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The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 5 of 9] cover

The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 5 of 9]

Chapter 12: aaf SCENE VI. The same.
By William Shakespeare
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About This Book

The volume presents a connected sequence of historical dramas that dramatize the disintegration of centralized power and the violent struggle among rival claimants for the crown. Through scenes of political intrigue, popular unrest, pitched battles, and calculated betrayals, it shows how shifting alliances and personal ambition accelerate dynastic collapse and reshape leadership. The plays interweave public spectacle with intimate moments of downfall and remorse, exploring themes of legitimacy, governance, and the human cost of civil war. Scholarly apparatus accompanies the texts, offering prefatory and editorial commentary, variant readings, and notes on publication history.

aaf SCENE VI. The same.

Enter, on the walls, LA PUCELLE, CHARLES, REIGNIER, ALENÇON, and Soldiers.
♦ Puc. Advance our waving colours on the walls;
♦Rescued is Orleans from the English:
Thus Joan la Pucelle hath perform’d her word.
♦ Char. Divinest creature, Astræa’s daughter,
5How shall I honour thee for this success?
♦Thy promises are like Adonis’ gardens
That one day bloom’d and fruitful were the next.
France, triumph in thy glorious prophetess!
Recover’d is the town of Orleans:
10More blessed hap did ne’er befall our state.
♦ Reig. Why ring not out the bells aloud throughout the town?
Dauphin, command the citizens make bonfires
And feast and banquet in the open streets,
To celebrate the joy that God hath given us.
15 Alen. All France will be replete with mirth and joy,
When they shall hear how we have play’d the men.
Char. ’Tis Joan, not we, by whom the day is won;
For which I will divide my crown with her,
And all the priests and friars in my realm
20Shall in procession sing her endless praise.
♦A statelier pyramis to her I’ll rear
♦Than Rhodope’s or Memphis’ ever was:
♦ In memory of her when she is dead,
♦ Her ashes, in an urn more precious
25 Than the rich-jewel’d coffer of Darius,
Transported shall be at high festivals
♦ Before the kings and queens of France.
No longer on Saint Denis will we cry,
But Joan la Pucelle shall be France’s saint.
30 Come in, and let us banquet royally,
After this golden day of victory. [Flourish. Exeunt.