Now, brother Richard, Lord Hastings, and the rest,
Yet thus far Fortune maketh us amends,
And says that once more I shall interchange
My waned state for Henry’s regal crown.
Well have we passed and now repassed the seas,
And brought desired help from Burgundy.
What then remains, we being thus arrived
From Ravenspurgh haven before the gates of York,
But that we enter as into our dukedom?
Now, brother Richard, Lord Hastings, and the rest, Yet thus far Fortune maketh us amends, And says that once more I shall interchange My waned state for Henry’s regal crown. Well have we passed and now repassed the seas, And brought desired help from Burgundy. What then remains, we being thus arrived From Ravenspurgh haven before the gates of York, But that we enter as into our dukedom?
Now, brother Richard, Lord Hastings, and the rest, Yet thus far Fortune maketh us amends, And says that once more I shall interchange My waned state for Henry’s regal crown. Well have we passed and now repassed the seas, And brought desired help from Burgundy. What then remains, we being thus arrived From Ravenspurgh haven before the gates of York, But that we enter as into our dukedom?
war blood death everything is chaos
The gates made fast! Brother, I like not this;
For many men that stumble at the threshold
Are well foretold that danger lurks within.
The gates made fast! Brother, I like not this; For many men that stumble at the threshold Are well foretold that danger lurks within.
The gates made fast! Brother, I like not this; For many men that stumble at the threshold Are well foretold that danger lurks within.
yeah brutal
Tush, man, abodements must not now affright us.
By fair or foul means we must enter in,
For hither will our friends repair to us.
Tush, man, abodements must not now affright us. By fair or foul means we must enter in, For hither will our friends repair to us.
Tush, man, abodements must not now affright us. By fair or foul means we must enter in, For hither will our friends repair to us.
yeah brutal
My liege, I’ll knock once more to summon them.
My liege, I’ll knock once more to summon them.
My liege, I’ll knock once more to summon them.
hm
The Mayor speaks in the cautious, procedurally-minded register of a local official caught between great powers — a man whose instinct is always to find the path of least liability.
My lords, we were forewarned of your coming
And shut the gates for safety of ourselves,
For now we owe allegiance unto Henry.
My lords, we were forewarned of your coming And shut the gates for safety of ourselves, For now we owe allegiance unto Henry.
My lords, we were forewarned of your coming And shut the gates for safety of ourselves, For now we owe allegiance unto Henry.
yeah brutal
But, master Mayor, if Henry be your king,
Yet Edward, at the least, is Duke of York.
But, master Mayor, if Henry be your king, Yet Edward, at the least, is Duke of York.
But, master Mayor, if Henry be your king, Yet Edward, at the least, is Duke of York.
hm
True, my good lord, I know you for no less.
True, my good lord, I know you for no less.
True, my good lord, I know you for no less.
hm
Why, and I challenge nothing but my dukedom,
As being well content with that alone.
Why, and I challenge nothing but my dukedom, As being well content with that alone.
Why, and I challenge nothing but my dukedom, As being well content with that alone.
hm
He’ll soon find means to make the body follow.
He’ll soon find means to make the body follow.
He’ll soon find means to make the body follow.
hm
Why, master Mayor, why stand you in a doubt?
Open the gates; we are King Henry’s friends.
Why, master Mayor, why stand you in a doubt? Open the gates; we are King Henry’s friends.
Why, master Mayor, why stand you in a doubt? Open the gates; we are King Henry’s friends.
hm
Ay, say you so? The gates shall then be opened.
Ay, say you so? The gates shall then be opened.
Ay, say you so? The gates shall then be opened.
hm
Edward lands at Ravenspurgh — the same landing point used by Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV) when he returned from exile to depose Richard II. Shakespeare flags this via Hastings's naming of the port. It's not subtle: Edward is doing exactly what Henry IV did, and the audience watching in the 1590s would have recognized the echo. The Wars of the Roses, Shakespeare keeps suggesting, are a consequence of Henry IV's original usurpation — the stolen crown always comes due again. Edward's return is both a restoration and a repetition of the original sin, and the play knows it.
A wise, stout captain, and soon persuaded.
A wise, stout captain, and soon persuaded.
