This is day 3 of my promotion for The Passion of Gloucester and Sinead which means I have Act III scenes to share will all you all's. By the way, it's available for free download until this Saturday. You can get it here.
Act III, Scene II
Gloucester: [Soliloquy.]
They crave a villain. They wish to abase
Me as a traitor. Stain my hands with blood
And give chase. A heart unspotted is not
Easily daunted[1]; but their words make my
Spirit haunted. Wherefore doth the queen and
Dukes pursue me? What power doth I own
That they should fear me? Why do they assault
My duchess with charges ‘gainst her chastity?
What tyranny doth regina hath a’mind?
Virtue is choked full of ambition[2]:
Is their complot to have me exiled?[3]
Who can accuse me? Wherein am I guilty?[4]
I have no plot for my dukes nor my queen;
Not for Albion nor the crown. How dare
They challenge me! He who gave Albion
Safety from wars and rogues. If they crave a
Villain, a villain I shall be! Who else
Are their lives subject to more than me?
They quake not with fear of the king,
But they do when my boots and voice doth ring!
Beshrew these bedlam bedfellows! The house
Of Gloucester will rule sovereign and engaol
Those who would stand against me! Who could?
Naught but the Captain! The Captain? My niece
Of honourable Exeter. Changing piece
‘Tis my ire and emotion. My honour
Returns. Help me God that I speak no more
Than the truth.[5] Help me God that I desire
Only to serve my cousin[6] and not bemire
Myself in darkest ambition and lose
My virtue to those whose tongues they abuse.
Virtue is choked with foul ambition;
‘Tis true enough. [End soliloquy.]
Me as a traitor. Stain my hands with blood
And give chase. A heart unspotted is not
Easily daunted[1]; but their words make my
Spirit haunted. Wherefore doth the queen and
Dukes pursue me? What power doth I own
That they should fear me? Why do they assault
My duchess with charges ‘gainst her chastity?
What tyranny doth regina hath a’mind?
Virtue is choked full of ambition[2]:
Is their complot to have me exiled?[3]
Who can accuse me? Wherein am I guilty?[4]
I have no plot for my dukes nor my queen;
Not for Albion nor the crown. How dare
They challenge me! He who gave Albion
Safety from wars and rogues. If they crave a
Villain, a villain I shall be! Who else
Are their lives subject to more than me?
They quake not with fear of the king,
But they do when my boots and voice doth ring!
Beshrew these bedlam bedfellows! The house
Of Gloucester will rule sovereign and engaol
Those who would stand against me! Who could?
Naught but the Captain! The Captain? My niece
Of honourable Exeter. Changing piece
‘Tis my ire and emotion. My honour
Returns. Help me God that I speak no more
Than the truth.[5] Help me God that I desire
Only to serve my cousin[6] and not bemire
Myself in darkest ambition and lose
My virtue to those whose tongues they abuse.
Virtue is choked with foul ambition;
‘Tis true enough. [End soliloquy.]
[1]
A quote taken from King Henry the Sixth,
Pt II, 3.1.100
[2]
Another quote from 2 Henry VI,
3.1.143
[3]
Based on the line at 3.1.147
[4]
Quote of line 3.1.103
[5]
Based on the 2 Henry VI line at 3.1.120
[6]
He’s talking about the king, but they’re not actually related.
Act III, Scene V
Enter Sinéad.
Sinéad: [Sees the Duchess impaled by her missing sword.]
The duchess is dead?! And what have we here?
‘Tis a sword. My sword! The one that I lost
When I came here last and was gifted
My father’s sword. Nuncle, did’st thou do this? Enter Gloucester.
Gloucester: How now, dear niece? Wherefore art thou here?
What is—? Eleanor?!
Sinéad: Nuncle, I—
Gloucester: Stepest thee aside! [Crosses to his wife’s body.]
What evil spirit drove this blade through thine
Heart and ended thee? Who stole what is mine
And who shall pay for this deed with both
His body and soul? Whose gore shall make a broth
From which viler things shall darkly ascend
And with wailing shall serenade my mind’s descent?
Sinéad: Nuncle?
Gloucester: Wherefore art thou here? Forsooth, ‘tis thy sword
That I find buried in my wife’s heart’s cords.
