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Surely, sir,
There’s in him stuff that puts him to these ends;
For, being not propped by ancestry, whose grace
Chalks successors their way, nor called upon
For high feats done to th’ crown, neither allied
To eminent assistants, but spiderlike,
Out of his self-drawing web, he gives us note
The force of his own merit makes his way—
A gift that heaven gives for him which buys
A place next to the King. (1.1.67–76)
Norfolk speaks these lines while in conversation with Buckingham and Abergavenny. The subject of discussion is Cardinal Wolsey, who has just staged a lavish ceremony in relation to a peace treaty between England and France, all the while securing side deals for his own advancement. Norfolk underscores how Wolsey, who was born the son of a butcher and hence isn’t “propped by ancestry,” has essentially had to forge his own path to power. As a result, Norfolk believes that the cardinal isn’t loyal to anyone but himself. Perhaps most significant here is the description of Wolsey as “spiderlike,” a term that suggests quiet cunning as well as danger. The phrase “self-drawing web” references Wolsey’s status as a self-made man and yet foreshadows how his downfall will come as a result of him getting tangled in his own web of deceit.
If your Grace
Could but be brought to know our ends are honest,
You’d feel more comfort. Why should we, good lady,
Upon what cause, wrong you? Alas, our places,
The way of our profession, is against it.
We are to cure such sorrows, not to sow ’em.
. . . Pray think us
Those we profess: peacemakers, friends, and servants. (3.1.171–76, 184–85)
Soon after Katherine storms out of the room during her divorce trial, Cardinals Wolsey and Campeius visit her in her apartments, aiming to convince her to accept the separation. Katherine, however, remains adamant that she will not submit to an unmerited divorce, and she repeatedly accuses the two cardinals of trying to deceive her: “You have angels’ faces, but heaven knows your hearts” (3.1.161). It is to this charge of deceit that Wolsey responds with the lines quoted here. Wolsey is mildly defensive in his attempt to persuade Katherine that he’s sincerely concerned about her well-being. However, the audience knows what Katherine does: Wolsey is at his most dangerous in moments like this, where his gift with words allows him to dissimulate and pretend to be more pious and caring than he really is. The tone here is therefore quite sinister.
Never so truly happy, my good Cromwell.
I know myself now, and I feel within me
A peace above all earthly dignities,
A still and quiet conscience. The King has cured me—
I humbly thank his Grace—and from these shoulders,
These ruined pillars, out of pity, taken
A load would sink a navy: too much honor.
O, ’tis a burden, Cromwell, ’tis a burden
Too heavy for a man that hopes for heaven. (3.2.450–58)
When Henry confronts Wolsey with evidence of his crimes, the cardinal makes an immediate about-face, acknowledging his wrongs and reflecting on the vanity of his ambition. As the reality of his fate sinks in, Wolsey addresses his friend, Cromwell, and claims that he’s now come to see himself as he really is. This new self-knowledge has brought him a sense of peace, he says, and he further implies that the king’s confrontation has “cured” him—presumably, of his villainous drive for wealth and power. Although the audience may be suspicious of such a rapid turnaround in Wolsey’s attitude, it seems genuine.
