Today’s Totally Random Lines
Edward’s seven sons, whereof thyself art one,
Were as seven vials of his sacred blood,
Or seven fair branches springing from one root.
Duchess of Gloster
King Richard the Second Act I Scene ii, Line 11
Let me set the scene for you. We’re at John of Gaunt’s home with John and his sister-in-law the Duchess of Gloster. Her husband, John’s brother, was Thomas Duke of Gloster, and Thomas has recently been murdered. John and his sister (both of them being fairly old) are discussing the murder. John and Thomas were both sons of King Edward III who is long gone. Old Edward had a lot of sons.
John has just made the
statement that he’s not going to take any action regarding the murder, but
rather is going to leave it up to God to punish the murderers. The Duchess is
not particularly happy with this response from John. She gives a pretty good
speech. Check it out. Remember, it’s her husband who’s been murdered, and he
was John of Gaunt’s younger brother.
Finds brotherhood in thee no sharper spur?
Hath love in thy old blood no living fire?
Edward’s seven sons, whereof thyself art one,
Were as seven vials of his sacred blood,
Or seven fair branches springing from one root:
Some of those seven are dried by nature’s course,
Some of those branches by the Destinies cut;
But Thomas, my dear lord, my life, my Gloster,
One vial full of Edward’s sacred blood,
One flourishing branch of his most royal root,
Is crackt, and all the precious liquor spilt,
Is hackt down, and his summer-leaves all faded,
By envy’s hand and murder’s bloody axe.
Ah, Gaunt, his blood was thine! That bed, that womb,
That metal, that self-mould, that fashion’d thee
Made him a man; and though thou livest and breathest,
Yet art thou slain in him: thou dost consent
In some large measure to thy father’s death,
In that thou seest thy wretched brother die,
Who was the model of thy father’s life.
Call it not patience, Gaunt, — it is despair:
In suffering thus thy brother to be slaughter’d,
Thou show’st the naked pathway to thy life,
Teaching stern murder how to butcher thee:
That which in mean men we entitle patience,
Is pale cold cowardice in noble breasts.
What shall I say? To safeguard thine own life,
The best way is to venge my Gloster’s death.
She pretty much covers all the bases, ending up with the argument that avenging
the murder will be best for John of Gaunt’s safety. All that, and John of Gaunt
is unmoved. Let God take care of it, he says.
I thought it was a pretty interesting rant by the duchess, and that’s why I decided to give you the whole thing. Also, it seemed to me that once you have the basic context of what she’s talking about, the whole rant is quite clear without any further explanation of Will’s language. Would you agree with that statement?
