How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #4
QUEEN MARGARET
Is he a lamb? his skin is surely lent him,
For he's inclined as is the ravenous wolves.
Who cannot steal a shape that means deceit?
Take heed, my lord; the welfare of us all
Hangs on the cutting short that fraudful man. (3.1.78-82)
Here, Margaret is saying that Gloucester is worse than a boldfaced liar. He appears honest, but he's actually deceitful, so he's got two levels of trickery going on. The irony is: that's exactly what Margaret is doing. She's rebuking Gloucester for being a liar when she knows he's honest. On top of that, she's lying about all her scheming. Shakespeare is letting us audience members have the last laugh here, because we know that Margaret's words actually apply to her, not to Gloucester. Tsk, tsk.
Quote #5
GLOUCESTER
But mine is made the prologue to their play;
For thousands more, that yet suspect no peril,
Will not conclude their plotted tragedy.
Beaufort's red sparkling eyes blab his heart's malice,
And Suffolk's cloudy brow his stormy hate;
Sharp Buckingham unburdens with his tongue
The envious load that lies upon his heart;
And dogged York, that reaches at the moon,
Whose overweening arm I have plucked back,
By false accuse doth level at my life. (3.1.152-161)
Telling Henry he's innocent, Gloucester compares the nobles to actors performing a play. So let's get this straight: all actors are liars, in a way, because they pretend to be someone they aren't. They're just performing. Yep, that sounds pretty much like what the nobles are doing in this play.
Quote #6
SUFFOLK
And do not stand on quillets how to slay him—
Be it by gins, by snares, by subtlety,
Sleeping or waking. 'Tis no matter how,
So he be dead; for that is good deceit
Which mates him first that first intends deceit. (3.1.263-267)
Everyone wants to convince Henry that someone else is deceitful. For Suffolk, it's Gloucester. Suffolk tells Henry that Gloucester is laying a trap for Henry, and Henry had better watch out. Notice how Suffolk uses the word "deceit" twice, and lots of words for "trap" (gins, snares, subtlety) here? Maybe that's because he doesn't really have anything to say against Gloucester, so he just repeats these negative words a bunch of times to make his point.