Patrick Stewart - John of Gaunt Speech
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2012
- William Shakespeare - Richard II (Act II, Scene I)
John of Gaunt:
His rash fierce blaze of riot cannot last,
For violent fires soon burn out themselves;
Small showers last long, but sudden storms are short;
He tires betimes that spurs too fast betimes;
With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder:
Light vanity, insatiate cormorant,
Consuming means, soon preys upon itself.
This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,
This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings,
Fear'd by their breed and famous by their birth,
Renowned for their deeds as far from home,
For Christian service and true chivalry,
As is the sepulchre in stubborn Jewry,
Of the world's ransom, blessed Mary's Son,
This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land,
Dear for her reputation through the world,
Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it,
Like to a tenement or pelting farm:
England, bound in with the triumphant sea
Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege
Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with shame.
John of Gaunt would weep bitter tears for the state of England now...
Explain what's wrong, see many of these comments but no one actually explains themselves. Almost makes me think they are lying and following the sheep
Scott Drinkwater so your proposition is that all of this didn’t happen in the feudal system of the Middle Ages? Children weren’t raised in broken home to take one example? Jesus Christ 😂
@@callumw1597 go to London pal and use your fucking eyes
@@jackgray2880 nope just nation is changing
He's an archetypal character of the old man who looks favourably upon the past and deplore the present, so yes, he would.
The moment he breaks the fourth wall is so powerfull. Sometimes directors overplay this trick, but here it is done masterfully, for just a moment, and, to me at least, it takes my breath away, so emotional. And Sir Patrick... masterclass in acting.
I am not into Shakespeare, but I came to this speech for his actor name, John of Gaunt. What a presentation of a speech! It was like he was thinking out, 'as we do, ' what he wanted to say. So, moving .....a love for 'this England' is in your social history. Hence, leaving the EU is such a modern outcome of your relationship with Europe. Truly amazing acting.
This is insanely good, makes me cry, beat my chest and thank God for being English .. utterly spectacular
John was French
@@cockneyculchihe was King Edward III’s son, it just so happens he was born in Gaunt (Ghent) and through the English monarchy had French ancestry.
This speech alone made Richard II one of my favourite plays!
His voice has has simultaneously thinned and darkened but is as charismatic as ever. Even more interesting now when you hear the breaks and imperfections.
The Richard II hollow crown was my favourite of the whole series... the whole series was great but this was the best & can’t wait to watch it again sometime...
Shakespeare is astonishing. Four hundred years after it was written, still it moves us with both its sentiments and the poetry of his language. The first four of the Hollow Crown which were produced in 2012 were all marvelous. Ben Whishaw as Richard II was mesmerising and Simon Russell-Beale was outstanding as Falstaff. There are many fine scenes is all of these four plays, but none was more moving for me than the short scene which includes the line "we have heard the chimes at midnight" in Henry IV Part II.
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, KG (6 March 1340 - 3 February 1399) was an English nobleman and member of the House of Plantagenet, the third of five surviving sons of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault.
He was called "John of Gaunt" because he was born in Ghent, then rendered in English as Gaunt.
When he became unpopular later in life, scurrilous rumours and lampoons circulated that he was actually the son of a Ghent butcher, perhaps because Edward III was not present at the birth.
This story always drove him to fury.
As a younger brother of Edward, the Black Prince, John exercised great influence over the English throne during the minority of Edward's son, King Richard II, and the ensuing periods of political strife.
Due to some generous land grants, John was one of the richest men in his era.
He made an abortive attempt to enforce a claim to the Crown of Castile that came courtesy of his second wife Constance, who was an heir to the Castillian Kingdom, and for a time styled himself as King of Castile.
John of Gaunt's legitimate male heirs, the Lancasters, include English kings Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI.
His other legitimate descendants include his daughters Queen Philippa of Portugal and Elizabeth, Duchess of Exeter (by his first wife Blanche of Lancaster), and Queen Catherine of Castile (by his second wife Constance of Castile).
John fathered five children outside marriage, one early in life by a lady-in-waiting to his mother, and four by Katherine Swynford, Gaunt's long-term mistress and third wife.
The children of Katherine Swynford, surnamed "Beaufort," were legitimised by royal and papal decrees after John and Katherine married in 1396.
Descendants of this marriage include Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland, a grandmother of kings Edward IV and Richard III; John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, a great-grandfather of King Henry VII; and Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots, from whom are descended all subsequent sovereigns of Scotland beginning in 1437 and all sovereigns of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom from 1603 to the present day.
The three houses of English sovereigns that succeeded the rule of Richard II in 1399 - the Houses of Lancaster, York and Tudor - were all descended from John's children Henry IV, Joan Beaufort and John Beaufort, respectively.
