payment page
The Princess of France comes to the court of Navarre to discuss matters of finance and territorial control on her father’s behalf. However, all political discussions quickly fall by the wayside as the Princess and her three ladies—Rosaline, Maria, and Katherine—find themselves caught up in a flirtatious battle of wits with the King and his lords. As the leader of the female nobility, the Princess exemplifies the women’s maturity and superior wit. When the King first welcomes her to Navarre, she trips him up by pointing out that being forced to set up camp outside the city gates can hardly be called a “welcome.” Furthermore, in contrast to the male nobility’s imperfect attempts at poetry, the Princess shows herself to be a capable woman. For example, she’s a skilled hunter who kills a buck that’s in his second year, known as a “pricket” (4.2.12). The sexual entendre suggested by this word is apt, and the Princess slyly celebrates herself as a “lady that subdues a lord” (4.1.42). In the end, the Princess does indeed subdue the King, by making a power move in which she defers a decision on his marriage proposal for a year.