A wise, stout captain, and soon persuaded.
hm
The good old man would fain that all were well,
So ’twere not long of him; but, being entered,
I doubt not, I, but we shall soon persuade
Both him and all his brothers unto reason.
The good old man would fain that all were well, So ’twere not long of him; but, being entered, I doubt not, I, but we shall soon persuade Both him and all his brothers unto reason.
The good old man would fain that all were well, So ’twere not long of him; but, being entered, I doubt not, I, but we shall soon persuade Both him and all his brothers unto reason.
yeah brutal
So, master Mayor, these gates must not be shut
But in the night or in the time of war.
What, fear not, man, but yield me up the keys;
So, master Mayor, these gates must not be shut But in the night or in the time of war. What, fear not, man, but yield me up the keys;
So, master Mayor, these gates must not be shut But in the night or in the time of war. What, fear not, man, but yield me up the keys;
yeah brutal
Brother, this is Sir John Montgomery,
Our trusty friend unless I be deceived.
Brother, this is Sir John Montgomery, Our trusty friend unless I be deceived.
Brother, this is Sir John Montgomery, Our trusty friend unless I be deceived.
hm
Welcome, Sir John! But why come you in arms?
Welcome, Sir John! But why come you in arms?
Welcome, Sir John! But why come you in arms?
hm
Montgomery speaks in impatient, unambiguous ultimatums — he has no time for diplomatic hedging and no patience for men who won't own what they want. Watch for how his bluntness actually pushes Edward into bolder choices.
To help King Edward in his time of storm,
As every loyal subject ought to do.
To help King Edward in his time of storm, As every loyal subject ought to do.
To help King Edward in his time of storm, As every loyal subject ought to do.
hm
Thanks, good Montgomery; but we now forget
Our title to the crown, and only claim
Our dukedom till God please to send the rest.
Thanks, good Montgomery; but we now forget Our title to the crown, and only claim Our dukedom till God please to send the rest.
Thanks, good Montgomery; but we now forget Our title to the crown, and only claim Our dukedom till God please to send the rest.
yeah brutal
Then fare you well, for I will hence again.
I came to serve a king, and not a duke.
Then fare you well, for I will hence again. I came to serve a king, and not a duke.
Then fare you well, for I will hence again. I came to serve a king, and not a duke.
hm
Nay, stay, Sir John, a while, and we’ll debate
By what safe means the crown may be recovered.
no, stay, Sir John, a while, and we’ll debate By what safe means the crown may be recovered.
no, stay, Sir John, a while, and we’ll debate By what safe means the crown may be recovered.
hm
Montgomery's entrance and exit logic is beautifully pragmatic: he came to fight for a king. Not a duke, not a claimant, not a pretender — a king. If Edward won't use the word, Montgomery won't use his soldiers. This is the feudal loyalty economy in miniature: loyalty is conditional on the sovereign fully claiming sovereignty. Half-measures produce half-allies. Richard and Hastings understand this intuitively; Edward's instinct toward caution is a flaw in a world where ambiguity costs you everything. Montgomery's forceful simplicity — 'Why shall we fight if you pretend no title?' — is the correct strategic analysis. Edward is only pushed into the right choice by being cornered.
What talk you of debating? In few words,
If you’ll not here proclaim yourself our king,
I’ll leave you to your fortune and be gone
To keep them back that come to succour you.
Why shall we fight if you pretend no title?
What talk you of debating? In few words, If you’ll not here proclaim yourself our king, I’ll leave you to your fortune and be gone To keep them back that come to succour you. Why shall we fight if you pretend no title?
What talk you of debating? In few words, If you’ll not here proclaim yourself our king, I’ll leave you to your fortune and be gone To keep them back that come to succour you. Why shall we fight if you pretend no title?
war blood death everything is chaos
Why, brother, wherefore stand you on nice points?
Why, brother, wherefore stand you on nice points?
Why, brother, wherefore stand you on nice points?
hm
When we grow stronger, then we’ll make our claim.
Till then ’tis wisdom to conceal our meaning.
When we grow stronger, then we’ll make our claim. Till then ’tis wisdom to conceal our meaning.
