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Methought this staff, mine office badge in court,
Was broke in twain—by whom I have forgot,
But, as I think, it was by th’ cardinal—
And on the pieces of the broken wand
Were placed the heads of Edmund, Duke of Somerset,
And William de la Pole, first Duke of Suffolk.
This was my dream. What it doth bode God knows. (1.2.25–31)
Gloucester addresses these lines to his wife, the Duchess, recounting an ominous dream he’s just had. In this dream his staff of power is broken in half, and the two parts are used as pikes for the heads of Somerset and Suffolk. Gloucester doesn’t know what such a vision might foretell, but the audience has already been clued in. In the previous scene, both Somerset and Suffolk have joined a plot against Gloucester, aimed at removing him from his position as Lord Protector. This plot will succeed in stripping Gloucester of his staff of power, and it will eventually lead to his murder. And as we’ll soon see, Gloucester’s death will then lead to the deaths of both Suffolk and Somerset.
Ah, Nell, forbear; thou aimest all awry.
I must offend before I be attainted,
And had I twenty times so many foes,
And each of them had twenty times their power,
All these could not procure me any scathe
So long as I am loyal, true, and crimeless. (2.4.59–64)
Gloucester says these words to the Duchess during their last conversation, as she’s about to be banished to the Isle of Man. The Duchess has just warned Gloucester about the plot his fellow nobles have formed against him. But he dismisses her worries, insisting that his record is spotless, which means that no harm can come to him. Gloucester’s honor shines through in this moment, though his naïveté is equally evident. Despite having been involved at the highest level of the kingdom’s administration, somehow Gloucester still doesn’t comprehend that politics isn’t dictated by fairness and justice.
Well, Suffolk’s duke, thou shalt not see me blush,
Nor change my countenance for this arrest.
A heart unspotted is not easily daunted.
The purest spring is not so free from mud
As I am clear from treason to my sovereign.
Who can accuse me? Wherein am I guilty? (3.1.98–103)
Gloucester addresses these words to Suffolk, who has openly called for him to be arrested for treason. Despite the weakness of his position, Gloucester remains strong and steadfast in the face of the accusation. He may have been too naïve to see the attack coming, but he has the composure of a seasoned politician and judge. It’s also notable that Gloucester’s invocation of “the purest spring” implicitly echoes the language Suffolk used earlier to indicate the duke’s deceitfulness: “Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep, / And in his simple show he harbors treason” (3.1.53–54). Sadly, though Gloucester defends himself admirably, the king fails to intervene. Thus, Gloucester will soon exit the play with ominous words for Henry, warning him that he’s now more vulnerable than ever to the gnarling “wolves” (3.1.192).