Wherefore art thou here?
Sinéad: Verily, nuncle. ‘Tis my sword. But I
Did not kill the duchess, your beloved wife.
Gloucester: Ergo, what wind or spirit led you here?
Surely, thou witnessed the murder? Thou seer?
Sinéad: Verily, I did not, nuncle. Insooth,
Salisbury and Warwick are dead eke.
They met their end by Gloucester’s stiletto.
I came to arrest thee for the regents’ sake.
Gloucester: So, thou admitest that thou hast turned ‘gainst
Me? Now I see thy true nature. I sensed
A rebellion, but never thought my niece
Would turn her blade against me. Of all, least
My wife who would bear the brunt of the queen’s
Jealousy and madness which have turned obscene
And now claim thy heart.
Sinéad: Nay, nuncle! I serve
Not the queen! Only fair Albion.
Gloucester: Let’s allow God to decide thy innocence.
Draw thy sword. I’ll not allow this insolence. [Pulls the sword out of the Duchess and takes a guard.]
Sinéad: I will not fight thee, uncle.
Gloucester: May thy blood mix with my wife’s! [Gloucester strikes at Sinéad, but she draws her father’s sword to parry.]
Sinéad: I swear to thee, uncle. Prithee, forbear! [They duel.]
Gloucester: Thou art a great and noble knight. Oncet
I was also. On the battlefield I met
Gallians and delivered them to the Lord.
With great slaughter, red blood coloured my sword.
This blade is already of that tinge,
But for the innocent, I will swinge
The guilty and shed thy blood in equal share!
Sinéad: I swear to thee, uncle. Prithee, forbear!
Gloucester: [Beats her blade away and gains the upper hand.]
Thou art a recreant scullion[1] who serves
A false queen who’d betray and preserve
Thee not! Thy loyalty is only worth
As much as thy life. She hath a dearth
Of power but would sacrifice thee
For all she wants. When thou art dead, she’ll flee.
Sinéad: [Binds his blade down and now gains the upper hand.]
Thou art a peevish-fond[2] wretch, nuncle!
I never knew that thou wert so base.
With so little suspicion, thou turn face
And try to kill those about whom thou cared.
Behold! Perchance thou wert skilled and fared
Well in battle, but with thy mind raging,
I find thy skill and mind not engaging.
Thou art an old veteran and naught more. [Their swords cross and the duel halts.]
Gloucester: Old I may be, but I am not forsworn.
Sinéad: Thou art indeed, uncle. Necessity
Hath seen to that.
Gloucester: Then let this be thy elegy.
No mercy. No mercy! No mercy
On thy soul! [He disarms her and begins to strangle her.]
Naught can save thee now. No honour hath I now.
If we break our vow, then ‘fore evil we bow.
I send thee into the inferno first.
Do not fear, I shall feel the fire’s worst.
But in thine eyes I see a friendly glint.
As if it is there to bewray[3] a hint
Of something lost forgotten. Exeter! [Gloucester releases Sinéad.]
I see thy face. ‘Tis thy heart I shatter.
O, my dear friend, prithee forgive me.
In thy daughter, I could not see thee.
And thus in my madness, I lost virtue.
I shall banish myself by just statute. Enter Messenger.
Messenger: Hark, noble duke! I bear a great burden.
The king and queen are both assassinated!
And the scoundrel Calais hath invaded! Exit Messenger.
Gloucester: ‘Tis my darkest hour! I have lost it all.
My country and my family are lost.
‘Tis no reason to fight longer.
Sinéad: Prithee, nuncle. I beg thee to take
The throne of Albion and defend her
From the abortive Calais.
Gloucester: Alack! With no honour left to sustain
Me and no royal blood to maintain
The power, I have no right to rule!
Sinéad: I beg thee, nuncle. I will follow thy
Command and speak naught of what happened here.
Prithee, forgive me for my suspicions. Enter Maline and Volpe escorting Menteur in shackles.
Volpe: My lord. We hath found the fell recreant.
Maline: By all the deaths, he is the miscreant.
Menteur: ‘Tis true! I killed them all. Glory to Gallia!
