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PRINCE HAL

 Act IV Scene 3 | Henry IV ​Part 2

Why doth the crown lie there upon his pillow,
Being so troublesome a bedfellow?
O polished perturbation, golden care,
That keep’st the ports of slumber open wide
To many a watchful night! Sleep with it now;
Yet not so sound and half so deeply sweet
As he whose brow with homely biggen bound
Snores out the watch of night. O majesty,
When thou dost pinch thy bearer, thou dost sit
Like a rich armor worn in heat of day,
That scald’st with safety. By his gates of breath
There lies a downy feather which stirs not;
Did he suspire, that light and weightless down
Perforce must move. My gracious lord, my father,
This sleep is sound indeed. This is a sleep
That from this golden rigol hath divorced
So many English kings. Thy due from me
Is tears and heavy sorrows of the blood,
Which nature, love, and filial tenderness
Shall, O dear father, pay thee plenteously.
My due from thee is this imperial crown,
Which, as immediate from thy place and blood,
Derives itself to me. [He puts on the crown] Lo, where it sits,
Which God shall guard. And, put the world’s whole strength
Into one giant arm, it shall not force
This lineal honor from me. This from thee
Will I to mine leave, as ’tis left to me.
*Note: we are using Folger editions, in case you notice any differences from your own editions.
© Play-by-Play Theatre 2023
  • Home
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    • Current Season >
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      • Season 1 >
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        • CLEOPATRA
        • HAMLET
        • KATHERINE
        • JULIET
        • SONNET 29
        • ANGELO
        • PRINCE HAL
        • ROSALIND
      • Season 2 >
        • GERTRUDE
        • MACBETH
        • PROSPERO
        • MARC ANTONY
        • VIOLA
        • RICHARD II
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    • Recent Donors
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