How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #4
LADY FAULCONBRIDGE
Where is that slave thy brother? Where is he
That holds in chase mine honor up and down?
BASTARD
My brother Robert, old Sir Robert's son?
Colbrand the giant, that same mighty man?
Is it Sir Robert's son that you seek so?
LADY FAULCONBRIDGE
'Sir Robert's son?' Ay, thou unreverent boy,
Sir Robert's son.Why scorn'st thou at Sir Robert?
He is Sir Robert's son, and so art thou.
BASTARD
James Gurney, wilt thou leave us here awhile?
GURNEY
Good leave, good Philip.
BASTARD
'Philip Sparrow,' James.
There's toys abroad. Anon I'll tell thee more. (1.1.228-239)
In these lines, the Bastard shows us that he's pretty masterful at manipulating language. By this point, he's already confessed publicly that Sir Robert Falconbridge wasn't his true father—and that King Richard the Lionheart was. He then drives the point home by referring to his brother as "Sir Robert's son"—when, up until now, that description would have fit both of them. His mother picks up on the hint and is outraged—because it means that he thinks she was unfaithful to her husband. (Well, she was.)
Another subtle naming issue comes up at the end of this exchange, when James Gurney, a friend of Lady Falconbridge, addresses the Bastard by his birth name, Philip. But the Bastard has now officially been given the title "Sir Richard the Lionheart" (1.1.161-162); the Bastard responds with shock at his real name, which now sounds strange to him. Hearing it makes him say "sparrow!" because "Philip" was a popular name for pet sparrows in Shakespeare's day (yeah, they apparently had them), sort of like "Fido" is totally a name for dogs today. The Bastard ends by promising that he will fill Gurney in on all the big changes that have taken place recently—changes that are reflected in his new ways of using language and in his own name.
Quote #5
BASTARD
Here's a large mouth indeed
That spits forth death and mountains, rocks
and seas;
Talks as familiarly of roaring lions
As maids of thirteen do of puppy dogs.
What cannoneer begot this lusty blood?
He speaks plain cannon, fire, and smoke, and
bounce;
He gives the bastinado with his tongue.
Our ears are cudgeled. Not a word of his
But buffets better than a fist of France.
Zounds, I was never so bethumped with words
Since I first called my brother's father Dad. (2.1.476-488)
The Bastard speaks these words after being impressed by some tough talk from Hubert, who is at that time representing the citizens of Angers in their negotiations with King Philip and King John. Given his own love of playful language, it isn't surprising that the Bastard would admire this same quality in someone else. The end of his speech returns to the theme of naming, and to the social messages that names contain. Apparently, when the Bastard once called his brother's father "dad," old Sir Robert Falconbridge, Sr. erupted with a similar tirade of abusive language against his wife's illegitimate child.
Quote #6
KING JOHN
Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes,
Hear me without thine ears, and make reply
Without a tongue, using conceit alone,
Without eyes, ears, and harmful sound of words;
Then, in despite of brooded watchful day,
I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts.
But, ah, I will not. (3.3.50-56)
In these lines, King John imagines a new way of communicating: not through words, but through "conceit alone." By the way, "conceit" here doesn't have anything to do with being vain, stuck-up, or "conceited." In Shakespeare's day, the word "conceit" meant something like our modern word "concept." King John is using the word that way here: he means something like "concept," "idea," or "thought." In other words, he's wishing that he and Hubert could communicate telepathically, directly from one mind to the other. But why does he wish he could do this? Keep reading for more on this...