I killed the dukes and thy wife! I shall not
Repent.
Gloucester: Redemption is not a necessity. [Picks up the bloody sword.]
But your death is and your life is owed to me.
Menteur: Glory to— [Gloucester kills Menteur.]
Gloucester: May thy blood mix with my wife’s, but ne’er taint.
Hence, they are avenged and she is my saint.
Volpe: Are you now the king of Albion, my lord?
Gloucester: Nay. My sinful actions cannot afford
Me that position. Ergo, I become
The ancient Lord Protector. Sound the drums.
We have a duty to the fallen
And win this war by killing the Gallian.
Volpe, Maline, and Sinéad: Aye, our lord.
Gloucester: [Soliloquy.] When this war is done, I shall fade away
To redeem myself for my sins. On that day,
Sinéad will know the truth and be crowned queen.
‘Tis the only ending to this sad scene. [End soliloquy.] Exeunt.
The duchess is dead?! And what have we here?
‘Tis a sword. My sword! The one that I lost
When I came here last and was gifted
My father’s sword. Nuncle, did’st thou do this? Enter Gloucester.
Gloucester: How now, dear niece? Wherefore art thou here?
What is—? Eleanor?!
Sinéad: Nuncle, I—
Gloucester: Stepest thee aside! [Crosses to his wife’s body.]
What evil spirit drove this blade through thine
Heart and ended thee? Who stole what is mine
And who shall pay for this deed with both
His body and soul? Whose gore shall make a broth
From which viler things shall darkly ascend
And with wailing shall serenade my mind’s descent?
Sinéad: Nuncle?
Gloucester: Wherefore art thou here? Forsooth, ‘tis thy sword
That I find buried in my wife’s heart’s cords.
Wherefore art thou here?
Sinéad: Verily, nuncle. ‘Tis my sword. But I
Did not kill the duchess, your beloved wife.
Gloucester: Ergo, what wind or spirit led you here?
Surely, thou witnessed the murder? Thou seer?
Sinéad: Verily, I did not, nuncle. Insooth,
Salisbury and Warwick are dead eke.
They met their end by Gloucester’s stiletto.
I came to arrest thee for the regents’ sake.
Gloucester: So, thou admitest that thou hast turned ‘gainst
Me? Now I see thy true nature. I sensed
A rebellion, but never thought my niece
Would turn her blade against me. Of all, least
My wife who would bear the brunt of the queen’s
Jealousy and madness which have turned obscene
And now claim thy heart.
Sinéad: Nay, nuncle! I serve
Not the queen! Only fair Albion.
Gloucester: Let’s allow God to decide thy innocence.
Draw thy sword. I’ll not allow this insolence. [Pulls the sword out of the Duchess and takes a guard.]
Sinéad: I will not fight thee, uncle.
Gloucester: May thy blood mix with my wife’s! [Gloucester strikes at Sinéad, but she draws her father’s sword to parry.]
Sinéad: I swear to thee, uncle. Prithee, forbear! [They duel.]
Gloucester: Thou art a great and noble knight. Oncet
I was also. On the battlefield I met
Gallians and delivered them to the Lord.
With great slaughter, red blood coloured my sword.
This blade is already of that tinge,
But for the innocent, I will swinge
The guilty and shed thy blood in equal share!
Sinéad: I swear to thee, uncle. Prithee, forbear!
Gloucester: [Beats her blade away and gains the upper hand.]
Thou art a recreant scullion[1] who serves
A false queen who’d betray and preserve
Thee not! Thy loyalty is only worth
As much as thy life. She hath a dearth
Of power but would sacrifice thee
For all she wants. When thou art dead, she’ll flee.
Sinéad: [Binds his blade down and now gains the upper hand.]
Thou art a peevish-fond[2] wretch, nuncle!
I never knew that thou wert so base.
With so little suspicion, thou turn face
And try to kill those about whom thou cared.
Behold! Perchance thou wert skilled and fared
Well in battle, but with thy mind raging,
I find thy skill and mind not engaging.
Thou art an old veteran and naught more. [Their swords cross and the duel halts.]
Gloucester: Old I may be, but I am not forsworn.
Sinéad: Thou art indeed, uncle. Necessity
Hath seen to that.
