What was Big Willy Shakes going for?
York lets us in on a juicy little secret. He wants the crown for himself and is going to make a play for it very, very soon. In this speech, he's telling us that the crown actually belongs to his family, or his flesh and blood.
This isn't a creepy thing or even anything to do with his actual body. York is simply stating that his family line—all those related to him by blood—are worthy of the throne. It's interesting that York brings blood into this, because his quest is really all about families. He wants to leave something valuable behind to his sons, so how about a kingdom?
York's also interested in making a name for himself for his family. He wants to do his ancestors proud by fighting for what he believes to be his. His phrase "flesh and blood" is a good way of hinting that past, present, and future generations of his family are involved in this. That's a lot of pressure.
On top of all that, York's comment is almost gloomy and ominous, too. It's not just that the lands belong to his flesh and blood; it's that he will take flesh and blood by claiming them, too. What's a little backstabbing, treachery, and murder if it's for family, after all? York might not even realize it, but his words hint at the fact that he's starting an endless cycle of bloody vengeance that nearly destroys England.
Well, when we put it that way, how could we say no to watching that unfold? Shakespeare loved this phrase so much he used it in a bunch of other plays:
- All's Well that Ends Well
- Hamlet
- Julius Caesar
- King Lear
- Love's Labor's Lost
- Merchant of Venice
- Much Ado About Nothing
- Pericles
- Richard II
- The Tempest
- Timon of Athens
- Twelfth Night
- The Winter's Tale
Hey, we warned you there were a lot of them.
The truth is, Shakespeare might have had a little help with this one. The Bible uses the phrase when Jesus says, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17). Here's where things get sticky. The King James Bible wasn't published until 1611, a full twenty years after Shakespeare wrote Henry VI, Part 2, but the phrase was probably floating around town before that from another version of the Bible.
Even if Shakespeare did get a bit of inspiration for this one, he certainly came up with a new meaning. The Bible is saying that Simon had faith before seeing something in the flesh, or in person. Shakespeare is using this phrase to talk about family. A new spin on an old phrase, you might say.