In addition, John's daughter Catherine of Lancaster was married to King Henry III of Castile, which made him the grandfather of King John II of Castile and the ancestor of all subsequent monarchs of the Crown of Castile and united Spain.
Through his daughter Philippa, he was grandfather of King Edward of Portugal and an ancestor of all subsequent Portuguese monarchs as well.
Through John II of Castile's granddaughter Joanna the Mad, John of Gaunt is also an ancestor of the Habsburg rulers who would reign in Spain and much of central Europe.
John of Gaunt's eldest son and heir, Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, the son of his first wife Blanche of Lancaster, was exiled for ten years by King Richard II in 1398 as resolution to a dispute between Henry and Thomas de Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk.
When John of Gaunt died in 1399, his estates and titles were declared forfeit to the crown, since King Richard II had named Henry a traitor and changed his sentence to exile for life.
Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile to reclaim his inheritance and depose Richard.
Bolingbroke then reigned as King Henry IV of England (1399-1413), the first of the descendants of John of Gaunt to hold the throne of England.
In Short, John of Gaunt is England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and much of Europe as well.
Thank you
Appreciate that history being given so clearly.
Sir patrick could read from the phone book and still make it compelling listening.
How sadly true John of Gaunt’s words are today.
Priscilla Pussley how is it true? Could you be more specific?
@@horatiohuskisson5471 Well for one, the culture seems to be going down the toilet - it's often said that Britain in fact has none, or that it's a country of immigrants with no culture of its own - entirely false of course. Education is in an equally unenviable state, people don't really seem to know much despite the fact all of them spend more time in school they appear to learn nothing at all. Few know the greats of the English canon, fewer still know anything of the country's history, fewer still appear to be able to think with any sort of independence or debate well. Our justice system has become somehow ineffective and increasingly tyrannical, with the foundational principles of our ancient liberties, not the paltry charters or conventions but those old freedoms with centuries to back them. Jury trials are now threatened by both no real selection anymore as well as majority verdicts. Long periods of pre-trial detention. Surveillance of the populace writ large. The press are now almost entirely at the beck and call of the government, probably as a result of the education system, they dare not criticise those upon whom them rely. Our parliament, both houses, are increasingly mere sharades, MPs being corralled by the whips to vote certain ways, the Lords under the pretence of democratic expansion being made ever more the second Commons and equally controlled by the government. Seperatism is rife, with devolution increasingly popular even with the supposed "conservative" party.
Worst of all perhaps is the expansion of the state which increasingly marginalises private life. The state now takes over from where the married family once occupied; welfarism, healthcare, childcare etc. The state is now spending so much, and is involved in so many areas that a century ago it would be called something akin to communism - we probably couldn't fully fund its spending even if the government were prepared to tax people to the gills to do so, which they won't. so borrowing and an expansion is state spending, and so on until the economy collapses entirely. Or rather, what's left of the economy. Crippled by both nationalisation and robber baron privatisation, we now no longer make anything, and indeed couldn't if we wanted to, because our economic regulation makes it unprofitable to do so here, but we also have areas of the economy which are private but which ought to by any sensible metric, be under public ownership, railways, post etc. Droves are now employed doing pointless work, legislated into existance by parliament, in the service economy, which dries up rapidly when things begin to go badly, at low wages to do so inefficiently. There are so many economic problems that I don't even know where to begin in solving them, or if it would even be possible to do so.
Worst of all however, is how we have grand dellusions of how important or powerful we are, and yet fail to conserve any of the really valuable things we may still hope to profit from. Our language, our liberty, our unique but well adapted governmental system, religion, private life beginning with the married family, a class system not a caste system, rigorous education and a functioning economy which was by no means ideal (few are and no system can ever be) but was a better one than that which we currently see being built. We are abandoning all of this, almost certainly one of the most pleasent systems of government and ways of life ever developed, for the chance at a hideous mismatch of Thatcherism economically and the social policy of East Germany. That's what comes to mind when I agree with the original commenter.
@Britannia Europe isn't a nation
@@sirhumphreyappleby8399 That England, that was wont to conquer others,
Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
@@jackgray2880 I am rather unconcerned if minorities and women be not treated as equal, I would not wish for women to be treated the same as men (they ought to be largely in the domestic sphere and afforded extra respect by the men) and wouldn't demand equal treatment in a foreign land either. Corruption worse in the past? No, it's beyond Walpolian today, where the electorate can be bought wholesale with all the resources in the state power and purse. Class will always be a feature of society, but in so far as it can be the case I think a hundred years ago there was much more room for advancement than there is now. I would rather a brutish and short life than a long and brutish life. The past's shortcomings are known to me, I would still trade our material excess and our tolerance for morality, real high culture, etc.
This video cuts out the most important and pertinent part of the speech which has a strong resonance for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island:
"... is now bound in with shame,
With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds.
That England that was wont to conquer others
hath made a shameful conquest of itself."