Gloucester: Then let this be thy elegy.
No mercy. No mercy! No mercy
On thy soul! [He disarms her and begins to strangle her.]
Naught can save thee now. No honour hath I now.
If we break our vow, then ‘fore evil we bow.
I send thee into the inferno first.
Do not fear, I shall feel the fire’s worst.
But in thine eyes I see a friendly glint.
As if it is there to bewray[3] a hint
Of something lost forgotten. Exeter! [Gloucester releases Sinéad.]
I see thy face. ‘Tis thy heart I shatter.
O, my dear friend, prithee forgive me.
In thy daughter, I could not see thee.
And thus in my madness, I lost virtue.
I shall banish myself by just statute. Enter Messenger.
Messenger: Hark, noble duke! I bear a great burden.
The king and queen are both assassinated!
And the scoundrel Calais hath invaded! Exit Messenger.
Gloucester: ‘Tis my darkest hour! I have lost it all.
My country and my family are lost.
‘Tis no reason to fight longer.
Sinéad: Prithee, nuncle. I beg thee to take
The throne of Albion and defend her
From the abortive Calais.
Gloucester: Alack! With no honour left to sustain
Me and no royal blood to maintain
The power, I have no right to rule!
Sinéad: I beg thee, nuncle. I will follow thy
Command and speak naught of what happened here.
Prithee, forgive me for my suspicions. Enter Maline and Volpe escorting Menteur in shackles.
Volpe: My lord. We hath found the fell recreant.
Maline: By all the deaths, he is the miscreant.
Menteur: ‘Tis true! I killed them all. Glory to Gallia!
I killed the dukes and thy wife! I shall not
Repent.
Gloucester: Redemption is not a necessity. [Picks up the bloody sword.]
But your death is and your life is owed to me.
Menteur: Glory to— [Gloucester kills Menteur.]
Gloucester: May thy blood mix with my wife’s, but ne’er taint.
Hence, they are avenged and she is my saint.
Volpe: Are you now the king of Albion, my lord?
Gloucester: Nay. My sinful actions cannot afford
Me that position. Ergo, I become
The ancient Lord Protector. Sound the drums.
We have a duty to the fallen
And win this war by killing the Gallian.
Volpe, Maline, and Sinéad: Aye, our lord.
Gloucester: [Soliloquy.] When this war is done, I shall fade away
To redeem myself for my sins. On that day,
Sinéad will know the truth and be crowned queen.
‘Tis the only ending to this sad scene. [End soliloquy.] Exeunt.
[1] Traitorous lackey
[2] Obstinately foolish
[3] To show
***
The kingdom of Albion has enjoyed an unprecedented era of success in war and foreign diplomacy thanks to its guild of assassins led by the Duke of Gloucester and the kingdom's elite knights led by Gloucester's niece the Captain Sinéad. But the old foe, Calais, general of the forces of Gallia, seeks retribution for suffering losses to them both enacting a scheme that will pit these two paragon guardians against each other and the Crown. For the sake of Albion, Gloucester and Sinéad must find a way to reconcile before Calais can ravage the kingdom.
Included is a free copy of Love's Labour's Won:
Shakespeare's romantic comedy "Love's Labour's Lost" ended with a cliffhanger in Act 5, Scene 2. The four courtly couples swore to meet again after a "twelvemonth and a day," and upon that day, they would swear their oaths and be together. But, "Love's Labour's Lost" remained unfinished with other plays (i.e. "All's Well That End's Well") taking the place of its conclusion. Finally, after 400 years, one ambitious Shakespearean student undertook the burden to see "Love's Labour's Lost" finished.
Included is a free copy of Love's Labour's Won:
Shakespeare's romantic comedy "Love's Labour's Lost" ended with a cliffhanger in Act 5, Scene 2. The four courtly couples swore to meet again after a "twelvemonth and a day," and upon that day, they would swear their oaths and be together. But, "Love's Labour's Lost" remained unfinished with other plays (i.e. "All's Well That End's Well") taking the place of its conclusion. Finally, after 400 years, one ambitious Shakespearean student undertook the burden to see "Love's Labour's Lost" finished.
***
Keep writing, my friends.
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