1. Printable Version
2. Download PDF
3. Cite this Page

"SPEAK, CITIZENS, FOR ENGLAND": THE PROCESS OF DETERMINING THE SUCCESSOR

At the very outset of Shakespeare's play, war is introduced as the readiest means for resolving succession disputes. When John asks the French Ambassador "what follows" if he rejects Arthur's claim to the throne, Chatillion declares, "The proud control of fierce and bloody war, / To enforce these rights so forcibly witheld" (1.1.17-18). Virtually all the pamphleteers invoked the spectre of war in urging alternatives for determining Elizabeth's successor.⁵⁶ Wentworth warned the queen that "[t]o leave [that designation] quyte without establishment, to whomever can catch it" would lead to civil war, "so that presentlie, the whole Realme wil be rent into as many shivers, as there be competitors . …And, thus, while the title to the crowne is in trying in the fielde by the dint of bloodie sword, one part will consume & devoure another."⁵⁷ The threat was far from fanciful; by...

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass

1. Introduction
2. "By Will Bequeath'D": The Monarch's Power To Fix The Succession By Will
3. "Stranger Blood": The Capacity Of A Foreigner To Inherit Land Or Crown
4. "Speak, Citizens, For England": The Process Of Determining The Successor
5. Copyright