Previous
Earl of Warwick
After Lord Talbot is captured at Orleance, the Earl of Salisbury is left as the last English general still fighting in France. Though the French see Salisbury as “mad-brained” and “desperate” (because of his decision to keep fighting even when has been outnumbered), Salisbury is ultimately victorious, leading the English to victory in Orleance. After Talbot is freed, Salisbury is killed by the Master Gunner’s Boy, prompting Talbot to recall Salisbury’s heroic life—after all, Salisbury was the person who first trained King Henry V in combat. Salisbury’s death deepens Talbot’s feud against the French, motivating to fight even more bravely and forcefully.
Earl of Salisbury Quotes in Henry VI Part 1
The Henry VI Part 1 quotes below are all either spoken by Earl of Salisbury or refer to Earl of Salisbury. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, Scene 5 Quotes
TALBOT: Where is my strength, my valour, and my force?
Our English troops retire, I cannot stay them:
A woman clad in armour chaseth them.
[…] Here, here she comes. I’ll have a bout with thee;
Devil or devil’s dam, I’ll conjure thee:
Blood will I draw on thee, thou art a witch,
And straightway give thy soul to him thou servest.
JOAN LA PUCELLE: Come, come, ‘tis only I that must disgrace thee.
Here they fight
TALBOT: Heavens, can you suffer hell so to prevail?
My breast I’ll burst with straining of my courage
And from my shoulders crack my arms asunder.
But I will chastise this high-minded strumpet.
[…] My thoughts are whirled like a potter’s wheel;
I know not where I am, nor what I do;
A witch, by fear, not force, like Hannibal,
Drives back our troops and conquers as she lists[.]
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Henry VI Part 1 LitChart as a printable PDF.
Earl of Salisbury Character Timeline in Henry VI Part 1
The timeline below shows where the character Earl of Salisbury appears in Henry VI Part 1. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 1
...nobles that the English soldiers, hungry and exhausted, are close to mutiny; the Earl of Salisbury, the last English general still in France, is in dire need of back-up.
(full context)
Act 1, Scene 2
...important towns in France; Talbot is in prison; and the English troops, led by “mad-brained” Salisbury, are exhausted from hunger. Though the English are trying to retake Orleance, Charles decides that...
(full context)
Act 1, Scene 4
The scene shifts to the tower where the English soldiers, including Salisbury and Talbot, have all gathered. Salisbury, glad to be reunited with the recently freed Talbot,...
(full context)
...holding a match, then leans down to light the cannon. The cannon shot rings out—and Salisbury falls over, having been mortally wounded. Talbot, horrified, recalls that Salisbury has bravely fought in...
(full context)
...victorious, in large measure because of the guidance French soldiers received from Joan la Pucelle. Salisbury, not yet fully dead, lets out one last groan. But Talbot is not so easily...
(full context)
Act 1, Scene 5
...and more English soldiers flee, Talbot rages that his cowardly troops are to blame for Salisbury’s death. Indeed, Talbot feels so ashamed of the English soldiers that he almost wishes he...
(full context)
Act 2, Scene 2
...dawn the next morning, Talbot, Bedford and Burgundy celebrate the French retreat. Talbot orders that Salisbury’s dead body be brought into the center of Orleance, where he plans to erect a...
(full context)
