This is the deadly spite that angers me; My wife can speak no English, I no Welsh.
This is the hateful thing that makes me angry; My wife can't speak any English, and I can't speak Welsh.
Earl of Worcester · Act 3, Scene 1
Mortimer's frustration at the language barrier with his Welsh wife opens a moment of tenderness that contrasts sharply with the rebellion's masculine violence. This line matters because it reminds us that the play contains love stories and cross-cultural unions that the larger war will destroy. It shows that the rebellion costs not just lives but the possibility of connection.
It pleased your majesty to turn your looks Of favour from myself and all our house; And yet I must remember you, my lord, We were the first and dearest of your friends. For you my staff of office did I break In Richard’s time; and posted day and night to meet you on the way, and kiss your hand, When yet you were in place and in account Nothing so strong and fortunate as I. It was myself, my brother and his son, That brought you home and boldly did outdare The dangers of the time. You swore to us, And you did swear that oath at Doncaster, That you did nothing purpose ’gainst the state; Nor claim no further than your new-fall’n right, The seat of Gaunt, dukedom of Lancaster: To this we swore our aid. But in short space It rain’d down fortune showering on your head; And such a flood of greatness fell on you, What with our help, what with the absent king, What with the injuries of a wanton time, The seeming sufferances that you had borne, And the contrarious winds that held the king So long in his unlucky Irish wars That all in England did repute him dead: And from this swarm of fair advantages You took occasion to be quickly woo’d To gripe the general sway into your hand; Forget your oath to us at Doncaster; And being fed by us you used us so As that ungentle hull, the cuckoo’s bird, Useth the sparrow; did oppress our nest; Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk That even our love durst not come near your sight For fear of swallowing; but with nimble wing We were enforced, for safety sake, to fly Out of sight and raise this present head; Whereby we stand opposed by such means As you yourself have forged against yourself By unkind usage, dangerous countenance, And violation of all faith and troth Sworn to us in your younger enterprise.
Your majesty chose to turn your favor Away from me and my family; Yet I must remind you, my lord, We were the first and most loyal of your friends. It was I who broke my staff of office In Richard’s reign; and traveled day and night To meet you, kiss your hand, When you were nothing but a poor count. It was my brother and his son Who helped bring you home, and we boldly Faced the dangers of the time. You swore to us, And you swore that oath at Doncaster, That you had no plans against the kingdom; That your claim was only to your new inheritance, The dukedom of Lancaster: To this we promised our help. But soon after, Fortune showered down on you; And with our support, with the absent king, With the mistakes of the times, And the bad luck that kept the king Stuck in his Irish wars Which made people think him dead: From all these advantages You saw your chance and grabbed power, Forgetting your oath at Doncaster, And using us as tools As a cuckoo bird uses a sparrow, Taking over our home; Growing so powerful that even our love for you Couldn’t reach you, for fear of being swallowed up; So we were forced to flee for safety And raise this rebellion; All because of the way you’ve treated us, Breaking all your promises from earlier times.
Earl of Worcester · Act 5, Scene 1
Worcester lays out the entire history of the king's ingratitude, reminding Henry how the rebels made him what he is, only to be cast aside when his power was secure. The speech endures because it is not a plea but an indictment—Worcester catalogs not emotions but facts, making clear that this rebellion was born from betrayal. Worcester shows that when a king forgets his debts, those who raised him have no choice but to become his enemies.