@Britannia what is particularly "remainerish" about liking the speech?
@Britannia Sounds more Brexit to me. The UK is bound in by shame by the rotten laws of the EU.
Leased out wholesale by the corrupt Tories to their rich donor mates and the fascist USA. Bound in with shame indeed.
@@brucehunter8235 what would Labour do for it? Tear down everything it stands for at least tories are rotting it slowly instead of outright smashing it
@@anglonrx2754 didn't age well.
Liz Truss anyone?
Stewart does the best John of Gaunt speech IMO. It's just a shame that they left out parts of the speech... one of the most famous speeches.
Very very good Patrick.
Cannot have been done better.....beautifully done
Oh Shakespeare! We gave the Sceptered Isle away to the brown people. We sold the hapiness of our sons and daughters to the masses of the world. We gave away what our fathers and mothers bequeathed to us. My poor England! Look at what we have done to you.
I have seen this in several versions. This is the best.
Wonderful
A fine Yorkshireman from Mirfield West Yorkshire. Playing John O'Gaunt. One for all the Yorkshire Gaunts like me
Wonderful❤!
John of Gaunt if only your words could protect from modern globalisation.
You have left the EU. Is that not the power of this magic land?
@@digitalteachers no issue with the eu. More concerned about: energy security … global tax evasion and mega-corps?
Gee that’s a beautiful rendition- how to act Shakespeare on screen, it often feels staged and distant but Stewart inhabits the language beautifully and works the camera at precisely the right moment. Nicely directed too.
Perfection
Gets me every time that shit
Against infection ... hey it still could work
Could there ever have been a more sapient author, or more excellent an actor, at this time of national emergency? [COVID-19 coronovirus UK civil lockdown, March 2020, UK]. On! On!.
What is shameful is that they cut out some of the most potent lines of the speech
Patrick Stewart...
when Chuck Norris wanted to know HOW to act in movies... he spoke with Patrick. :P
I wish I never lost my hollow crown DVD.
alex thelizardking. Well buy another one!
THIS KITCHEN!
I cannot see how Stewart can run straight on from 'Consuming means, soon preys upon itself.' to 'This royal throne of kings, this scepter’d isle.' This is the start of a new thought entirely, not the sort of thing you can catch yourself saying in surprise.
Most viewers here have probably seen the Gielgud version (The Demise of Old John of Gaunt). But I have found one I think better than either and posted it on TH-cam. Listen to Michael Redgrave playing John of Gaunt in Vivat Rex.
I don't feel that in this version, but I can see how others might. You think he should pause?
I see your point actually, when you think of the words flowing in conversation it is quite the segue.
But the way Patrick Stewart is playing this, strikes to me like an "old man ranting" - he gets carried away with himself, completely absorbed in his reverie. When I see it that way, its as if he started off about to make a point and got distracted reflecting on "this.....earth...." etc.
Perhaps I'm doing him a disservice in seeing it that way but I think this particular role is about age too. Our elders have always said their earlier days were better. And we have more than enough examples of this kind of reverie being, if not baseless, then highly romanticised at best. In this case however John of Gaunt is so enamoured that we glimpse the majesty he can see but we can't.
Beautiful reading of the lines. Whenever I read/hear that speech, it feels almost like England is, in some ways, being used as a stand-in for the whole world itself. This very beset and troubled "other Eden" that we somehow exist in, who knows how or why.
Tywin Lannister is definitely inspired by King Edward the first and John of Gaunt.
More like John of Gaunt and Warwick the Kingmaker
books from Windblown
Tywin is based on my ballsack.
Discribing the Liz truss government.
He is one of the reasons of peasants revolt right?
Prince Philip before this speech.
Take the photo !
i prefer John Gielgud's version
I prefer him in Arthur, where he says "I will alert the media"
is this low key about brexit?
England will soon have its life back and we will re discover ourselves. Goodbye by Scotland Ireland and wales. Not sure about wales.
God Save England, Lady Dee and Margaret Tatcher against infection of Argentinian people (less happier land).-
England under the European Union
This dinghy landing strip.
His pauses aren't long enough. To compensate, he strings out his delivery too long, when speaking.
How r there so many views
And sub to pewdiepie we must beat t series
I wish they got rid of the thees and thous
So much racist crap in the comments - very disappointing to see. Shakespeare is a treasure of the world. Please don't reduce him to the state of contemporary debate. He was not a jingoist - he critiqued those types mercilessly. Read the clerics in Henry V.
I love Patrick Stewart but I really don't think this is a good reading. His voice and the music are good, but he sounds like he's just reading random words.
Pretentious twoddle
Matthew Lee. You must be very young and arrogant. If this speech, this amazing language of Shakespeare, doesn’t bring tears to everyone’s eyes, they must be ‘heart-dead’.
Nihilistic buffoon
Wonderful