When we grow stronger, then we’ll make our claim. Till then ’tis wisdom to conceal our meaning.
hm
Away with scrupulous wit! Now arms must rule.
Away with scrupulous wit! Now arms must rule.
Away with scrupulous wit! Now arms must rule.
hm
And fearless minds climb soonest unto crowns.
Brother, we will proclaim you out of hand;
The bruit thereof will bring you many friends.
And fearless minds climb soonest unto crowns. Brother, we will proclaim you out of hand; The bruit thereof will bring you many friends.
And fearless minds climb soonest unto crowns. Brother, we will proclaim you out of hand; The bruit thereof will bring you many friends.
yeah brutal
Then be it as you will; for ’tis my right,
And Henry but usurps the diadem.
Then be it as you will; for ’tis my right, And Henry but usurps the crown.
Then be it as you will; for ’tis my right, And Henry but usurps the crown.
hm
Ay, now my sovereign speaketh like himself,
And now will I be Edward’s champion.
Ay, now my sovereign speaketh like himself, And now will I be Edward’s champion.
Ay, now my sovereign speaketh like himself, And now will I be Edward’s champion.
hm
Come, fellow soldier, make thou proclamation.
Come, fellow soldier, make you proclamation.
Come, fellow soldier, make you proclamation.
hm
France, and Lord of Ireland, etc._
France, and Lord of Ireland, etc._
France, and Lord of Ireland, etc._
hm
And whoso’er gainsays King Edward’s right,
By this I challenge him to single fight.
And whoso’er gainsays King Edward’s right, By this I challenge him to single fight.
And whoso’er gainsays King Edward’s right, By this I challenge him to single fight.
hm
Long live Edward the Fourth!
Long live Edward the Fourth!
Long live Edward the Fourth!
hm
Thanks, brave Montgomery, and thanks unto you all.
If Fortune serve me, I’ll requite this kindness.
Now for this night let’s harbour here in York,
And when the morning sun shall raise his car
Above the border of this horizon
We’ll forward towards Warwick and his mates;
For well I wot that Henry is no soldier.
Ah, froward Clarence, how evil it beseems thee
To flatter Henry and forsake thy brother!
Yet, as we may, we’ll meet both thee and Warwick.
Come on, brave soldiers; doubt not of the day,
And, that once gotten, doubt not of large pay.
Thanks, brave Montgomery, and thanks unto you all. If Fortune serve me, I’ll requite this kindness. Now for this night let’s harbour here in York, And when the morning sun shall raise his car Above the border of this horizon We’ll forward towards Warwick and his mates; For well I wot that Henry is no soldier. Ah, froward Clarence, how evil it beseems you To flatter Henry and forsake your brother! Yet, as we may, we’ll meet both you and Warwick. Come on, brave soldiers; doubt not of the day, And, that once gotten, doubt not of large pay.
Thanks, brave Montgomery, and thanks unto you all. If Fortune serve me, I’ll requite this kindness. Now for this night let’s harbour here in York, And when the morning sun shall raise his car Above the border of this horizon We’ll forward towards Warwick and his mates; For well I wot that Henry is no soldier. Ah, froward Clarence, how evil it beseems you To flatter Henry and forsake your brother! Yet, as we may, we’ll meet both you and Warwick. Come on, brave soldiers; doubt not of the day, And, that once gotten, doubt not of large pay.
how did that even happen
The Reckoning
Edward is back, and he's doing what he does best: improvising with charm and then letting bolder men push him into decisiveness. The exchange with the Mayor of York is a masterclass in political incrementalism — say one thing, mean another, get your foot in the door. Richard's aside about the fox getting his nose in is the most honest line in the scene. The proclamation at the end, with Montgomery throwing down his gauntlet, shifts everything back toward war.
If this happened today…
A fired CEO returns from a trip to a friendly investor in Germany and shows up at the company's regional office, claiming he's just there to visit as the founding stockholder — not as CEO, definitely not. The office manager is nervous but lets him in. In the parking lot, his most loyal VP is already waiting with the marketing team to do a press release calling him CEO again. He's reluctant — 'let's be cautious' — but the VP says: 'If you don't say you're CEO right now I'm going back to my old job.' He says it.