How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #10
KING HENRY
The owl shrieked at thy birth, an evil sign;
The night-crow cried, aboding luckless time;
Dogs howled, and hideous tempest shook down trees;
The raven rooked her on the chimney's top;
And chatt'ring pies in dismal discords sung;
Thy mother felt more than a mother's pain,
And yet brought forth less than a mother's hope,
To wit, an indigested and deformèd lump,
Not like the fruit of such a goodly tree.
Teeth hadst thou in thy head when thou wast born
To signify thou cam'st to bite the world. (5.6.45-55)
Henry suddenly becomes the king of smack-talk right before Richard kills him. It's the one time Henry seems to have command of language, but it doesn't do him any good; it's too late. His words do have an effect on Richard, though… and on the audience. His last ditch effort at a prophecy comes true, and Richard tells us he's about to kick off his evil plan after Henry dies. Did Henry place a curse on Richard? Does Richard meet his eventual doom because Henry told him he would?