. Therefore, keep your position as judge and enforcer. I hope that your honors increase, and that you live to see a son of mine offend and then obey you, as I have. I will live to speak my father’s words: “I am a happy man, to have a man brave enough to punish my own son; and I’m no less happy to have a son that would surrender his greatness, and put himself in the hands of the law.” You imprisoned me, and for that I charge you to continue in my service, with this reminder: you must always be as courageous, just, and impartial as you were with me. Shake my hand. You’ll be like a father to me, and I will say whatever it is you whisper in my ear. I will bow to you, and keep myself humble in the face of your wisdom and experience. And princes, believe me, please: my father lies wild in his grave, for he took my recklessness with him when he died. His sober spirit survives in me, and I will flout the world’s expectations. I will prove their prophecies false, and flush out the rotten opinions of those who judged me based on what I once seemed to be. My behavior, the tide of my blood, used to flow proudly and vainly. But now, it ebbs and turns back toward the sea, where it will mingle with the ocean’s majesty and flow back through my body with formal dignity. Now I will assemble my parliament, and choose such noble officers and advisors that our great country will be able to march alongside the best governed nations. We’ll become acquainted and familiar

with the states of war, peace, or both at once; in this, Chief Justice, my new father, you will be my closest advisor. Once my coronation has been completed, I will, as I said before, summon all the nobility. And if God endorses my good intentions, no prince or lord will have reason to say that he wishes God would shorten my happy life by even a single day.