Tuesday, February 1, 2011

2 Henry 6: Act 5, Scenes 2 and 3

334.

i'm having mixed emotions here. after considering yesterday's comments and reading the end, i just don't know how to feel about some of these characters. i'm not completely sure of whose side i am on. i know i don't have to be on someone's side, but that's how i read. fact. and keep in mind, i have no actors here to help me interpret. it's just me, in my brain, interpreting and maybe sometimes misinterpreting as i go. i kinda feel like Shakespeare is screwing with my head a little bit? let's do the run-down and maybe you can guess why:

act 5, scene 2
   (at the battlefield)
Warwick: get out here Clifford, and fight with me!
   (York enters)
York: Clifford killed my horse!
   (Clifford enters)
Warwick: ok Cliff. one of us is about to die.
York: leave him to me.
Warwick: boo. that sucks.
   (Warwick leaves)
York: i would admire your bravery if we weren't such sworn enemies.
Clifford: and you would deserve my esteem if you weren't such a traitor.
   (they fight and Clifford dies.)
York: 'thus war hath given thee peace.'
   (York exits and young Clifford [now called Clifford] enters.)
Clifford: everything is falling apart and i hate war. a person who loves war does not love himself. (he sees his father.) 'o, let the vile world end.' my father was an old man who shouldn't have died this way. (see quote below.) York doesn't spare our old men, so i won't spare their children. i will have no mercy and kill them all.
   (Clifford exits with his father. Richard [York's son] and Somerset enter. Somerset is killed.)
Richard: prophecy fulfilled, sucker!
   (Richard exits. Henry and Margaret enter.)
Margaret: let's leave! you are so slow!
Henry: what can we do?
Margaret: you don't fight! you don't flee! if we don't leave, we will be screwed. let's go to London, where we will be welcome.
   (they flee.)

act 5, scene 3
   (York, Richard, and Warwick enter.)
York: where is Salisbury? today will not be victorious if he is lost.
Richard: i saved his life 3 times today. danger followed him.
   (Salisbury enters.)
Salisbury: thank you, Richard. you fought well today.
York: Henry left for London. let's go after them.
Warwick: no, let's go before them. here's to many more wins like today!


okay, so maybe it's not totally obvious here why i would be unsure of what side i am on, but i am starting to get annoyed with Henry. like, get it together dude. he is so helpless. he won't do anything. he won't defend himself! or protect his wife even! come onnnn. York at least has it together. from his perspective, he is claiming what is rightfully his. it's not like Henry is some great king that he's overthrowing. i'm not sure what York's full intentions are (and i don't have an actor to help me here), but maybe he does want what's best for his country? is that naive? i'm not sure. guess we will have to figure it out in PART 3!!!

quote of the day:
'wast thou ordained, dear Father,
to lose thy youth in peace, and to achieve
the silvery livery of advised age,
and in thy reverence and thy chair days, thus
to die in ruffian battle?'
     -Young Clifford; act 5, scene 2

another play down! for tomorrow: the phoenix and the turtle!

3 plays, 2 poems down. 35 plays, 3 poems, and 154 sonnets to go.

-rebecca may

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